sigurd larsen crafts meraki studios as a concrete grid in crete’s terraced terrain

crete’s organic landscape meets orthogonal rock

When it comes to designing a place of retreat, few projects balance elemental honesty and immersive hospitality. With its rugged concrete skeleton, Meraki House and Studios by Sigurd Larsen does just that. Perched in the heart of Crete’s central mountains, the studios and a neighboring house are equal parts sanctuary and sculptural intervention, offering visitors a retreat that’s grounded in the textures and contours of the landscape.

Meraki Studios are at once a collection of boutique retreats and a study in restraint. Set into a terraced mountain slope surrounded by ancient olive groves, the project reveals its structure in full view: a concrete frame, raw and orthogonal, planted with the quiet confidence of something meant to age in place. The Berlin-based Danish architect doesn’t hide the grid. Instead, he lets it breathe, shaping a rhythmic order that adapts to the land like a manipulated boulder.

Meraki Studios | images © Kkrom Serrvices

sigurd larsen imagines modern cavernous living

With the Meraki Studios, architect Sigurd Larsen creates six apartment units that burrow into the hillside with the stealth of ancient dwellings. Cavernous and cool, each unit is carved into the frame like a private alcove, open on one end to vast valley views and craggy mountain silhouettes. It’s architecture that prioritizes pause. Interiors are pared down, shaded by custom shutters and pergolas that respond to the movement of the Mediterranean sun. Kitchens are compact but capable — encouraging slow, self-sufficient days spent immersed in nature, not rushing out to find it.

Meraki Studios is surrounded by a landscape that the architect chooses to respect rather than reinvent. The garden winds through olive trees, over meadows, and into secluded stone terraces that act as outdoor rooms. One features a pool hidden among the remnants of an old stone wall, while others offer panoramic vantages or secluded corners for reading and resting.

Meraki Studios by Sigurd Larsen is a boutique retreat set in the mountains of Crete

meraki house: a Sculpted Shelter in Stone

Meanwhile, Sigurd Larsen sites the neighboring Meraki House further up the slope, away from the Studios. Built for the hosting family, this separate structure is an anchor of hospitality, designed to support guest needs while existing as a fully realized home. The ground floor wraps around an interior courtyard — equal parts gathering space and quiet retreat. Above, the upper level peeks above the treetops, offering sweeping 360-degree views of the surrounding mountain ranges. Here, being a host means being embedded in the experience, not removed from it.

The house continues the design language of the studios with the same orthogonal concrete grid and use of locally quarried stone. The structure feels ancient and futuristic all at once, like a ruin that never crumbled. As with the studios, the stone walls provide natural insulation, protecting against the intensity of Cretan summers. Over time, the surfaces will welcome lichen and moss — living markers of the building’s integration with its environment.

The team at Sigurd Larsen Design & Architecture writes: ‘‘Meraki’ translates to passion, reflecting the spirit of local gastronomy and the dedication required to live in this beautiful yet harsh environment. At Meraki Studios, every detail is crafted with care and appreciation for the natural and cultural richness of Crete, Greece.’

Meraki Studios’ exposed concrete grid adapts to the sloping terrain like a sculpted rock