Cretan Summer Home
In strong connection with the genius loci, a summer home on the island of Crete, to forget the superfluous and reconnect with the unspoiled nature that surrounds it and its slow rhythms. Integration into the landscape, the imperative!
A few steps far from the ancient village of Kato Mixorròuma ? whose design references are many ? in the prefecture of Rethymno, the building sits on a steep slope, following its orography. Inserted between an old oak tree on the West and an Aloni ? low circular stone construction used for agriculture ? protected by the Archaeological Institute on the East, the house opens towards the South while maintaining a more reserved and closed profile on the North towards the new village. The essential shapes and materials ? stone, wood, metal, and plaster ? while declined with a contemporary language echo the traditional architecture. Photography by © Vasileios Thanopoulos, Vasileios Mathioudakis
The avlì ? courtyard and the imposing staircase become the fulcrum and distribution axis of the entire project around which the three new volumes of the house revolve: a clear reference to the typical houses on its slopes. The staircase, characterized by a funnel shape, directs, without interruption, the view of the guest towards two focal points, which bring him/her back to the outside and to the surrounding landscape. Internally it separates the living room from the kitchen and leads to the bedrooms and services located on the lower le...