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K Studio’s Generous Summer House on the Greek Island of Skiathos

K Studio designed a sprawling and hospitable retreat on the Greek island of Skiathos for two young Athenian brothers and a large group of extended family and friends.

Achilleas Mourtzouchos had a dream of a summerhouse whose design 
alone, rather than any added-on decoration, made it beautiful.

Absolutely nothing interferes with the idyllic views.

A large group of extended family and friends spends much of the summer here as well as long weekends the rest of the year.

The getaway was a collaboration between the Mourtzouchos brothers and their longtime friends Dimitris and Konstantinos Karampatakis, of Athens’s K-Studio.

Achilleas says he had followed his architect friend’s career closely. “All I requested was two master bedrooms, one for Odysseas and one for myself, but otherwise I gave him total freedom. 
I trust Konstantinos completely.”

The result is an idyllic vacation home perched on a mountain on the Greek island of Skiathos.

White aluminum and oiled teak wooden sun loungers and a long low white corian outdoor table are the only decor needed on the simple wooded deck.

A lone pine tree is preserved and given its own gap in the roofline to reach for the sky.

As well as stacked stone cladding and floor to ceiling glass, wood-formed concrete walls contrast with iroko wood floors and white marble stones in the texture palette of the house.

These same design elements; the formed concrete, tho oiled Iroko wood, the white marble stones, are continued seamlessly indoors.

Dry-stacked slate quarried from a nearby island is used as cladding.

These dry-stacked stone walls are common in the Pelion area of Greece.

A straightforward and spacious kitchen easily accommodates large gatherings.

Altogether, it’s a convivial and easygoing summer house that is all about relaxing and hanging out with friends.

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A Swedish Idyll – Spare and Elegant

A warm fire pit seems inset into an expanse of pure ice surrounding this idyllic retreat near Stockholm.

Sweden’s Overby House is perched atop a rocky headland in the wilds of the Stockhom archipelago.

The mildest of sweet suns blesses this gentle and quiet space.

The restrained palette and cool design aesthetic perfectly complement the serenity of the surroundings.

The house is a fully organic whole with the scenery, yet also offers civilized comfort.

Floor to ceiling walls of glass face the spectacular archipelago views all around.

In a calm symmetrical layout, no-fuss wall-mounted faucets deliver to the sparest possible limestone sink, set over a limestone floor that wraps up over the tub surround.

The simple elegance of the house perfectly reflects the understated scenery.

John Robert Nilsson Arkitektkontor conjure a dwelling that is as utterly silent and contemplative as its surroundings.

Nothing decorative is added, and nothing decorative is needed.

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Georgia Contemporary Borrows Charm from the Arts and Crafts Movement

Horizontally muntined windows invite the mature rainforest in to a soaring bathroom lined with black slate and oiled wood.

It’s all part of a truly a one-of-a-kind home, both personal and contemporary, quirky and timeless.

An Arts and Crafts Movement ambience infuses its pleasant conservatory with its sliding wood paneled doors.

The charming house adopts the low-tech sustainability of an underground rainwater collector.

Huge overhangs are high enough above generous windows preventing heat gain in summer while inviting the low winter sun deep into the rooms.

The intimate intellectual feel of the Arts and Crafts movement can be also be seen in this combination of stone and the masculine woodworking details.

The soaring roofline of the sleeping space generates a dreamlike feeling of being carried up into the forest canopy.

By contrast, the low-ceilinged living room is cosy and convivial, an invite to conversation and sharing.

A brunch suspended in the trees is warmed by the wood ceiling and stone fireplace.

Studio One Architects created the Greenland Road Residence in a rural area outside Atlanta, Georgia.