Taking on a renovation or new build in Greece while managing it from North America comes with a distinct set of challenges, chief among them, distance. Without the ability to walk the site each week, the strength of an interior design project depends on clarity established early: a well-developed design package that leaves little to interpretation, giving local trades a clear, actionable path from paper to build. For clients searching for interior design services in Greece from abroad, that early communication, translating vision into precise documentation trades can execute with confidence, is often what separates a smooth build from a stressful one. It’s a process we’ll unpack further in an upcoming post, but the short version is this: good documentation gets a project started, and staying closely involved gets it finished right.

For Canadian and North American homeowners renovating or building a luxury villa or home in Greece, that combination of clear documentation and hands-on project management is exactly what DKS, our Vancouver interior design firm with direct Greece project experience, brings to every remote build.

For DKS, a design firm based in Vancouver, Canada, this project carried a personal thread alongside the professional one: several of our staff trace their roots to Greece, and the chance to bring that heritage into our work — for repeat clients who, like us, call Vancouver home — made the trip to Porto Cheli a particularly meaningful one.

As a Vancouver-based interior design studio specializing in Mediterranean and Greek property renovations, DKS supports Canadian clients through every stage of the design and build process, whether the project is a luxury rental, a vacation home, or a full-time residence in Greece.

Perched above the Argolic Gulf, this new-construction duplex was designed as a pair of mirrored residences, each spanning three levels and built to capture the sea views that define the site. The brief called for a Modern Mediterranean aesthetic: a restrained material palette of white plaster, natural stone, and warm walnut, set against the landscape’s olive groves and coastline. With the units positioned for the luxury rental market but equally intended as part-time residences for their owners, every material and layout decision had to hold up to both: comfortable enough for a homeowner’s stay, durable enough for a rotating cast of guests. A central stone-clad spine and staircase tie the building together vertically, running from the rooftop terraces down through the open living level to the pool deck below; an axis that organizes both units and frames the view at every level.

It’s the kind of Greece renovation project we love taking on: a new-build villa interior design brief that lets us combine North American project standards with authentic Mediterranean materials and craftsmanship.

Lower Level: Bedrooms & Bathrooms

Each unit’s lower level holds four bedrooms and three full bathrooms behind a shared entry. Flexibility was built into the layout from the start: the secondary bedrooms are wired for either a king bed or a pair of twin XLs, letting the rooms shift between a couples’ retreat and family or group accommodation without any renovation. The primary bedroom carries the project’s signature touch; a plastered archway frames the walnut-tiled headboard wall, with pendant lights dropped on either side, and a sliding glass wall opens straight onto a private terrace with sea views and a terracotta pithari standing sentinel outside. The primary’s ensuite includes a walk-in shower with a built-in bench, a practical, spa-like detail built for durability across both an owner’s stay and a guest.

Upper Level: Kitchen, Living, and Dining

The upper level opens into one continuous living space for each unit, kitchen, dining, and living room arranged along the view with no walls breaking the sightline to the water. The kitchen anchors one end beneath a beamed wood ceiling, walnut cabinetry meeting a travertine-like solid surface countertop and backsplash, with an arched walnut door leading to a walk-in pantry tucked just off to one side; a quiet nod to the region’s traditional forms set against an otherwise contemporary palette. The defining move of the level is its indoor/outdoor flow: a full-width sliding glass wall lets the living and dining areas extend directly onto a covered terrace, where a second sectional and a second dining setup mirror what’s inside, under the same wood-beam ceiling carried out past the glass. The effect doubles the living space without doubling the footprint; guests and homeowners alike can choose between the air-conditioned interior or the breeze of the terrace without ever losing the view. A central stairwell and powder room sit between the two units, the powder room carrying the project’s travertine-and-walnut material story in miniature, with a sculptural floating stone vanity and a round mirror lit by twin pendants. It’s a layout that reflects our broader approach to luxury villa interior design in Greece: open, light-filled spaces that work equally well for a family holiday or a paying guest.

Rooftop: Outdoor Living

The rooftop completes each unit with a fully appointed outdoor living level: a pergola-covered structure on either side houses an outdoor kitchen with built-in BBQ, a dining table, and bench seating, while the open patio beyond holds loungers and a low coffee table for sunset drinks. A plant wall and a scattering of potted olive and cypress trees soften the hardscape, and a central stone-clad feature wall — lit from below and flanked by greenery — marks the building’s spine as it continues up from the levels below. Storage was built in rather than bolted on; a cushioned island doubles as seating with storage beneath, and locked closets keep pool towels, linens, and equipment out of sight between guest stays. It’s the level designed purely for the Greek climate — covered enough to use through a hot afternoon, open enough to take in the gulf at night.

Outdoor Living, Floor by Floor

Outdoor space wasn’t an afterthought on any single level; it was built into all three. On the ground level, the primary bedrooms walk straight out to a private terrace, steps from the pool and its pergola below. The upper level carries the indoor living room and dining table outdoors onto a veranda fitted with its own large sectional and full dining setup. And the rooftop flips the ratio entirely, given over almost completely to outdoor living — kitchen, dining, and lounge all under the open sky. Taken together, the three levels offer a guest or homeowner a different way to be outside at every stage of the day, from a quiet morning on the bedroom terrace to dinner on the veranda to a late evening on the roof.

Design Theme: Modern Mediterranean

Across all three levels, the design holds to a single material and emotional thread: white plaster, natural stone, and warm walnut, arranged to read as contemporary without losing the warmth of the region it sits in. Archways, travertine-like surfaces, and terracotta accents nod to Greek vernacular, while clean lines, minimal trim, and an open, light-filled plan keep the spaces feeling current rather than themed. That balance mattered because the brief itself was a balance — a property built for the luxury rental market but just as much a retreat for its owners, which meant every finish had to be as durable as it was comfortable, able to weather a season of guests and still feel like home when the family is in residence. The central stone spine and staircase running through the building, paired with outdoor space on every level, ties the whole composition together: wherever you are in the duplex, the architecture points you back toward the gulf. For DKS, it was a project that let a Vancouver-based team reconnect with Greek roots and deliver something personal for clients who, like the firm itself, carry both places with them.

If you’re a Vancouver homeowner planning a renovation or new-build project in Greece, DKS offers full international interior design services from concept through construction, managed remotely with the same care and attention we bring to projects at home. Get in touch with our Vancouver interior design team to start planning your Greece property renovation.