House ED

Designed to reference vernacular Cypriot architecture, this house features white concentric walls that shelter a central garden.

In urban spaces, houses with courtyards provide the perfect solution to create oases of calm where the residents can relax and spend time outdoors in complete privacy. House ED is a great example of architecture that puts nature at the heart of the design in a suburban space. Completed by draftworks*architects, this family home in Nicosia, Cyprus, references vernacular Cypriot architecture with white walls that shelter a wild garden at the center.

The clients tasked the architecture firm with the design of a bright home with a close connection to nature and with plenty of room for their art collection. Located in the suburb of Lakatamia, the house stands on a quiet street and opens up to a natural landscape at the back. The design keeps vernacular and modernist architecture influences in balance, featuring rectangular and cubic elements, with white walls arranged in a concentric pattern. At the center, a courtyard with a wild garden becomes the ultimate space for tranquility and calm. This verdant heart connects to the main living areas, including the kitchen, dining space and living room. The residence also features a large terrace with a private garden at the rear and a smaller terrace on the upper level.

Apart from giving a nod to traditional architecture, the white walls also brighten the interiors. They both amplify the quality of light and showcase subtle changes throughout the day, from dawn to dusk. Additionally, the luminous walls provide the perfect backdrop for the clients’ art collection.

On this project, the studio collaborated with Stavros Ioannou, founder of the MOB interior design studio, and with landscape designer Maria Paraskevaidou. Photography© Maria Efthymiou Creative Photo Room.