In Efpalio, in direct contact with the landscape of the Corinthian Gulf, iy SYNAPSIS ARCHITECTS designed a holiday residence that is fully attuned to its natural setting. The composition leverages orientation: the building deliberately faces south and is placed close to the rear boundary, freeing the front part of the plot as an open field for everyday life and outdoor experience.
The house is organised around the Line of Living, a central axis that directs movement and connects three distinct volumes: the social volume with open-plan living and kitchen under a tiled roof; the more introverted stone volume with the master bedroom and bathroom; and the taller, also tiled, volume with the two children’s bedrooms, their lofts and the bathrooms. Lower-height passages between them act as filters, enhancing cross-ventilation and offering transverse views. The entrance is placed at the first junction, marking the transition from the public to the more private zone.
The form remains gentle and low, fully integrated with the terrain. Along the front, the timber deck extends the interior floor level and hosts the outdoor living area, dining and BBQ, while the pool follows the natural slope, set slightly lower. Timber pergolas with reed shading filter the Mediterranean light and define the outdoor living zones, reducing glare and overheating.
Materiality completes the integration: warm-toned stone, off-white and beige renders, timber beams and cladding, dark metal frames, and natural stone for the floors and around the pool. Together they deliver a clear Mediterranean identity, where the architectural footprint becomes a vehicle for experience and a continuous flow between inside and out.
