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 wellness centre, as well as a wealth of outdoors areas – is situated on the island’s southern side. The site, set within a deep, seaside plot, interweaves rich planting and cool 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 and 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 colours, 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 energises the guests, whether they choose to spend their time in their private quarters or making the most of the resort’s range of 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.
2019
2022
Project name: Casa Cook Samos
Type: Architecture-5-star Hotel
Project address: Potokaki, Samos, Greece
Project area: 5.300 sq.
Predominantly used materials: Stone, wood, plaster
Photographer: Ana Santl
Art Director: Tobias Gaertner, Vision alphabet
Interior stylist and Model: Priszcilla Varga
Location: Samos, Greece
Creative Direction: Block722
Masterplanning and Architecture: Block722
Interior design: Block722, Vasilis Nikos
Hardscape Design: Block722, Outside landscape architecture
Softscape & Planting Design: ARCHETOPO Landscape Architecture
FF&E: BLOCK722, Vasilis Nikos, Ballian Techniki
Lighting Design: Skia lighting
Architectural visualization: Fat Tony Studio, Block722
Client: FTC Hotels
Hotel owner: Velos Tourism SA
Contractor: Ballian Techniki
Structural &MEP Engineering &Consultant: PCK Pagonis-Polychronopoulos-Kinatos Co & PG Kamarinos Consulting Engineers
Project Manager: Ballian Techniki
BLOCK722 design team:
Sotiris Tsergas, Katja Margaritoglou, Vasiliki Moustafatzi, Patricia Fakiolaki, Nikoleta Papalymperi, Sofia Stefanopoulou, Danai Lazaridi, Makis Giannopoulos, Apostolos Karastamatis, Eva Dimoula
Βranding Strategy & Positioning: Vision alphabet
Αrt Works: Anastasia Sachtaridou
Print on canvas;100X140 cm; 2021
