Architecture: Dimitra Marini
Interior Design: Dimitra Marini
Construction: Dimitra Marini
Building area: 37m²
Location: Potamos, Kythira, Greece
Year of completion: 2022
This 1900 converted barn is located in Potamos, a historical village of the XII century. It is hidden in a peaceful 2 acres farm, overlooking the main square, the church and the town hall of the village. Its structure is made entirely of stone with exposed beams on the ceiling. A glass wall can be fully opened to nature to welcome the outside in. Near yet far from the hustle bustle it is only 5 minutes from the village center.
The old shell was preserved and the building with an area of only 37 sq.m. was converted into a residence. Its demolished parts were preserved to form the entrance and the openings to the eastern light. In the two-storey living room, the unpainted timber of the superstructure is evident, reminiscent of a keel of a ship. In continuation of the surrounding natural landscape, the cement mortar on the floor of the central space, which was made with a mixed technique of traditional and modern practice, recovers the earthy texture of traditional buildings. At the back of the ground floor space, is the bedroom and the toilet in between. Composing a mosaic of functions and materials, the earthy texture welcomes the traditional cement mortar in the bathroom and the white timber on the bedroom floor. From there begins the wooden staircase, just 10 consecutive steps to the loft.
The structure of the roof without intermediate beams creates a continuum that allows the maximum utilization of the building volume and the creation of additional space in height. Instead of railings, the loft is completed with continuous timber creating 4 meters of continuous work surface. Small elements of the building’s history are skilfully unfolded in the successive stop-frames of our tour in the building, such as the whip of the first owner, Theodoros Koronaios, and the “koulouka”, the stone projection on the wall that was used to bind domestic animals.
