Grace Santorini is a five-star hotel, suspended 300 metres above the island’s volcanic caldera. Our iconic design, in collaboration with Mplusm, allows this extraordinary landscape to take centre stage.

Like the traditional island dwellings, yposkafa, rooms and suites are carved out of the cliff-face. Instead of typical rounded walls and domed roofs, we opted for sharper, more contemporary lines that protect residents from passers-by, while drawing the gaze towards the horizon. Inspired by the geological strata of Santorini’s cliffs, the hotel slots into the landscape like a stack of stone ledges. The broken geometry of the boundaries reflects the jagged outline of Skaros, the ruins of a medieval citadel eye-level with the site.

Santorini’s hotel rooms are usually open-ended to face the view, leaving guests exposed to the elements and passers-by. We subverted this trend, placing a lattice of volcanic rocks in the windows to filter the sunlight, providing privacy and ventilation. The boulders also screen the plunge pools, their apertures offering tantalising glimpses of the unbroken horizon.

Pristine interiors in contrasting tones of volcanic black and Cycladic white, organic materials, and cubist forms all refer to Santorini’s architectural trademarks, without slipping into cliche. We also designed the hotel’s piece de resistance: a stand-alone villa with a private pool and spa.