In Greece, there’s a myth to explain everything into being. In the case of Patmos, the Dodecanesean island favored by style arbiters for its discreet luxury, legend tells of an industrious pair of goddesses who, recognizing the submerged island’s beauty, rescued it from the depths of the Aegean. Once above sea level, the land was dried and nourished by Helios, the sun god, and life flourished. Today, the sun continues to shine on Patmos, where another pair of Grecian goddesses—the mother-daughter team of architect Katerina Tsigarida and interior designer Leda Athanasopoulou—channeled that mythical story, however inadvertently, as they coaxed an ancient seaside property back to life
In the shade of 100-year-old olive and cypress trees, and following the blueprint of the existing pezoules, or stone walls, that forge their way around the property, Tsigarida worked with contractor Yiannis Stavropoulos to build a new main house, mirroring the restored 19th-century residence that sits just a few yards away. In keeping with age-old Patmian architectural practices, the two-story rectangular structure recedes into the hillside to maintain panoramic views over the historic 16th-century “chora,” a whitewashed town built into the cliffs, and the azure waters beyond. But inside, the rooms seem to expand into the landscape both in form and materiality.
“All of my life, I’ve been connected to this island,” says Athanasopoulou, who spent childhood summers on Patmos and, despite pursuing a business degree abroad, had been interested in the historic preservation she saw happening around the island from a young age. “Growing up in an environment that was more about authenticity than luxury was very inspiring.
In keeping with the island’s ethos, she stuck to the clean, spare aesthetic that has become a hallmark of Patmian design, leaving the whitewashed lime walls mostly unadorned, installing chestnut beams sourced from the forests of Mount Athos on the ceilings, and adding durable wood shutters in the traditional-style windows, imparting warmth and textural heft to the space. In the living room, the built-in platform sofa is at once historically accurate and contemporarily chic, concealing unsightly air conditioning units as a bonus; the stone bathtub and custom bed in the primary suite are nestled within wall niches that dramatically frame their minimalist forms. Locally made daybeds topped with Patmian-crafted linen mattresses are sprinkled throughout, a nod to the region’s artisans.
Leda Athanasopoulou sits on a custom daybed made by local artisans
“My goal is always to support local craftsmanship and the simplicity of Greek traditional design,” she says. “I work within context. It’s not that I have a vision; it’s that I do what the building and the environment allow me to do. I respect the setting and history of this place.”
To that end, she sought out a mix of antique and contemporary furnishings and accessories that would complement the local artisanal work, supporting the traditional aesthetic while establishing a modern sensibility. Ancient Roman busts and Ottoman-style sofra tables lend age to midcentury metal sculptures by Greek artists like George Zongolopoulos and Constantin Andreou. Custom pieces, including the chairs that flank the antique pine dining table in the kitchen, have an understated yet eye-catching effect. On the patio, Athanasopoulou repurposed an old grinding stone, melding it with Dionisos marble to create a simple yet visually arresting bistro table that’s paired with wood folding chairs crafted in Rhodes.
Sitting there—the Aegean Sea lapping within earshot, the sun shining over the chora, the scent of jasmine wafting down from the pergola—it’s easy to celebrate the stories that herald Patmos’s mythical past. It’s also easy to see why Athanasopoulou keeps that past top of mind. She says she will continue to pay tribute to it with each project she takes on.
