M Residence, a monolithic courtyard house by Mold Architects on Serifos

M Residence began life in 2011 as one of the first projects by Mold Architects, the female-founded Athens practice, and then sat unbuilt for more than a decade. When new owners on Serifos asked to go ahead with it, founder Iliana Kerestetzi says she was thrilled, though reopening the folder meant facing an earlier version of the studio and deciding what still felt essential.

The house sits at Lia, its upper storey high on a cliffside and its base set low into the ground. From the air it reads as a square box punctured by cut-outs, like rocks emerging as the tide goes out. The compact, monolithic outline takes its cue from local monasteries, while inside the walls curve gently, borrowing from village cubes and the softer lines of rural buildings and dry-stone walls. Rooms turn towards different views and lead into a sequence of seven courtyards.

The revision brought warmer materials, quieter details and rooms that open more generously outdoors. The whole volume now rests on a plinth, so a shadow line makes it seem to hover, and a pool sits outside the main block. The residents have already hung white fabric beneath one roof opening, softening the light in a way Kerestetzi says the architects hadn't designed.

This is a private home, so one to admire in pictures, particularly for anyone drawn to Cycladic building.

Our summary of a story from Wallpaper*, published 22 October 2026. Read the original

Photos: Wallpaper* · See all 8