A 200+ year old traditional Cycladic house was restored by Ioannis Exarchou with all respect to the vernacular architectural philosophy of the Cyclades, Greece. Simple and earthly, it oozes calmness. Nothing in the house is redundant; everything serves a purpose. To relax and enjoy a well designed environment at its full.
The 120m2 house is at ground level and has two small but cozy yards, one in front and one at the rear. There are two bedrooms, the second of which is at a wooden loft 2 metres high, one small gas kitchen and a very interesting arrangement for the toilet-shower-washbasin daily needs. Last but not least is the living room which is very impressive with a 4+ m. high ceiling, as is the case in most of the house.
The approach to the restoration of the house on Tinos chose to retain and to highlight its basic characteristics by way of the intention of its future habitation. A basic concern was to keep its material nature, construction entity, and spatial interest by means of a careful design – elaboration, and then by a process of construction. Equally important factors in the whole undertaking were cost and the time of completion of the work. In the spirit of determinist economy, the amalgamation of user functions was devised by creating a unified space (the ‘wet site’) by annexing in this way the new function to the old shell. The irregularity and strangeness of surfaces and proportions were kept. Major importance was attached to the re-design and construction of the door and window frames and the wooden constructions, while preserving their proportions and technical entity. Forged latches, bolts, and mechanisms were reproduced, whereas whatever was newly designed was dictated by the same spirit. The house’s movable furnishings, the electrical installations, and certain lighting units were designed with the same attention.Photographer: Julia Klimi and S.H.
