Cover Wooden sun loungers line the infinity pool terrace with a stone pavilion built following Greek tradition, with a hand-cut pergola and mountain views beyond
Wooden sun loungers line the infinity pool terrace with a stone pavilion built following Greek tradition, with a hand-cut pergola and mountain views beyond
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Interior designer Cari Giannoulias has created a family retreat in Agios Mattheos, Greece, that draws on Greek tradition, village architecture, natural materials and a commitment to outdoor living
On a Greek wooded hillside in Agios Mattheos, overlooking the sea and Chania’s White Mountains, interior designer Cari Giannoulias has built what she calls her most personal project: a 4,000-square-foot stone house that reflects, in its own quiet way, how she believes a home should feel.
The story begins with her husband’s childhood. Both his parents were born in Greece (his father in the village of Mazeka, his mother in Asfendiou, near Chania), and he spent summers there. After the couple married in Chania and baptised their three children in the city, they started looking for land. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed them to move from the US to oversee construction while their children attended remote school.
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Above Designer Cari Giannoulias sits on a custom outdoor sofa beneath the wooden pergola surrounded by terracotta planters and banana palms
Designer Cari Giannoulias sits on a custom outdoor sofa beneath the wooden pergola surrounded by terracotta planters and banana palms
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The property's exterior shows stone walls and white plastered surfaces with an arched doorway leading to interior spaces
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The house takes a Π-shape, a nod to Greek tradition and local building methods, with rooms arranged around a central courtyard. Large windows with thin frames blur the line between inside and out, connecting to a pool and Mediterranean garden. The sloped grounds hold an olive grove, vegetable patches and a tennis court.
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The stone residence features a distinctive Π-shaped layout with hand-cut wooden pergolas and terraced outdoor seating areas
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Above Wooden sun loungers line the pool terrace with white ceramic planters and views towards the distant mountains
Above The swimming pool overlooks the Mediterranean garden and olive groves with views towards Souda Bay
Wooden sun loungers line the pool terrace with white ceramic planters and views towards the distant mountains
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“When starting the creative process, I drew inspiration from village homes, noting their construction with the simplest materials and the warm, welcoming feeling they evoked,” Giannoulias says. “It was the layers of life lived there and the generations that passed through. Each home told the story of its inhabitants, decorated in its own distinctive manner with traditional cultural pieces and keepsakes from loved ones.”
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The outdoor dining area overlooks a lawn with palm trees and views across the olive grove towards the Mediterranean landscape
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Above Custom outdoor furniture from Cari Giannoulias Design sits beneath a hand-cut wooden pergola against walls finished in hand-chiseled stone
Above Built-in stone seating nestled among Mediterranean plantings creates an intimate gathering spot with views across the property
Custom outdoor furniture from Cari Giannoulias Design sits beneath a hand-cut wooden pergola against walls finished in hand-chiseled stone
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She went with neutral tones across the five bedrooms and four-and-a-half bathrooms. “The home’s neutral interior is meant to create a sense of calm and slow living,” she says. “We purposely gave the home floor-to-ceiling windows so that the exterior of the home was your main focal point. Even the bathrooms lack mirrors. Instead, your views from within are what you see in nature: the sea, nature, raw materials.”
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A framed textile artwork hangs above the custom sofa complementing the neutral palette and hand-cut wooden ceiling beams
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Custom furniture and arched doorways showcase the home’s blend of traditional Cretan elements with contemporary design
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Building on an island taught her things about materials. “In the US, materials are abundant and options are endless,” Giannoulias notes. “The island has limited resources, but I found this refreshing. The responsibility falls on you as a designer to creatively combine what is available.”
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The kitchen showcases custom wooden cabinetry with marble countertops, open wooden shelving, and raffia wall sconces flanking displayed ceramics
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A custom round dining table with fluted base anchors the reading room, flanked by built-in wooden shelving displaying ceramics and traditional objects
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They went to mountain quarries for stone, all of it chiselled by hand with nails and thread as guides. This approach to sourcing and working materials follows Greek tradition, the way tradesmen have done it for centuries. Walls got coats of patiti, a natural Greek material that makes them look decades old. Hand-cut beams and pergolas create shade. Solar panels handle electricity and hot water. Everything stays natural: ceramic, linen, cotton, marble, wood, plaster, rattan, leather, metal.
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Above A large white relief artwork with abstract figurative motifs hangs above the custom sectional sofa in the movie room
A large white relief artwork with abstract figurative motifs hangs above the custom sectional sofa in the movie room
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Above Patiti-plastered walls frame a view down the corridor where decorative woven vessels punctuate the stairs connecting different levels
Above Built-in wall niches hold wooden figurines, a ceramic boat sculpture and patterned metal vessels with a carved wooden walking stick
Patiti-plastered walls frame a view down the corridor where decorative woven vessels punctuate the stairs connecting different levels
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The main floor links an indoor living room to an outdoor one. Furniture comes from various sources. Furniture Gallery and Nino Tailor Made created custom pieces, complemented by other pieces from Gubi, Vibia, and vintage dealers, including a Georges Pelletier lamp from 1960. The breakfast area and kitchen open onto an outdoor dining space. Across three levels: a cinema room, a reading room with Mario Bellini’s Cab chairs, and bedrooms with Parachute linens.
A bedroom features decorative ceramic plates mounted above the custom bed, with an arched passage and window seat visible beyond
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The bedroom features floor-to-ceiling wardrobes with textured rattan panels flanking a window that overlooks the Mediterranean landscape
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She spent nearly a year working through the design with architects, mostly over email. “I believe we spent almost a year fine-tuning the home, how it looked, but more importantly, how it would feel,” Giannoulias recalls. “Designing and building this home was an incredible learning experience. I was essentially in a foreign country, learning their laws, design criteria, building process, and way of communicating, along with the language. Everything was new.”
Above A marble-topped vanity sits before a window framing views of the garden, flanked by vertical sconces
Above A bathroom features an arched doorway leading to a walk-in shower, with a wooden vanity supporting a matte black vessel sink
A marble-topped vanity sits before a window framing views of the garden, flanked by vertical sconces
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Above Curved archway and textured plaster walls guide the eye toward a bathroom vanity with views of the stone-walled landscape
Above A hand-carved dark marble shower basin sits beneath a rainfall fixture in a minimalist bathroom where the window frames nature as the primary focal point
Curved archway and textured plaster walls guide the eye toward a bathroom vanity with views of the stone-walled landscape
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The build wrapped in 2021, although the full completion of the property took until 2024. The family now splits its time between the US and Crete, although they would like to spend more time at the house.
“When I design a home, I really get into who that person or family is, how they live, the nuances of their lifestyle, and then I create the spaces around them,” she says. “My home was no different. It was an easy process, but with a lot of consideration that went into the planning. In its current state, this is how we live now. But with the future of our family in mind, I believe the house will evolve over time, and we’ve left it the necessary breathing space.”
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Photography: Helen Cathcart
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Jennifer Choo is Regional Managing Editor of Tatler Homes, covering architecture, interior design, and art across Asia. Based in Malaysia, she oversees regional content on luxury residential design and contemporary art collections. Legally trained but choosing to pursue her passion for design, she previously led notable design publications and worked as an interior stylist and art consultant for property developers, design firms, and private clients.
