Villa Apollon | block722

Villa Apollon - Where luxury and earthliness go hand in hand

At the south of Lefkas Island, the yachting paradise of the Ionian and the Little Ionian islands, secretly lies the majestic yet humble Villa Apollon. Created by using a contemporary architectural principal, the villa is subtly blended into the hillside landscape of Vasiliki bay. Visually entered from the wild green forest area, slowly descending to a rocky beach until eventually submerging under the emerald waters of the Ionian sea.

Named after the ancient Greek god of light, Villa Apollon is cleverly designed to embrace the natural light inside and outside. Oriented west facing towards the luminous seafront, the residents can enjoy hours of sun and unrivalled, spectacular sunsets.

Lefkas is connected to the mainland through a bridge, thus easily accessible by car. The island is surrounded by the innumerable other Ionian islands and stands as a jewel, with dense forests, cosmopolitan charm, traditional villages and breathtaking scenery. The iconic white sandy beaches such as Porto Katsiki, Egkremni, Kathisma and other more hidden gems such as Agiofili, which is almost touchable from Villa Apollon, offer a unique and in high demand destination. Lefkas combines the traditional and local element of living together with a variety of alternative activities (windsurfing, paragliding, impressive cycling paths and waterfalls for hiking, yachting, boat trips to Little Ionian to name but a few).

The villa captures perfectly the essence of the island through the simplicity of its design and highlights the beauty of the natural landscape. The serenity that the villa offers enters into the soul making way for the mind to be cleansed and to rejuvenate. The external areas allow the body to relax, either from listening to the water falling from the infinity pool, or by meditating on the yoga platform.

All materials and textures were specifically chosen to give the romantic essence of the local and simpler past ensuring at the same time that all modern luxuries of contemporary living and vacation are incorporated.

Villa Apollon consists of a main house with 3 bedrooms and a guest house with 4 bedrooms which are connected through the exterior built spaces and the main pool. The stone villa subtly descends into the landscape in a modest and simultaneously playful way, emphasizing, at the same time, the importance of the exterior living.  From every angle of the villa interior the astonishing view of the sea is framed through the outdoor space.

Responsible for the realization of the project are the Athens-based architectural studio Block722 architects+ and the developer/construction company Paleros Dream Homes based in Paleros, West Greece. The concept was conceived by Konstantinos Rokofyllos, Paleros Dream Homes founder & CEO Sotiris Tsergas, Founder of Block 722 and Architect Engineer NTUA. After the concept design the two parts worked closely together monitoring every step of the construction, upon completion, with extreme attention to details and materials.

The result of this collaboration is a wonderful villa, which offers a secluded vacation whilst being close to the amenities of Vasiliki and the town of Lefkas. Villa Apollon stands as a tranquil sanctuary, painted in the colors of the sun and nature, mingling secretly together with the earths’ natural elements and the unique emerald waters of the Ionian Sea.

DATA SHEET

Photographer: Yiorgos Kordakis

Video: Thomas Zikos Photography

LOCATION: Vasiliki, Lefkas, Greece

START ON SITE: Sep.2017

COMPLETION: Aug.2020

Masterplanning and Architecture: BLOCK722

Creative Direction: BLOCK722

Interior and Styling: BLOCK722

Landscape design: Outside landscape architecture, Eva Papadimitriou – Marina Tsintikidou

Construction: Paleros Dream Homes

Supervising engineer on site: Sotiris Katsikiotis, Civil Engineer NTUA

Structural Analysis: Pavlos Tetepoulidis, Civil Engineer AUTH (Paleros Dream Homes)

Electromechanical, heating-cooling: Giorgos Katsampiris, Electrical Engineer NTUA (Paleros Dream Homes)

As-built studies and supervision:

Sotiris Katsikiotis, Civil Engineer NTUA (Paleros Dream Homes)

Alexandra Tzolou, Architect eng. DUTH (Paleros Dream Homes)

BLOCK722 design team: Sotiris Tsergas, Katja Margaritoglou, Vasiliki Moustafatzi, Danai Lazaridi

Sofia Stefanopoulou, Sofia Badeka, Michalis Grylakis