An idyllic residence in the heart of Santorini’s Megalochori village reinterprets the Mediterranean hacienda typology

Megalochori is a village in Santorini located in the southern part of the island, famous for its extraordinary scenery, consisting of fertile volcanic ground with vineyards. The landscape and the local Cycladic architecture made up of clear white plaster cubes and forms, combined with the local black stone, are the main characteristics of this residence.

The partly-cave house with its curved ceilings was once used as a traditional “kanava”, a building used for the production and storage of the famous wines of Santorini. That, combined with the clients’ desire to create a hacienda-like residence, was the inspiration and the beginning of the exploration in designing a Mediterranean version of a hacienda, applied to the unique location of Santorini.

Interior Design Laboratorium gave the design a luxurious yet classic and timeless approach, by keeping the minimalistic plastic architecture and adding elements which look like they ‘ve always been there. Using a light tone wall color to let the spaces look brighter, while the natural material palette, like marble claddings, stone floors and natural wood tones on furniture, preserve the intention to maintain the desired character.

“An eclectic sense is achieved with the addition of objects specially selected for all areas of the house”.

The outdoor spaces of the house consist of a rectangular pool that reminds of the old “sterna” (traditional water tanks built in houses to ensure water supply during drought periods), a small lounge and a covered dining area, all enclosed by an almost 3 meters high stone wall, a traditional building technique to achieve privacy. The indoor spaces are divided into a private part, with bedrooms and bathrooms, and a secondary part with the utility spaces, kitchen and service room.

“In between the two parts there is the indoor big vaulted common space with the entrance, living area, dining area, lounge and desk”.

One of the strongest characteristics is definitely the simplicity of the main indoor common area with its 4,5 meters high curved plaster ceiling which opens majestically in front of the guest when the main entrance door opens. All private spaces are naturally illuminated either from the existing windows of the only facade, or by skylights (existing and new) in the spaces under the ground level.

The carefully placed ceiling skylights, in combination with the curved ceilings, create a unique atmosphere in the rooms of the house, as they are washed by natural light coming from the sky, while the big opening in the Master Bedroom gives the opportunity to have a great direct view of the pool and access to it exactly opposite the bed.

By accessing the rooftop of the building one can enjoy the outstanding view of the village skyline with the iconic church domes, as well as the sea on the south part of the island, something unusual for a “kanava” that is built partly in the ground.

Facts & Credits:

Project title: Megalochori residence, Typology: Private residence, Location: Megalochori – Santorini – Cyclades, Architectural & Interior design: Interior Design Laboratorium, Design Director: Stamos Hondrodimos, Associate designers: Konstantinos Stergiopoulos – Gianna Liontou – Giannis Viglis – Maria Orfanou, Lighting design: Kafkas lighting, Project Status: Completed | July 2023, Text description: Interior Design Laboratorium, Photography: Ioanna Roufopoulou