A ’70s Seafront Home in Greece Breaks Free of Its Tunnel Vision

Cradled by olive groves, pine forests, and meadows overlooking the sea, this holiday home in the Greek village of Evia recently underwent extensive renovations that maximize its connection to the superlative location. Before, it only opened to the sea on one side and was otherwise walled in, which limited views of the water.

According to architect Xristina Argyros, cofounder of Neiheiser Argyros, the fix was simple enough. "We created larger openings along both sides of the structure to enable multiple views toward the sea," she says. The firm also extended the home, creating a "bar of bedrooms" that sits perpendicular to the original building on an existing slope. Carefully organized apertures provide additional vistas of both land and sea.

The home’s original materials—board-formed concrete, brick, and wood—have an elemental quality that Argyros wanted to keep exposed wherever possible. But, she says, "We were deliberately ambiguous in our treatment of old and new and were careful not to be precious about the original house." The result is a seamless connection between past and present.

Cuts made into existing concrete or brick walls were generally left exposed and raw "in celebration of the changes," Argyros says. And while many of the home’s striking original modernist details remain—including a refurbished existing steel spiral staircase that was relocated to the outside of the house—new playful touches are everywhere.

Light-pink custom terrazzo floors flow throughout the home, and steelwork is brightened with mint-green paint. Built-in upholstered furniture creates cozy spaces for soaking up the views and socializing, and extensive terraces surrounding the house create levels of outdoor living spaces to explore.

The overall effect is a home that feels at once embedded in, and open to, the landscape that anchors it. "It was definitely a dialog between our own interests and the original design of the house," says Argyros. "We wanted the house to respect its original DNA but also to feel fresh and contemporary."

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Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Neiheiser Argyros / @neiheiser_argyros