{"id":599094,"date":"2026-02-19T11:00:22","date_gmt":"2026-02-19T16:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/?p=599094"},"modified":"2026-02-19T10:49:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T15:49:18","slug":"the-meraki-studios-emerges-from-the-olive-grove-hills-of-southern-crete","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/design-milk.com\/the-meraki-studios-emerges-from-the-olive-grove-hills-of-southern-crete\/","title":{"rendered":"The Meraki Studios Emerges from the Olive Grove Hills of Southern Crete"},"content":{"rendered":"

Berlin-based, Danish architect Sigurd Larsen<\/strong><\/a> always looks to counterbalance the uniformity of ever-pervasive modernism with vernacularity: the climate, history, and material culture of a specific location. For him, the relationship between the constructed environment and human experience is shaped by much more than just form and function.<\/p>\n

\"Modern<\/a><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe look at how people built before modern machinery,\u201d Larsen is quoted saying in the foreword to an upcoming monograph. This isn\u2019t the half-hearted reverse engineering of so-called \u201cplace-making\u201d\u2014an ever-popular marketing term with less and less meaning.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

As demonstrated in the recently completed Meraki Studios<\/strong><\/a> retreat in southern Crete, the architect and his team take this craft-led approach seriously. \u201cObserving and adapting to local skills is central to our process, [as are] environmental factors like sunlight, wind direction, and views. [We always look to] maximize the quality of both exterior and interior space.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Modern<\/a><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

For the complex\u2014an almost pixel-like massing of stacked cubes\u2014the architect harnessed the stonework know-how endemic to the area. \u201cWe quickly realized that the locals excel at [this trade], but there\u2019s little expertise in carpentry because they don\u2019t have a wood industry,\u201d Larsen notes. \u201cThere used to be trees all over Greece, but as early as the Stone Age they were cut down and never returned. This informed what we could work with locally.\u201d Necessity\u2014and adaptation\u2014are truly the mothers of innovation.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

\"View<\/a><\/p>\n

The material fills-in the 3D-grid concrete shell of the structure, which nestles into the grade of the terraced hillside, taking on the intended appearance of a constructed rock; a geological geometry. Like with most places along the Mediterranean rim, especially thick stone walls are implemented for their thermal properties: naturally cool the spaces they enclose.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

The nods to site and local tradition don\u2019t stop there. The 40 by 16 foot infinity pool just off to the side evokes the scale and proportion of the water reservoir farmers in the area create, not to mention the natural streams that filter through the landscape in colder seasons.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

The six carefully outfitted residences\u2014for rent\u2014aren\u2019t hermeneutically sealed however. Carefully placed exposures make the most of surrounding vistas. Each begins as a cave carved into the earth but then extrudes outward toward the panoramas. The unified building’s idiosyncratic formation makes for additional overhangs and balconies\u2014outfitted with pergolas\u2014that accommodate much needed shade. These tropical and sub-tropical strategies supplement the need for environmentally harmful air conditioning.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Also imagined by Larsen and his team, the distinctly sized apartment\u2014215 to 430 square-feet, are outfitted in a sober palette of materials reflecting the architecture: built in kitchens, bedframes, and bench-like dining tables.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

The focus is, undoubtedly, outside with the seaside, not too intrepid hikes, and local markets not too far. A nearby farmer has made his grove available to guests as well.<\/p>\n

\"Modern<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/a><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

What:<\/strong> Meraki Studios
\nWhere:<\/strong> Crete, Greece
\nHow much:<\/strong> $340
\nDesign draws:<\/strong> Sigrud Larsen\u2018s geometric rock apartment rental nestled into southern Crete\u2019s olive grove hills with cave-like interiors giving way to sweeping vistas and covered patios.<\/p>\n

Photography by Kkrom Services<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Danish architect Sigurd Larsen designs a stacked, brutalist retreat that shapes luxury as restraint, serenity, and natural immersion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":77,"featured_media":599096,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,1],"tags":[5256,47766,14830,17273,3450],"internal_flag":[],"class_list":["post-599094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-architecture","category-main","tag-architecture-2","tag-danish-architecture","tag-destination-design","tag-modernism","tag-sigurd-larsen","column-destination-design"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMeraki Studios Is a New Site-Responsive Resort in Crete<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Danish architect Sigurd Larsen designs a stacked, brutalist retreat that shapes luxury as restraint, serenity, and natural immersion.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" 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