Located on the hillside of a charming peninsula on Kythnos island, offering breathtaking vistas of the Cycladic archipelago, Piperi is a modern island house that fuses tradition with contemporary design. Drawing inspiration from the traditional Cycladic villages characterized by their iconic white cubes and interconnected stepped alleys, the house emerges as a crystalline sculpture, meticulously carved from a single block of white stone. Against the backdrop of a dry landscape adorned with warm brown and green tones, the monolithic volumes of Piperi House stand in striking contrast.
Inside and out, a sense of playful movement permeates the space, courtesy of the winding white staircases that guide visitors through every level of the house. Drawing inspiration from the art of M.C. Escher, one can traverse the house in an infinite loop of steps, seamlessly navigating above, below, and around the living spaces. Four clusters of white cubes nestle into the hillside at varying heights, offering a multitude of panoramic views of the neighboring islands. Framed perfectly by the three beds, the bathtub, the dining table, and the sofa, the view of the small uninhabited Piperi Island becomes a focal point from the interior. The terraces serve as an extension of the living spaces, while the roofs of the white cubes double as elevated plateaus, granting access to breathtaking vantage points above the rugged rocks.
The outdoor spaces, created by the arrangement of the white cubes, are strategically oriented to provide a sanctuary sheltered from the winds, regardless of their direction and intensity. Two staircases gracefully descend from the house, granting direct access to the water on either side of the peninsula. One pathway leads to the rocky cliffs on the east, inviting exhilarating leaps into the sea, while the other guides you to a sandy beach on the southwest. As the property extends beyond the hill’s ridge, a guest house emerges from an existing stone barn. With an inviting outdoor kitchen and pergola, this cozy retreat allows guests to relish the sunrise at the main house perched on the eastern cliffs and then seamlessly transition to embrace the sunset, facing the beach on the southwest side.
