O Lofos

Architects: Block 722
Location: Crete, Greece
Year: 2022
Furniture: Arv Chair

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The green, wild Cretan landscape and the richness and heritage of traditional crafts define this new, thoroughly contemporary residential design by Block722. Sat on the northern foothills of Thrypti mountain within the Greek island’s eastern side, the project is a commission by a private client. It called for a 400 sqm home on a slope, including two guestrooms and generous outdoors areas.

Balancing the needs of the brief with the natural setting that combines vistas of mountains, plains, and the Mediterranean Sea, was critical in the architects’ design solution. The architecture was driven by desire to create a modern house that is discreet and respectful to its surroundings.

The main home is divided into two low buildings linked by a semi-enclosed area with a water feature. The design merges natural materials that are often used in the local vernacular, such as wood and stone. At the same time, the atmosphere is distinctly contemporary, blending Block722’s inherent Scandinavian sensibility and organic minimalism with Japanese architecture influences.

The powerful Greek sunlight helps define shapes and surfaces, playing with the textured materials, as the architects drew on the feel and rhythm of the context for both interiors and exteriors. The journey of light and the clients’ habits throughout the day led the spatial arrangement inside. Each section and route are carefully planned to support functionality and frame vistas, through visual journeys and spatial narratives that blend inside and outside, the natural and the human made. The design seeks to enhance slow living, taking its cues from the island’s lifestyle.

“We collaborated with local craftsmen, from carpenters to stonemasons, to mosaic and marble specialists. These people had their own techniques and tools, and as we spent time with them, we had the opportunity to see the process through their expertise and technical training. During the collaboration, we conducted a study that served as our guide, and then followed a time-consuming work by these individuals.”


Sotiris Tsergas, Block722 x Designboom

Arv Chair

Arv Chairs match the neutral, earthy colors of the place and add an inherent Scandinavian sensibility to the contemporary atmosphere.

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Architects: Block722
Interior and styling: Block722
Lighting study: Skia Lighting
Ceramics: Maru Meleniou
Photography: Ana Santl

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