officetwentyfivearchitects designs two idyllic beachside villas in greece

overlooking the beach of a greek village in the kassandra peninsula, officetwentyfivearchitects has designed two detached houses. named after the village, the ‘kallithea villas’ offer luxurious living spaces and magnificent views out to sea and the toroneos gulf. 

exterior day view from the south-eastern side 

all images © pygmalion karatzas

the location of the site provides the major advantage of the project. it is facing the beach of kallithea, and as it is sloped, offers incredible views. the beach is the main reason why the village has been developed so much over the last thirty years and today is considered one of the main and most sought-after places for summer vacation. tall and dense vegetation also surrounds the land, providing shade and cool places.

exterior view from the south pool veranda during the day

with a total area of approximately 260m² each, the villas are designed by officetwentyfivearchitects to accommodate large families. a common architectural language has been used while designing the houses, but still they differ in selected parts. each one comprises three levels: basement, ground and first floor. between them, there is a separator stone wall to ensure privacy. the roof was designed to offer larger internal heights in certain rooms of the second floor. each house has two open but sheltered parking spaces, as well as a swimming pool, a BBQ and a storage room on the main courtyard.

exterior view of the pergola overlooking the sea

the entrance to each house is on the ground floor, which is actually situated higher than the road due to the contours of the land. on this level, there is the kitchen, the dining area, a fireplace and the sitting area. all of them face both the swimming pool and sea beyond. the fireplace is open and positioned in the center of the room. an open staircase leads to the bedrooms on the second floor.

interior/exterior view of the living room and veranda

using either the interior or an exterior stair residents can reach the basement level, which is actually an independent apartment itself. it consists of a large common area with a living room and kitchen that opens out to a spacious veranda with an exterior sitting and dining area. on this level, there are also two bedrooms, a bathroom and an additional small storage room.

interior of the upper level bedroom with view

both houses are surrounded by private yards with swimming pools, a BBQ, changing rooms, showers and a garden warehouse. a concrete pergola connects the yard to the living room and acts as a transitional element that blends the indoor and outdoor space.

interior view of the living room and dining room at sunset

considering the proximity to the sea, the materials used in the project are simple and durable. externally the material palette includes white render, grey stone, glass and aluminium. internally, white marble was used on the flooring of the common areas, and natural oak flooring for the bedrooms. large ceramic tiles, shower cubicles and moisture resistant drywall false ceilings have been selected for the bathrooms.

the staircase viewed from the upper level

exterior sunset view from the southern-east corner

exterior view from the street/entrance at dusk

exterior views at dusk from the north and south elevations

exterior view of the east-facing elevation at dusk

project info:

project name: kallithea villas
project type: single-family holiday houses
architecture firm: officetwentyfivearchitects
project location: kallithea, kassandra, halkidiki, greece
design year: 2015
completion year: 2018
gross built area: 4843.76 ft2 (450 m2)
plot site: 21527.82 ft2 (2000 m2)
lead architects: officetwentyfivearchitects

other collaborators:
structural engineer: eleni hiraki
construction management: karamichail builders developers
interior design: lara tasilidou
landscape architect: euphemia zampouni

photography: pygmalion karatzas

brands/products:
windows: aqua life piscina
doors: spitze a.e.
bathroom furniture: zanetti bath taps accessories
tiles: caesar ceramica / fap ceramica / marazzi
furniture: karapiperidis-paritsis custom made furniture
fireplace: tzaki decor
wooden floors: imperial floor gallery

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: lynne myers | designboom