Paros — 2025
Villa Thalassa — carved courtyard house
Seven vaults around an olive court. Parian marble, cane pergolas, infinity edge dissolving into Aegean.
Athens • Paros • Milan — Available for 2026
RIZAKIS
shapes light, STONE & SOUL
We are an Athenian atelier for architecture, interiors and objects. Since 1998 we craft Cycladic houses, boutique hotels and cultural spaces — where ancient craft meets radical minimalism.
★ Rated 4.98 — 127 houses • 34 hotels • 19 awards • Featured in design biennales
Years27+practice, three generations
Projects built214from Athens to the islands
Awards19EU Mies, Architizer, Dezeen
Craftsmen48stonemasons, carpenters, weavers
Architecture — Interiors — Hotels — Houses — Objects — Olive Estates — Exhibitions — Architecture — Interiors — Hotels — Houses — Objects — Olive Estates — Exhibitions —
01 — About the atelier
Rooted in Greece, built for the world
Scroll to feel the material →
Rizakis is not a firm. It is a family atelier founded by mason Nikos Rizakis in 1998 and today led by architects Elena & Manos Rizakis. We blend Cycladic vernacular, brutalist honesty and soft Japandi warmth.
Our studio sits in a 1930s tobacco warehouse in Metaxourgeio, Athens — 22 architects, interior designers, landscape thinkers and a material library of 4,000 stones, clays, woods and textiles. We quarry local marble, revive lime plaster (kourasani), plant olive terraces, and carve shade before we draw walls.
1998
Stone & sweatNikos builds first stone house in Mani with his hands.
2012
Athens atelierElena opens Metaxourgeio studio, first boutique hotel.
2025
Awwwards ethosParos villa shortlisted, 100% energy-positive portfolio.
RIZAKIS • ATHENS • SINCE 1998 •
Philosophy
Light first, then mass. Every plan starts with sun path and wind.
Materials
Parian marble, travertine, chestnut, cane, lime, terracotta.
Sustainability
Geothermal, olive-pruning biomass, rain gardens, zero concrete.
Team
Architects, archaeologists, botanists, chefs — we design rituals.
02 — Selected works 2022-2026
Houses, hotels & hideouts
Athens — 2024
Metaxourgeio Loft — tobacco factory rebirth
1800 sqm warehouse turned atelier + guest house. Lime walls, steel, reclaimed chestnut.
Santorini — 2024
Kyma Suites — 12 cave suites
Volcanic stone, black plaster, plunge pools facing caldera. 98% occupancy year one.
Kalamata — 2023
Olive Press Estate — farm & spa
Working olive mill + 8 guest pavilions among 300-year-old trees. Earth walls, rammed.
Mykonos — 2023
Petra House — wind shelter
Dry stone walls as wind breakers, sunken lounge, chapel-like bedroom for silence.
Milan — 2026
Rizakis Objects Pavilion
First abroad: marble furniture, olive-wood lighting, hand-woven textiles at Fuorisalone.
03 — What we do
Full-stack craft
From first olive tree survey to last spoon on the table — one team, one responsibility.
◭
Architecture & planning
New builds, restorations, permits in Greece fast-tracked. Bioclimatic studies, archaeology liaison, structural stone engineering.
◐
Interiors & styling
Homes, hotels, restaurants. Custom kitchens, lime finishes, lighting scenes that follow circadian rhythm.
⬣
Landscape & olive estates
Terracing, xeriscaping, infinity pools, outdoor kitchens. We plant 10 olives for every one we move.
⬢
Objects & art direction
Rizakis Collection: marble tables, ceramic lighting, woven daybeds. Branding, signage, menus for hospitality.
04 — How we work
Slow looking,
fast building
Transparent fixed fee, weekly site drone, shared material board. No surprises — only sun.
1
Walk & listen — Week 0
We camp on your land, track light, taste water, interview grandparents. Free 45-min call + site visit.
2
Concept in clay — Weeks 1-4
Hand models, 1:50, sun studies. You touch stone samples, not PDFs.
3
Permit & price — Weeks 5-12
We handle Greek bureaucracy, fixed construction cost with 3 builders.
4
Book site visit →
Build & plant — Months 4-14
Weekly video, on-site architect, olive planting finale with family feast.
05 — Voices
Loved by owners & guests
“They didn't design a house, they choreographed our summers. Every window is a painting.”
— Sofia M., Villa Thalassa owner
“Occupancy +43% after Rizakis restyling. Guests photograph the bathrooms more than the caldera.”
— Kyma Hotels, Santorini
“Masons, poets, engineers. The only studio that brought an archaeologist and a chef to the first meeting.”
— Dezeen Review 2025
How much does a Rizakis house cost in Greece?
New Cycladic houses 3,800–5,500 €/sqm turnkey including landscape and interiors. Restorations from 2,400 €/sqm. Fixed quote after concept.
Do you work outside Greece?
Yes — Paros base + Athens studio, projects in Milan, London and Bodrum. We fly with stone samples.
How long is the permit process?
Small houses 2–3 months with our e-adeies fast track, hotels 5–8 months including archaeology.
06 — Journal / News
Notes from the atelier
Journal launching soon — site visits, lime workshops and Paros open-house dates will appear here.
07 — Contact — Response in 24h
Let's carve your light into stone
Land in Paros? Apartment in Koukaki? Hotel in Crete? Send coordinates + dreams. First call free.
★ 4.98 rating27 yearsEN / GR / IT