Kalesma Mykonos sets Summer opening date
K-Studio has announced that boutique hotel Kalesma will open its doors in Mykonos this summer.
Marrying modernism with local tradition, the property is the result of a collaboration between K-Studio in architecture and masterplanning, Studio Bonarchi in interior design and styling, and co-owner Aby Saltiel.
Embracing the raw beauty of the rocky landscape and dark blue sea while taking inspiration from the simple honesty of the island vernacular, whitewashed volumes climb the hilltop and are arranged in a pixelated landscape around a central ‘plateia’, or communal space, which is located at the uppermost part of the site to provide guests with sea views when swimming in the pool or dining on the terrace. Close by, a circular stone structure used for grinding wheat into flour has been retained and repurposed as a meditative platform.
Accommodation comprises 25 suites and two villas, each with their own private pool and sea views. Internal and external spaces are equal in size and seamlessly connected, while entry is through a small courtyard that offers the chance to ‘de-sand’ in the external shower. The suites are divided into a sleeping/living volume and a bathing volume, which frame a terrace featuring lounge and dining areas that overlook the private pool.
Myconian tradition, local history and the ‘aloni’ – an old existing threshing floor – were the main source of inspiration for Studio Bonarchi when designing the hotel. The unique origin led to Vangelis Bonios, the lead interior designer on the project, creating an elemental dialogue between the surroundings and the interiors.
The interiors of Kalesma – which in Greek means “invitation“ – are also characterised by the coexistence of pure Myconian sculptural geometries together with modern linear gestures that intertwine in an organic way. Contrasts between the brightness of white, the natural feeling of brushed wood and the sharpness of dark brass details across both accommodations and communal spaces illuminate its heritage, while whitewashed walls come together with sandblasted stone floors in earthy colours and dark wooden ceilings with chestnut beams and bamboo reeds to create a natural canvas that allows the blue colour of the sea to stand out.
Most of the furniture has been custom-made by Greek craftsmen and individual artists, from upholstered sofas with stonewashed linen fabrics, to oak armchairs with rattan details inspired by traditional furniture from the 50s, and sculptural curved black lava stone coffee tables that co-exist with sleek lighting from New York-based studio Apparatus. Moreover, a handful of fashion designer Rick Owens’ brutal furniture pieces, with their primitive materials, were selected by Studio Bonarchi for the reception and lounge areas, adding a sense of artistic value that connects with the serenity and pureness of the hotel’s authentic Greek style.
