uncovering greece's nature-filled architecture and local crafts with the greek foundation

The Greek Foundation traces local stories of craft and culture

The Greek Foundation is a platform that celebrates all aspects of Greek culture, exchanging and diffusing its essence worldwide across contemporary architecture, art, design, gastronomy, and more. Through the lens of sustainability, the organization’s publishing house expands on this quest with a new book, Volume 03, that documents local stories ranging from eco-friendly buildings, like the Ekies All Senses Resort, and plant-filled homes, to the craftsmanship of handmade objects and the purity of native food and organic wines. 

Projects by Greek architecture offices like Block722, K-Studio, and MOLD Architects take center stage here, highlighting their refreshing approach to nature-infused heritage and hospitality, alongside Koukos de Lab, a creative studio exploring bio-based materials in furniture and homeware. Stick around as we take you on a deep dive across initiatives and creatives in Greece, each seeking a balanced and equal relationship between humans and the environment. 

Ekies All Senses Resort in Halkidiki, Greece | image © Nikos Kontostavlakis

celebrating nature and design with vivid photography

Curated by artist and design director Demetrios Panayotidis and edited by copywriter Christina Dimitriou, The Greek Foundation Volume 03 takes us on a slow and heartfelt journey across Greece, tracing on each page the intersection of nature and science while showcasing projects and ideas that transcend the country’s relentless culture of productivity. A collection of vibrant photography with over 120 unretouched shots and forward-thinking narratives highlights practices prioritizing well-being and environmental consciousness, aiming to nurture a profound connection to the world around us.

Homa Vagia by MOLD Architects (read more here) | image © Panagiotis Voumvakis

from eco-furniture to modern sanctuaries in greece

The Greek Foundation takes the opportunity to celebrate the works of local visionaries, whose creations reflect their era yet remain relevant and significant for years to come. From this curated selection, Athens-based studio Block722’s O Lofos residence stands out as a cluster of stone volumes in a nearly untouched swath of land in Crete. Embedded into the northern foothills of the Thrypti mountain range on the island’s eastern side, the private dwelling negotiates the topography with stepping terraces crowned with plant life. The team used natural materials, including wood and stone, which echo the local vernacular. Contrasting the rusticated materiality, the interiors are curated with a distinctly contemporary atmosphere. 

Manna Hotel by K-Studio | image © Ana Santl

Joining the praise is K-Studio’s Manna Hotel in Arcadia, Greece. Originally an abandoned 1920s sanatorium designed by Swiss architects with central European features, the renovated architecture preserves its historical essence through the lens of a modern sanctuary and wellness retreat. The design team collaborated closely with archaeological authorities and used archival materials to maintain the building‘s heritage while new facilities were integrated: a warm welcome area, communal spaces like a lounge with a bar styled after the building’s healing past, and a participatory open kitchen. Inside, rooms feature a timber grid, terrazzo and marble floors, and transparent elements for privacy.

Alchemia Soaps | image © Alice Jancovic

Keeping up with the charm of Greek hospitality design, TGF introduces the Homa Vagia hotel by the team at MOLD Architects, which takes shape along the cliffs of Serifos Island. Nestled in the island’s southern edge and recognized at once by its flat, perforated rooftop, the hotel blends into its unique surroundings to suggest a continuation of the rocky landscape and the horizon beyond. An underground network of galleries, accessible through room-sized voids, serves as a constant reminder of the area’s rich subsoil and remnants of a bygone mining era. 

Moving on to local crafts, this volume spotlights Koukos de Lab, a creative practice founded by the young duo Irene Moutsoyiannis and Christos Ververis. Nestled in Megalochori, a mountainous village in the southern part of Lesvos, home to 11 million olive groves, the lab embraces the principles of slow design and harnesses the potential of olive pits as a primary resource to create functional furniture pieces and objects. Their inaugural product, the Lesvos Bench, introduced in 2020, showcased the innovative ‘koukoutsi eco-material’ derived from olive pits — possessing qualities of durability, easy application, and water resistance, while the pieces embrace a minimal aesthetic.

The Matrozou apartments | image © Lorenzo Zandri, courtesy Molonglo

These are just a few of the many local minds celebrated by The Greek Foundation. As Christina Dimitriou puts it, each story ultimately invites the reader to join in reshaping our perspectives, creating a sustainable and interconnected world where the bonds between humanity and the environment are cherished. ‘With a sense of urgency, we return to nature. To carve the precious heritage of its simplicity in our modern memories. On a journey from its deepest roots to the expansive branches that stretch toward the sky. Here, amidst the crisp air, we find solitude and perspective. With a sense of purpose, we return home,’ she reflects.

Kea Retreat | image © Cecilia Renard

Following the themes and aesthetics intrinsic to Greek gastronomy, architecture, nature, and crafts, the third edition’s physical design reveals a deep brown natural linen hardcover, with stitched binding that holds together 256 pages. More info on The Greek Foundation’s Volume 03 can be found on the organization’s website, alongside its previous editions, Volume 01 and Volume 02, and a Travel Guide for Athens.

TGF Volume 03 spreads | image courtesy The Greek Foundation

Mouki Mou Athens | image © Yannis Bournias

TGF Volume 03 spreads | image courtesy The Greek Foundation

Manna by K-Studio | image © Ana Santl

1/5

TGF Volume Series | image © Stef Tsakiris

Ergon Bakehouse Athens | image © Mirto Iatropoulou / Mia Dorier; set styling by Sissy Rousaki

Elia baking | image © Mika Michopoulou

Plexida | image © Alexandra Kouziaki

O Lofos by Block722 | image © Ana Santl

project info:

name: The Greek Foundation Volume 03 

founder and director: Kostis Karatzas 

editor: Christina Dimitriou
curator: Demetrios Panayotidis

publisher: The Greek Foundation | @thegreekfoundation

printing: Future Format
publication date: May 2024