Sinas architects’ winding stone summer house embedded in the side of a hill in Serifos, Greece
On the Greek island of Serifos stands a low-lying, winding, weaving stone summer house embedded into the hills, blending into the landscape as if dug out from the landscape itself.










On the Greek island of Serifos stands a low-lying, winding, weaving stone summer house embedded into the hills, blending into the landscape as if dug out from the landscape itself. Leiden with sturdy stone walls that curves up, down, and side to side, nesting comfortably and firmly into the earth.
The sporadically distributed color palette of the stone, and the shape of the structure blends perfectly into its surroundings. So much so that one might not spot it without a second glance, as was the purpose of Sinas architects’ concept behind the creation.
The structure is heavily inspired by what is locally referred to as ‘xerolithies’. Stone walls, usually short, used for land cultivation along the slopes of hillsides for more optimal land usage; such land cultivation methods can be found all over the world.
The stone walls start to undulate both horizontally and vertically, starting closer to the hillside and the ground, and gently curving upwards, as well as expanding outwards away from the hill. This creates a natural looking, smooth movement along the slopes, and creates space within the house.
The roof of the house is covered with dirt and shrubbery, further harmonizing the building with its surroundings, and completing the xerolithia styled concept.
The structure is comprised of a main house and living room, a master bedroom, open kitchen, dining space, and a smaller guest house with two guest bedrooms.
The interior atmosphere is denoted with an earthy color palette, complimenting the exterior stone walls and the biome around it.
The doors and windows are carved from wood, with the interior walls comprised of stone with no mortar holding them together, both features of traditional house building techniques.
Sinas architects placed exposed wooden beams topping both the interior and exterior of the structure, another important feature of traditional cycladic houses,
The beams follow the houses curvature as opposed to being placed parallel to one another as would have been in a simpler structure. Woven between all pillars are skinnedbamboo sheets, casting a striped shade when the sun looms overhead.
- date publishedMay 12, 2021
- categoryArchitecture
- original sourceDesign Boom↗