Two independent summer apartments reinterpret the landscape and cultural memory of Serifos through distinct colour palettes, natural materials and bespoke elements inspired by the island.

Seriphos Estate is a complete redesign of a 1970s building near Agios Ioannis beach in Serifos. The project by Ioli Chiotini Studio contains two independent residences: Kelyphos on the upper level and Edaphos below.

Rather than reproducing Cycladic architecture literally, the interiors translate characteristic impressions of the island into colour, material and form. The line between sea and sky, the roughness of the dry landscape and, above all, the intensity of summer light become recurring points of reference throughout the two residences.

 

 

Two residences, two colour identities

Although the apartments belong to the same project, each develops a distinct atmosphere.

Earthy and reddish tones dominate Edaphos on the ground floor, connecting its palette with the dry terrain. Kelyphos above is defined by blue-green hues that recall the sea and the changing colours of the horizon.

The contrast gives each residence an individual identity while maintaining a common conceptual framework. Across both interiors, colour operates less as surface decoration than as a means of abstracting familiar images and sensations from the island.

The project thus approaches place through memory rather than imitation. Serifos is present in the interiors without being reduced to conventional white-and-blue references.

 

Translating Cycladic forms

Built-in seating with organic curves, niches protected beneath arches and timber ceiling battens reinterpret elements associated with the traditional architecture of Serifos.

These references are simplified and incorporated into a contemporary interior language. Curves soften transitions between different functions, while recessed areas create more protected settings for sitting and resting.

Natural materials reinforce this sense of familiarity. Woven cane appears on wardrobe fronts and linen is used around the beds, introducing tactile surfaces and warmth within the restrained interiors.

Two-tone white and blue curtains establish a more direct relationship with the view. Their horizontal transition echoes the division between sky and sea and brings the distant horizon into the rooms through colour and fabric.

 

 

Cultural references as bespoke objects

A series of custom-made elements introduces more specific references to the history and culture of Serifos.

The island’s quarries, apiaries and mythology are abstracted into mirrors, articulated pendant lights and marble surfaces incorporated into the kitchen furniture. These pieces do not function as literal replicas of local objects. Instead, they transform recognizable associations into contemporary forms and details.

The strategy adds another layer to the interiors: the landscape is expressed through the overall palette, while cultural memory appears at the smaller scale of furniture, lighting and bespoke objects.

 

Outdoor living beneath timber pergolas

Both levels extend into outdoor spaces sheltered by timber pergolas covered with natural reed.

Built-in seating and generous cushions continue the colour palette of the interiors, making the terraces feel like extensions of the rooms rather than separate external areas.

On the ground floor, the outdoor kitchen and large dining table form a principal gathering space with open views towards the island landscape. Here, the design shifts from the more intimate scale of the apartments to collective outdoor life.

The use of reed, timber, built-in furniture and textiles also maintains continuity between the material character of the interiors and the exposed summer spaces.

 

 

Personal memory within the new interiors

Alongside the references to the wider island, the design incorporates personal objects belonging to the owner.

These pieces preserve traces of the earlier life of the property and introduce a more individual layer within the redesigned apartments. Rather than treating the renovation as a complete break with the past, the project allows old memories and new interventions to coexist.

Seriphos Estate consequently operates at several scales of memory: the landscape and light of the Cyclades, the cultural history of Serifos, and the personal history attached to the existing property.

Through colour, natural materials and purpose-designed objects, Ioli Chiotini Studio transforms these references into two contemporary interiors with separate identities but a shared relationship with place.

 

The project was first published in print in ek magazine 290 | September 2024, the monthly issue by ek Architectural Publications.

Rhoēs is an unbuilt private residence by Sinas Architects on the island of Serifos. The 390m² project occupies a 4,500m² site within an exposed Cycladic landscape, where strong winds, intense sunlight, steep terrain and distant views become active elements of the design.

Rather than reproducing the recognizable forms of traditional island architecture, the project investigates the environmental forces that originally shaped them. Its aim is to develop a contemporary house rooted in the conditions of Serifos without relying on the direct imitation of vernacular forms.

 

 

Architecture shaped by climate

The residence is conceived as a sequence of spaces that gradually negotiate exposure and protection. Walls define sheltered zones, while courtyards and semi-open areas create places where outdoor life can continue despite the island’s demanding climatic conditions.

The landscape is therefore not treated as a background for an autonomous architectural object. Instead, wind, solar exposure, terrain and views influence the position and character of each space.

Protected outdoor rooms form intermediate thresholds between the enclosed interior and the open site. These transitional areas allow the architecture to remain connected with its surroundings while providing shade and shelter from the wind.

