DISCOVER LEGEND
A RESPECTFUL MAKEOVER
© BENAKI MUSEUM/LEONIDAS KOURGIANTAKIS
Architects Maria Kokkinou and Andreas Kourkoulas talk about the renovaiton project of the Leigh Fermor residence.
The interior of Leigh Fermor’s study at the edge of the garden.
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only adds to its charm. “There are views all around,” Kokkinou notes.”There’s an incredible sense of tranquility in the garden, and great liveliness inside.” Every major interior space, including Leigh Fermor’s office and the maid’s quarters, has been sectioned off and given an en-suite bathroom. They changed the roof, modernized the casings so as to improve energy efficiency and passed all the electrical wiring through the ceiling so that it wouldn’t be visible. “Leigh Fermor had thoroughly studied the surrounding area and, in his mind, had built a traditional Maniot house with beamed ceilings and arches. But this house had completely different proportions and its layout was reminiscent of a monastery, with corridors adjoining all the rooms. It’s the home of Leigh Fermor, the home of a legend,” says the architect. “It is made of stone and entirely integrated into the surrounding landscape, with local flagstones similar to those used in Pilio and with many elements inspired
by his travels, such as the handmade tiles and lamps he brought from Morocco. He had made several pieces of furniture himself – all of which have been restored in their entirety – and every room had a fireplace providing heat,” explains Kokkinou. “Our brief was to maintain this special atmosphere while modernizing the rooms,” says the architect. “This is what the Benaki Museum wanted, but it’s also what we wanted.”
© TAKIS DIAMANTOPOULOS
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hether you know about architecture or not, as you step through the blue door into the beautiful courtyard of the Leigh Fermor House in Kalamitsi in the southern Peloponnese and walk across the pebble mosaic created by the distinguished Greek artist Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghika, you’re bound to marvel at how discreetly and tastefully this historic property has been renovated. Carried out by the award-winning architectural firm of Maria Kokkinou and Andreas Kourkoulas, the daunting task of remodeling the cut-stone complex into five independent suites has been accomplished so successfully that the interventions are almost imperceptible to the untrained eye – as was the intention all along. “We had to meet a very specific specific target at the Leigh Fermor House, where the main creative challenge was to keep its character intact,” says Kokkinou. The house is perched on a hill, which
Andreas Kourkoulas Maria Kokkinou, kokkinoukourkoulas.com