Alemagou is a bar and restaurant set beautifully on the sand of Ftelia Beach on the Greek island of Mykonos. Taking inspiration from typical Cycladic architecture, local firm K Studio have used the whitewashed, smooth-edged houses and dry stonewalls that blend into the rugged landscape as key elements of the design.

Practical and hardwearing screed floors and a natural reed-thatched roof are applied as a contemporary yet familiar organic form, creating a unique character. Rather than shutting out the dominating natural conditions of harsh winds and burning 40-degree midday sun – the design embraces them turning the natural forces into its advantage. The 60cm thick reed thatch roof allows the breeze and light to filter through, keeping the area cool and allowing sunlight to dapple through creating both a shaded and lit-up space simultaneously.

At night the down lighting continues to animate through the canopy above, presenting a warm and intimate atmosphere for evening dinning. Below the canopy is a smooth uninterrupted topography of cool screed terraces that flow gradually down from the restaurant via the bar and lounging areas to eventually merge with the sand. The combination of natural and designed elements comes together to make a multi-sensory and sociable atmosphere in an idyllic island setting…

Photography: Yiorgos Kordakis