Perched dramatically on the cliffs of Santorini’s legendary Caldera, facing the ancient Volcano and the shimmering expanse of the Aegean Sea, the Canaves Hotel in Oia Santorini emerges as a masterclass in sensitive contemporary intervention. Designed by the acclaimed Kapsimalis Architects, this intimate boutique hotel seamlessly blends heritage with a strikingly modern, cubist design language, offering a sanctuary of luxury design deeply rooted in its iconic location. The project demonstrates a profound respect for place, transforming a challenging plot within Oia Santorini‘s dense, whitewashed fabric into a sequence of breathtaking private havens.
The property ingeniously combines a meticulously reconstructed existing cave house, its original architecture preserved as a testament to Santorini’s vernacular, with a new complex of five hotel rooms. This addition fills the remaining plot, embodying a contemporary approach of discrete integration into Oia Santorini‘s traditional streetscape. Access unfolds authentically, with guests entering from the west and north sides via the village’s winding public pedestrian paths, ascending through the complex’s two main exterior staircases—an immediate immersion into the local rhythm.
Responding deftly to the steep slope, irregular plot shape, neighboring structures, and the paramount importance of the Caldera view, Kapsimalis Architects orchestrated the new rooms in a captivating, stepped composition. The volumes engage in a rhythmic backsliding and twist from one another, creating dynamic interplays of light and shadow. Four ground-floor rooms occupy four distinct levels, each featuring an open-plan living and bedroom area, a bathroom, and, crucially, a private exterior yardcomplete with a lounge area and a refreshing plunge pool. The upper-floor room unfolds across two levels, encompassing a living space, bedroom, and bathroom, plus two private verandas with lounges and a uniquely semi-open plunge pool space, framing the panorama.
The architectural intent is clear: to create a composition of pure, geometric forms—rooms as cubist prisms. This cubist design deliberately references the scale and stark white forms of Oia Santorini‘s Cycladic architecture, reinterpreted through the lens of modern hospitality needs. The resulting minimalist architecture achieves a serene balance. Strategically sized and shaped openings are fundamental to the design, meticulously calculated to maximize the Caldera view and optimize natural ventilation and light. This fosters a fluid dialogue between interior design and exterior spaces, a hallmark of the project.
Vertical, freestanding exterior walls subtly delineate the private yards, while scattered greeneryprovides soft division. Crucially, neither element obstructs the awe-inspiring vista or the abundant Mediterranean sunlight bathing this luxury design retreat.
Materiality reinforces the minimalist architecture and connects interiors with the dramatic landscape. Inside, an atmosphere of discreet elegance is crafted using an eclectic palette: off-white smooth plaster walls, local cement plaster forming built-in furniture, expansive slabs of dark grey marble flooring, rich dark stained oak, and bespoke furniture combining metal with diverse marbles. Layers of textured fabrics, reflective mirrors, ceramic decorative objects, and lighting crafted from opal glass, metal, and marble add curated depth.
The exterior spaces echo this refined language. Warm white walls and floors continue the dark grey marble seamlessly from inside to out. This overall interior design approach complements the cubist design of the architecture, resulting in spaces that feel both uniquely contemporary and intrinsically Santorinian.
Kapsimalis Architects have sculpted more than just a hotel at the Canaves Hotel Oia; they have crafted a profound experience of place. It’s a testament to how contemporary design, deeply informed by context and tradition—Cycladic architecture reimagined through a cubist lens—can create havens of luxury design that feel utterly harmonious. Each plunge pool, each framed view of the Aegean Sea, and every meticulously chosen material whispers of its Oia Santorini roots, offering guests an unforgettable immersion into the soul of the Caldera. This project cements the studio’s reputation for creating boutique hotel experiences where minimalist architecture and thoughtful interior designconverge to celebrate the breathtaking beauty of the Greek islands.