Villa Zafiris

Corfu, Greece

Category: Residential
Size: 400 m²
Type: Architecture, Interior Design, Landscape Design

Natalia Poulimenou Surveyors

Permits and project management

Christos Koursaris

Site management

Avaton Windows

Windows, doors and pavilions

Waterfront erosion protection wall erected along 200meters long at a height of 11 meters

Aerial view of Villa Zafiris terracing down a Corfu hillside toward the sea, its pavilions and pools set amid manicured lawns at golden hour

What began as a challenging vacant site became the generator of the entire design. Shaped by the geometry of the land and the limits of local planning regulations, Villa Zafiris unfolds as a carefully orchestrated journey from hillside to sea. Expansive glazing, hovering canopies and a sequence of unfolding views draw the horizon deep into the living experience, merging architecture, landscape and water into a single, immersive composition.

Illuminated single-storey glass pavilion at dusk, fronted by a lawn and terrace lit with red and grey loungers

Symmetrical garden axis flanked by cypress trees, with a stepped pathway rising between low rendered walls toward the hillside

Aerial view of the estate poised on a clifftop above a sandy cove, the new pavilions sitting beside an older villa overlooking the Ionian Sea

Construction phase: an excavated earthwork terrace cut into the coastal slope below the existing villa

Overhead construction view of the villa's poured concrete foundations and structural walls taking shape on site

Several proposals told us what could not be done. Milena showed us what was possible. The result exceeds everything we imagined for this extraordinary site.

Lit walkway at dusk descending between tall cypresses toward a glowing red doorway, with the sea beyond

Infinity pool at dusk reflecting an illuminated glass pavilion, edged by red loungers with the Ionian Sea and distant mountains beyond

Stepped into the landscape, the infinity pool creates the illusion of swimming within the Ionian horizon.

Rendered exterior at golden hour with a sculptural weathered-steel spiral staircase beside a louvred timber gate, a figure passing through the courtyard

Sustainability Approach

Sun and wind studies shaped the design before the first drawing. Cross-ventilation and shading were calculated, not retrofitted. Vegetal roof, solar panels and extra enabled the villa to qualify for a 5% increase in permitted floor area—adding approximately 20m2. Environmental performance and architectural ambition worked hand in hand, enhancing both the home and its relationship to the landscape.

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