Canaves Hotel by Kapsimalis Architects
Canaves Hotel is a hotel located in Oía, Greece, designed by Kapsimalis Architects in 2025. The small hotel is located in the traditional village of Oia, on the island of Santorini, facing south to the Volcano and to the Aegean Sea, standing on the cliffs of the Caldera. The entrance to the hotel rooms takes place from its west and north side, via the public pedestrian street and through the two main exterior staircases of the complex.
About Canaves Hotel
The small hotel is located in the traditional village of Oia, on the island of Santorini, facing south to the Volcano and to the Aegean Sea, standing on the cliffs of the Caldera. The property is consisted of an existing old cave house, which was reconstructed some years before, keeping unchanged its initial architecture and of a new built complex of five hotel rooms, that covered the remaining space of the plot, proposing a contemporary approach of discrete integration into the traditional residential environment.
The entrance to the hotel rooms takes place from its west and north side, via the public pedestrian street and through the two main exterior staircases of the complex. Taking into account the shape of the plot, the slope of its natural terrain, its relation with the pedestrian street and the neighboring properties, as well as the optimal orientation towards the view, the individual rooms of the hotel complex were placed in a stepped manner and in a rhythmic backsliding and twist from each other. Specifically, the complex consists of four rooms in four different levels in the ground floor and one room in two different levels in the upper floor. Each room of the ground floor comprises an open plan living space and bedroom area with its bathroom, as also a private exterior yard with its lounge area and its plunge pool. The upper floor’s room comprises a living room and a bedroom with its bathroom, as also two private exterior verandas with lounge areas and one semi open plunge pool space.
The aim of the design is the creation of a composition of rooms-cubist prisms, with reference on the scale and form of the existing white cubist architecture of the traditional village and on the specific typology needs of the hospitality use. In the context of accomplishing the desired view and microclimate, the openings of the complex are designed with certain geometries and proportions, so as to contribute to the fluidity of the internal & external space. Parts of free- standing exterior walls, placed vertically between the yards, as also scattered green elements, contribute to the division of exterior areas, without obstructing the view and the natural light. The composition through the creative reinterpretation and interrelation of the above reference points, leads to the formation of a balanced net of forms and spaces with a minimalist architectural identity.
Concerning the interior of the hotel complex, off – white smooth plaster for the walls, local cement plaster for some built furniture, large slabs of dark grey marble for the floors, dark stained oak, metal works and diverse kinds of marbles for custom furniture, fabrics with different textures, mirrors, ceramic decorative pots and plates, lights made by opal glass, metal and marble, are the materials that shape the inner space and the objects that have been collected. The outer space moves to the same direction, as the colour of the exterior wall is a warm white and its floor is a continuity of the indoor floor. The approach of the interior design is to offer an eclectic, unique style and discreet elegance that pair harmoniously with the exterior forms of the architectural composition.
Photography by Yiorgos Kordakis
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