The Ring House

Designed by Athens-based studio DECA Architecture, The Ring House is located atop a hill in a barren landscape, near the serene seaside village of Agia Galini. Tracing the contours of the mountainous grounds the house was built on, its U-shaped floorplan allows endless views from every room, plus it ensures that the building doesn’t distort the natural landscape. In fact, the idea of land preservation was key to the whole project. To repair the damage inflicted by previous developments on the same hill, material extracted from the site during the house’s construction was used to restore the landscape around the building.

The “ring” the name refers to is articulated by two concrete beams that follow the topography of the hill and define the outline of the house. This atypical structure provides shade, ventilation, and surfaces for solar panels. Moreover, it envelops an internal garden that spills out of the building’s confines to extend across the hilltop. This garden is a true oasis in a beautifully harsh environment, with aromatic shrubs and citrus trees creating a temperate microclimate. The open-plan living area provides the widest views and forms the heart of the house’s floorplan, flanked by the kitchen and dining area on the one side and the private quarters on the other. An outdoor dining area, infinity pool and pool terrace complete the public wing.

While the house’s exterior is marked by the traditional stonemasonry, inside the story’s quite different. There, white plaster walls create luminous and airy spaces in combination with impressively large, floor-to-ceiling windows. Add to that the concrete floors and ceilings, muted colour palette, and a meticulously selected – rather sparse – range of contemporary minimalist furniture and you get a highly sophisticated, elegant aesthetic. A stunning, yet humble, architectural tour-de-force that doesn’t steal the show from the dramatic views of the desert-like surroundings.