Project Credits & Specs
Project Description
Casa Cook Samos redefines laidback luxury. Tailor-made for the refined hospitality brand’s dedicated outpost in the Eastern Aegean Sea island, the project draws on its rich, Mediterranean context. Effortlessness, considered design, and an atmosphere of understated indulgence meet Casa Cook’s strong sense of community, interpreted through Block722’s signature lens of contemporary organic minimalism. The result is a highly sophisticated environment that engulfs guests in ultimate relaxation.
The retreat’s complex – including 128 rooms, a restaurant, and a wellness center, as well as a wealth of outdoor areas – is situated on the island’s southern side. The site, set within a deep, seaside plot, interweaves rich planting and astounding water features, stretching out towards an idyllic, sandy beach.
Block722’s architecture takes its cues from the local Samos vernacular, in particular the low-scale, tight-knit dwellings of its villages. This influence helps carve out the project’s identity, expressed as clusters of low, softly pared-down volumes of individual bungalows and rooms of various sizes. The careful, sculptural articulation of each building ensures the whole is broken down to a comfortable, human scale. The design reads as a small, picturesque village that feels instantly at home in its setting. A strong water element – a series of ponds, small canals, and swimming pools – runs through the complex, between the buildings, bringing the various verdant outdoor spaces together and providing a cooling feature and omnipresent, unifying canvas for Casa Cook.
The architecture’s material palette is defined by warm grey tones, textured surfaces that invite the touch, and the region’s abundant nature of wild olive trees, palms, and pines. The terracotta hues of Greek ceramics found on the island played a key role in the choice of colors, while Italian cotto tiles, stone, timber, terrazzo, butter-soft leather, and ethereal fabrics, provide layering to the composition. At the same time, the project’s planted roofs further enrich the scheme’s green element. This feature also supports the region’s biodiversity and ecosystems.
Handcrafted pieces and carefully chosen contemporary furniture populate the rooms, transforming them into a haven of calm. This cocooning environment energizes the guests, whether they spend their time in their private quarters or make the most of the resort’s spa, hammam, exercise, and beauty offerings.
Defining the edge of the complex towards the sea, the Beach House restaurant offers panoramic views of blue waters and the infinite horizon ahead. The space, created in the same style as the accommodation areas, is open to guests beyond the hotel’s enclave, effortlessly weaving the resort into the vibrant, local island life.
The project description is provided by the designers.
About the Designers
Block722
To rise all senses through authentic and timeless experiences.
Block722 is an Athens-based architecture studio, founded in 2009 by architect Sotiris Tsergas and interior designer Katja Margaritoglou. The team combines Greek and Scandinavian heritage, as well as interdisciplinary experience, and creates work that feels confident, natural, and timeless. The studio undertakes a variety of work, from residential to commercial and hospitality, managing in-house all stages of architectural development, from concept design, through to construction and delivery. Solutions always incorporate a focus on quality materials, a crafts-based approach, and collaborations with local artisans and artists that interpret the Mediterranean spirit and traditions for the 21st century. An architectural ethos that places a sense of balance at its heart is among this boutique, yet dynamic practice’s guiding principles. At the same time, Block722’s design solutions are strongly led by each project’s contextual needs and the client’s brief. As a result, the studio has won several high-profile awards and has been featured widely in Greek and international media.
