Refined-rustic Greek-villa update by Kapsimalis Architects

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The paneled wood doors and window frames are reproductions, painted to match the sea and sky on Sikinos, one of the most secluded of the Cycladic Islands. But far from being a cookie-cutter update, what’s remarkable about this historic villa update by Marianna Kapsimali and Alexandros Kapsimalis of Kapsimalis Architects is its deft melding of past and present—and sense of restraint.

“We seek the values and customs, the old aesthetics and pre-existing memories, the construction techniques and materials of each place in order to show them in a modern twist,” write the architects, whose firm is 10 years old. “The wishes and hidden desires of future users are mixed with the project’s background in search of a new perception of space and identity.”

As the chill encroaches, join us for a fond look back at simple, sophisticated indoor-outdoor living, Greek island style.

Photographs by Yiorgos Kordakis, styling by Ioli Chiotini, courtesy of Kapsimalis Architects (@kapsimalisarchitects).

the public entry, on the south side of the property, is off an old pedestrian s 17 — Above: The public entry, on the south side of the property, is off an old pedestrian street in the village of Chorio.

the gate opens to a planted pathway leading into the back of the house, which i 18 — Above: The gate opens to a planted pathway leading into the back of the house, which is oriented to the Aegean. The structure was built in the late 19th century from local stone. The owners, who are French and in the board game business, divide their time between here and Toulouse.

the doors lead to a double living area bisected by the first of many archways t 19 — Above: The doors lead to a double living area bisected by the first of many archways throughout the house. “After a detailed study of the old building, the architectural intervention aimed at the absolute preservation of its original form without any alteration of its identity,” explain the architects.

That said, this was a thorough renovation, and though the floor plan was preserved, the “geometry and the structure of the interior spaces” and the connections between them received a sophisticated fine-tuning.