Just a few minutes from the town of Mykonos (or Chora, as the locals call it), a wild, barren landscape unfolds in a silence interrupted only by the calls of the cicadas. Here, Praxitelis Kondylis, founder of A31 Architecture, has designed a home known as the Latypi residence, which, despite its uncompromising form, sits easily in its surroundings. ‘The concept is inspired by traditional Greek architecture, particularly the Cycladic sculptural tradition, which has produced timeless works of art,’ Praxitelis explains.
Fanning out towards the sea, the building’s telescope-like volumes are composed of small white parallelepipeds (blocks where all six faces are parallelograms) that emerge from the mountain in which they are embedded. Towards the back of the building, subterranean spaces flow together without creating rigid internal divisions. The house is surrounded by a garden of indigenous plants – designed by landscape-architecture firm Archetopo – that are resistant to the harsh climate.
Praxitelis wryly observes that the goats, which roam freely on the island, love Latypi and often sneak in to snack on its green roofs. These roofs not only ensure significant energy savings but also aim to help reintroduce indigenous species to the island. The focal point of the project is the olive tree in the central courtyard, which Praxitelis calls ‘a unique element with deep roots, symbolising Mediterranean memory. The living spaces develop around it, just as in Ancient Greek architecture.’
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The large common living area was conceived as an art gallery, which Praxitelis says has been furnished ‘with a collector’s approach rather than an interior designer’s one’, with each piece ‘meticulously chosen to create a space dedicated to contemporary art and design in a Mediterranean context’.
Inside, raw concrete has been finished with different textures, created using specially designed formwork, that produce a dreamy, enveloping quality of light. Thick walls also create a protective environment that blocks out the intense sunlight and wind. ‘They absorb the heat of the sun during the day and release it at night,’ Praxitelis says. ‘Concrete stores heat in winter and cools the buildings in summer, creating optimal conditions for those living here.’
Furniture designed by Muller Van Severen and lighting by the likes of Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec and Michael Anastassiades are complemented by iconic pieces such as the ‘Wishbone’ chairs and table by Hans J Wegner for Carl Hansen & Søn. There are also works by contemporary artists such as Belgian Tania De Bruycker, who created the sculptural shelf in the kitchen, and Greek painter Socrates Fatouros.
The only request from the owners was to bring the sea into the design, so rooms with huge sliding walls of glass open onto a large terrace that faces the water and the sacred island of Delos. A pool offers cool respite during the hottest moments of the day, while an outdoor kitchen with a custom-made table allows guests to enjoy the magic of nature at sunset. It’s here, with the warm light at the end of the day lending the vegetation a golden tone, that the architecture seems framed in a halo – testament to this place’s majesty. a31.gr
