Stone and wood in a combination that makes you think of medieval castles

It's a vacation home, and I was thinking how extraordinary it must be to live in a house reminiscent of a castle, in a hidden place in the mountains, but with all the comforts. That was the first impulse, but I thought it was still a stone house. But the perfect combination of stone and wood convinced me. The stone makes the house look old, while the wood seems to be given by nature to make your life easier and to "warm up" the atmosphere a bit.

The house is not old at all, not as old as you might think. It was designed and built by an architectural studio between 1999-2002. The house is in Greece, as is the studio that built it. Hence the perfect blend of stones to create the feeling of timelessness that the whole house conveys.

The house is located 400 meters above the sea, on Mount Pelion, in the village of Milies, 28 km from Volos, and positioned in the middle of the forest, which makes it look even more natural.

There are basically 2 attached houses, a main house and a guest house. The whole construction is made of stone from the demolitions, special building stone and river stone. The walls are made like the walls of a fortress, with friezes hiding this time electronic appliances or shelves for books and magazines.

All the wood inside is extraordinary. There are rustic pieces of furniture made from chestnut wood from the local forest. The furniture is so well made that it looks as if it's part of the old fortress. Railway sleepers were used for the steps. The same sleepers were also used to make the armchair in a secluded part of the living room.

The main house is entered from outside directly into the living room. It is a high room in which all the storage spaces are dug into the wall and stone poles covered with wood are built for sitting. The centerpiece is the fireplace, built conically, like a hearth in a cave.

From the living room you go up a transom staircase to an open attic. Here is the bedroom and bathroom. And from here you have an open view of the whole living room.

On the ground floor there is also the kitchen with direct access from the living room. Everything is just as "carved" in stone. The sink, the pantry, they give you this feeling of a stone frieze.

The stone house is perfect for the area in which it was built. Imagine hot summer days in Greece when nothing moves at midday. Taking refuge between the stone walls that still retain the coolness of the night, stepping barefoot on the cool stone slabs feels like a true blessing.

The outside is done with the same attention to detail. There's a wooden platform with a table and armchairs from where you have a gorgeous view, places to drink your coffee, take a stroll or have a barbecue.

Everything is very well thought out and put together. It is an exceptional achievement of the architectural studio which, in my opinion, deserves all the congratulations. here.