Is this the coolest Greek island hideaway ever?
Move over Tom Hanks, the anti Antiparos bolthole cometh
If you’re not Greek you may not have heard of Serifos—yet. This small, arid island in the Cycladic archipelago has none of the glamour of nearby Mykonos and Santorini but it does rock refreshing obscurity, quiet beaches and a smattering of architectural gems like the NCaved house, designed by Athens-based Mold Architects and completed in 2020. Servin’ up some serious luxe hideaway chops.
The villa is carved into a rocky bluff overlooking the Aegean Sea yet despite its name and structure it’s breezy and full of light. It’s also not a hotel—more on that below the fold—and also not for fans of cozy this or rustic chic that. This is something else, and not for everyone. What Tom Hanks has in Antiparos looks like a 1950s Van Nuys hut compared to this ridiculous piece of design candy:
In the words of the architects:
“NCaved is a vacation residence of 360m2, on a small secluded rocky cove seemingly hovering just above sea level. The need to create a protected shelter, at a location of disarming view, but openly exposed to strong north winds, led us to the decision to drill the slope, instead of arranging a set of spaces in line at ground level. A human-oriented approachto offer an emotionally reach spatial experience to the inhabitants and a substantial connection with nature: Firstly, by an emblematic dive into the inner courtyards of the house, via the long outdoor staircases that gradually reveals the spaces of the house, and then, to an emotional outburst facing the breath-taking view through the wide glazing of the living room spaces. Raw materials and the management of natural light, by means of perforated or reflective surfaces, add to the intensity of emotions, and depending on the time of day, may transport the user from the natural feeling of the daylight to the realm of the [our italics] seductive and the uncanny.
In conclusion, a thorough research of the geomorphological elements, as well as the cultural heritage of a site gave rise to the Ncaved design. Our vast respect for the land did not lead us to a timid design, which would reproduce and submit to stereotypes; rather, we aimed at a daring architecture that declares its presence and rightfully manages to ‘belong’ to its surroundings.
Ncaved appears bold, yet humble, it embraces the Cycladic traditional concepts yet reimagines them and proposes a recognizable and humane architecture. The core concepts in our design were based on the analysis of the suburban Cycladic landscape and cultural heritage: The basic of those concepts was the use of the architecture to create a shelter which will protect the inhabitants from the severe weather phenomena of the area. (Meltemi northern winds). Furthermore, the bioclimatic approach of the design, also finds its roots in the traditional dry-stone Cycladic dwellings- with their planted roofs. Another key concept of our approach was the use of local materials, such as stone, excavated from the plot, but also metal which we used as a clear reference to Serifos’s rich mining history.
By combining passive and active techniques we managed to minimize the energy consumption and maintenance cost of the house. Another key concept of our approach was the use of local materials, such as stone, excavated from the plot, band also metal which we used as a reference to the Island’s rich mining history.
The use of raw materials (stone, exposed concrete, wood and steel) intensifies the feeling of living inside a natural cavity. The roughness of the materials is combined with an elegance in the handling of the details, creating a simple, yet warm and gentle environment totally connected to nature.”
The rugged yet dazzling island of Serifos
Serifos, an Aegean island of 75 square km and, like Santorini, is part of the breezy Cycladic archipelago. There are no big chain hotels here and according to Stylianos Livanios, the island's Deputy Mayor for Finance and Tourism, the locals intend to keep things that way.
"We don’t target to mass tourism which will adversely affect our island’s natural beauty," Livanios says. "If we try to replicate the infrastructure of Mykonos or Paros, then we are going to lose our unique characteristics that distinguish Serifos from the other islands."
Rugged and starkly beautiful, Serifos is steeped in folklore rich with tales of pirates and kalikerades, or water fairies, and is perhaps not surprisingly endowed with a number of excellent and resolutely undeveloped beaches.
"We choose to keep our beaches free of sunbeds so that visitors can enjoy the blue and dazzling waters in privacy at more than 72 unique beaches," says Livianos.
Furthermore, he adds that any new hotels will be "small-capacity lodgings, far apart from each other, so that the island’s fine architecture and natural, vibrant energy can be preserved."
NCAVED Photo credits:
NCAVED PHOTOGRAPHER 1:
Yiorgis Yerolymbos
NCAVED PHOTOGRAPHER 2:
Panagiotis Voumvakis