Eris Koutsoudakis and Maria Kachramanoglou, the founders of Meraki Design, have worked on residential projects across the UK and Greece (their studio is based in both London and Athens), but it was perhaps the hotels they have designed, which include the Etesian in Mykonos, that appealed to a young couple looking for a home with a year-round holiday atmosphere.
‘They really wanted it to feel like a resort; this little oasis in the middle of Athens,’ says Eris of the brief from her clients – a Reformer Pilates teacher and a fireworks engineer. ‘The idea was a space that removes you from the hustle and bustle,’ she adds. ‘Somewhere calm and restorative.’
Like in any good resort, the pool is the focus. Here, it traces one whole side of the home, with all of the rooms on the ground floor opening straight out to the water’s edge. Due to the long, narrow nature of the plot, there was no space for a garden, so vertical planting delivers an intense hit of greenery, while also enhancing privacy.
Inside, the materials have been chosen to reference the outdoors. Wooden ceilings guarantee a certain textural quality (a counterpoint to the concrete floor), while elements of rattan and the sandy-toned plaster on the walls continue to warm up this otherwise very minimalist home. Lavastone is used in the bathroom and beside the pool, to add that extra visual link.
Furniture, meanwhile, is largely bespoke, with lots of clever storage solutions allowing everything to be hidden away (after all, nothing detracts from that luxury-resort feel more quickly than clutter). There are a few pieces by local makers and finds from stores in Athens – many of the ceramics in the home are by Anna Karountzou, who crafts her own glazes inspired by the Greek islands.
‘There are clichés about Greek architecture and design,’ says Maria, but none of them are on display in this house. People always think of the blue and white colours of the properties on the Aegean Cyclades, she points out – that classic Mamma Mia! image – but this is a country with far more varied styles: ‘The islands on the Ionian side are very much Italian inspired and, on the mainland, there’s a lot of stone architecture.’
One thing that carries through, however, is a love of natural materials. ‘The interiors tend to naturally evolve from the land,’ she adds. Grounded and suitably zen, this is a home with a sundowner feel – made for entertaining but also ideal for quiet time. merakidesign.co.uk