A gradual spatial sequence

Movement through the project is organized as a transition between different degrees of enclosure. More protected spaces are followed by courtyards, framed openings and wider views towards the landscape.

This sequence avoids the immediate exposure of the entire residence. Instead, the house is gradually revealed through changes in scale, light and orientation. The courtyards become points of reference within this progression, extending domestic life beyond the enclosed rooms.

The resulting organization reflects the contrast found across the Cycladic landscape itself. Open and exposed areas coexist with recesses, walls and protected pockets shaped by the terrain.

 

 

Beyond the image of Cycladic architecture

Contemporary residential programmes often require larger interior spaces and amenities that differ significantly from those of older island houses. Rhoēs addresses these requirements without treating the site as a neutral setting onto which a predetermined lifestyle can simply be transferred.

The project seeks continuity with local architecture through its underlying logic rather than its external image. Climate determines the relationship between solid and open surfaces. The topography informs the sequence of movement, while sheltered courtyards mediate between contemporary domestic needs and the conditions of the island.

In this way, the reference to Cycladic architecture remains structural rather than stylistic. The house does not attempt to reproduce an idealized past. Instead, it applies a similar process of adaptation to the realities of present-day living.

Material continuity with the site

The proposed palette combines natural stone, exposed concrete, oak, glass and aluminium. Stone gives the composition a direct material relationship with the terrain, while concrete forms more continuous structural surfaces.

Oak introduces warmth within the interior and sheltered outdoor areas. Glass maintains visual connections with the landscape, while aluminium provides a restrained framework for the openings.

The combination is intended to reinforce the distinction between protection and exposure. Heavier materials define the boundaries of the residence, while transparent surfaces open selected spaces towards the surrounding landscape.

Rhoēs is currently under development, with completion estimated for 2028. The project proposes a contemporary interpretation of island dwelling in which architectural form emerges from climate, terrain and everyday use rather than from the reproduction of a predetermined regional style.

Mold Architects was founded in 2011 by Iliana Kerestetzi, an architect who studied in Athens and New York. Based in Athens and Serifos, the award-winning practice works across the full spectrum of design, extending beyond the architecture of buildings. Regardless of scale or programme, its projects maintain the same investigative approach, seeking clear and precisely targeted responses.

 

S.M.: You belong to a generation of architectural practices that emerged during the financial crisis, maintaining a base in Serifos alongside a second office in Athens. How did you navigate this condition, and how did you use it to your advantage almost a decade later?

I.K.: In 2013, I had the good fortune to build my first project, a vacation home in Serifos. During the years that followed, the proposals we received mainly concerned designs intended for off-plan property sales.

That model ultimately failed to bear fruit, and most of those projects were never built. Nevertheless, during a very difficult period, we were able to practise architecture, evolve and delve more deeply into the subject of our work. We developed a clear direction and a conscious approach to selecting projects at a time when, in reality, there was no luxury of choice.

With patience and optimism, we overcame that obstacle. Much later, we are preparing to see many more of our projects realized.

 

 

S.M.: Designing vacation housing requires architects to reconcile demands for “authenticity” and belonging to a particular “place” with residents’ desire for amenities associated with a different way of life. How do you maintain this balance in your projects?

I.K.: I understand the quotation marks around the word “authenticity,” and I assume you are referring to an architecture that tends to reproduce “traditional” structures, materials and construction techniques. It does so to approach the idea of the old, the pure and the traditional, which is, of course, an established tourism product.

The task, however, is clearly more difficult than uncritical reproduction. We belong to the present, with everything that entails—with increasingly complex needs, but also with constantly evolving tools and means—and we are not nostalgic for the past.

Yet we also belong to the place. Whether considered through its geomorphology or its history, the place is the starting point of our thinking, the subject of our analysis and the reservoir from which we draw our ideas. These are simple and clear ideas, with reason and substance, capable of weaving the thread that connects us with the place, its past, its present and its future.

 

 

S.M.: Having worked on many small-scale projects, how did you approach the transition to large hotel developments? What can be retained, and what is lost from your architectural approach when the scale changes?

I.K.: Our approach to architecture is certainly not affected by the size of a project, although the requirements may differ.

One issue that we clearly do not encounter in a residence is the accommodation of extensive back-of-house infrastructure without disturbing the immediacy of the relationship between the user and the landscape that we seek to establish. It is a machine in constant motion that must operate silently while providing every necessary service.

Another challenge is finding ways to introduce the idea of the small into a larger scale. This may be achieved by minimizing the building footprint. Alternatively, the design can prevent the building’s total volume from being perceived from any of its individual parts.

Once uninterrupted visual contact is removed, the scale immediately diminishes. The architecture consequently becomes more approachable and humane.

 

Read the full interview in ek issue 247 | May 2020.