Captain Elias Hydriot House

Hydra, Greece, 2023

‘The finest specimens of fossilised duration concretized as a result of long sojourn, are to be found in and through space’ writes Gaston Bachelard in The Poetics of Space. For it takes time for space to be imbued with collective significations that outlast us; it takes lived experiences for memories to be imprinted in well-worn rust; it takes resilience for people to forge a bond with their surroundings and begin to breathe in unison with them. This was the greatest challenge of this project, namely, the renovation of a 19th century traditional Hydriot house by bridging a century-long gap and reviving the property without losing its original identity.

The restoration was a gradual process, which took more than three years. The restoration necessitated delving into the building’s history and architecture in order to bring back to life the original layout, textures, and atmospheres, while respecting its architectural heritage. The exterior walls had to be brushed in order to remove the plaster and restore the stonework. In the same vein, the walls coating in the main bedroom were partially removed in order to reveal colourful murals, which were then carefully restored.

The house’s main layout remained the same, with the living and kitchen spaces on the ground level and the bedrooms on the 1st floor. On the attic level, the skylight was extended to the edge of a structural bay, allowing access to the terrace level through a steep wooden staircase. In addition, the secondary building of the property was decided to remain intact as ruins, and be converted into an elevated patio surrounded by olive trees and mulberry trees.

Damaged floor tiles and loose floorboards had to be replaced with similar mixtures of locally sourced gravel, stone floors, and planks. The traditional sterna (water tank), which has always been a crucial element not only of Hydriot Houses but of most of the Cyclades islands where water is scarce, became operational in order to collect rainwater from the terrace.

Local craftsmen were involved in all construction phases, using traditional building techniques and creating custom-made windows, doors, kitchen cabinets, and other woodwork. Natural materials were sourced, reclaimed, and restored, such as stone and wooden floors and marble sinks. Traditional elements, such as ornamental plates, embroideries, decorative pillows, oil paintings, and other objects and furniture pieces were repurposed to embellish the communal spaces and the master bedrooms.

The house attempts to encapsulate the connection between past and present. Its design philosophy is characterised by a deliberate intention to strike a balance between a modern and comfortable living space and the weathered patina of time, the embracing of decay and the intimacy of graceful aging. Its renovation attempted to decipher the past within the architecture surrounding and to re-interpret its rich history through a modern design approach.