Avant Mar is a minimalist architectural hotel experience on a Greek island
Avant Mar Hotel & Suites on the Greek Island of Paros is a minimalist architectural experience by Tense Architecture Network
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Thank you for signing up to Wallpaper. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
The sleek, geometric architectural forms of Avant Mar prepares the visitor for the serene hospitality experience within this idyllic Greek island hotel. Designed by Athens based studio Tense Architecture Network - the practice behind award winning works such as this home in Euboia - this is a hotel that brings together Aegean Island life (as it sits nestled within the capital of Paros, Naoussa), and contemporary design.
Avant Mar: architecture and Greek island hospitality
While the Avant Mar complex feels distinctly modern, it is also subtle, drawing on the traditional Greek island settlement forms and volume arrangements. The architects stress that it was important for the architecture to reference and respect 'the unique landscape of the Cyclades.'
The team writes: 'The hotel consists of a contrasting composition of cubic prisms, situated right next to the settlement, and a composition of circular volumes found in contact with Piperi beach and its lush greenery.'
A 55-metre-long swimming pool sits at the heart of the composition, its placement connecting the resort and the beach and sea beyond. This synergy between man made and natural elements is further underlined by the colour and material palette used in the buildings and landscaping - led by blue-green, Cycladic white and sandy tones.
Pergolas - a traditional form of shading found in the Greek islands - shelter the public areas of the restaurant and the spa from the region's strong summer sun. The wellness spaces are tucked away in a calm and protected part of the hotel, providing a serene sanctuary.
The expansive open spaces in the design ensure guests maintain a strong sense of place when staying at Avant Mar. The iconic character of the Cycladic Islands feels present and accentuated at every turn.
'A promenade that starts from the main entrance and passes through the small pastry shop’s piazza, continues over the successive, planted hedges of the restaurant to finally offer the visitor a panoramic view of the blue Aegean Sea and its northern breeze,' the architects write.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture Editor at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018) and Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020).
-
Marqí hotel brings a minimalist 1970s feel to Portugal’s Sintra coast
Danish duo Mikkel Kristensen and architect Mikas Emil’s mansion conversion offers dreamy, cinematic escapism at Marqí, a secluded boutique hotel
By Jessica Kelham-Hohler Published
-
Adam Nathaniel Furman’s ‘Abundance’ brings colours of the British garden to Paddington
Adam Nathaniel Furman’s ‘Abundance’ installation London’s Paddington is conceived as an abstracted, ‘frozen garden’ that mesmerises
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
JW Marriott Jeju is a sleek island beauty
JW Marriott Jeju launches, marking the hospitality brand's first resort in South Korea’s largest Island
By Daven Wu Published
-
Mandarin Oriental Costa Navarino emerges from the greenery of southern Greece
Mandarin Oriental Costa Navarino opens the doors to its leafy home in the western Peloponnese, Greece
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Monument Athens is a Greek architectural icon reborn
Monument Athens is a hotel housed in a historic Greek structure redesigned by local architecture studio MPlusM
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
Amanzoe in Greece is a temple to luxury
Designed by the late American architect Ed Tuttle, Amanzoe, the renowned resort's Greek outpost, is a heavenly hilltop retreat in the Peloponnese
By Ellie Stathaki Published
-
W Costa Navarino is a global destination with a local approach
Tombazis & Associates Architects designs W Costa Navarino, the latest addition to the luxury Peloponnese hospitality destination
By Ellie Stathaki Last updated
-
Noūs Santorini hotel is a haven of minimalism in the Greek islands
The minimalist haven that is Noūs Santorini, designed by Divercity Architects in collaboration with MPlusM, opens on the Greek Aegean island
By Ellie Stathaki Last updated
-
A77 Suites by Andronis — Athens, Greece
By Daven Wu Last updated
-
Monsieur Didot — Athens, Greece
By Daven Wu Last updated
-
Andronis Arcadia — Santorini, Greece
By John O’Ceallaigh Last updated