Header: BREBA Claus Brechenmacher & Reiner Baumann
The history of Dexamenes, a luxury beachfront hotel, dates back to the “Era of Currants”. Since the liberation of Greece in 1830, the cultivation of raisins of the small, sweet, seedless grape Black Corinth, known as “currants”, took on impressive dimensions, having become the main export product of the Greek kingdom. However, when the “Currants’ Crisis” broke out in 1910, their trade collapsed. Quickly, producers found themselves swimming in currants they couldn’t sell. It was at this moment that the first wineries and distilleries were created.
Dexamenes was built on the sea so that ships could load the sweet wine directly from the tanks before setting sail for the major overseas markets. The derelict, industrial structures used to produce wine during those rich 1920s were left relatively untouched, having shown great potential as they sit on one of the most unspoiled and beautiful sites in the western Peloponnese.
Arriving at Dexamenes
It was immediately clear that the history and raw beauty of the existing buildings should not only be preserved but also be showcased in a design that would breathe new life into their walls. The new design by K-Studio complements their brutality, using a palette of concrete, steel, timber and engineered glass to keep the new work restrained, elegant and calm.
The discreet entrance to the hotel introduces the first of the two elegant pavilions, which are attached to the original concrete tank buildings. With the glass partitions fully opened, guests step onto the concrete slab and enter the reception area. Here, the moment of arrival can feel completely different depending on the moment of day: in the evening, the glow of the louvred plywood canopy is a warm welcome, but during the day, what is most appreciated is the coolness of the shade it creates. From there, a quick walk through the history of the site and its artfully displayed remnants brings guests past a chic minimalist boutique and into the central courtyard.
The water courtyard
Dominating the site are 2 concrete blocks that are each divided lengthwise into 2 rows of 10 wine-storage tanks. These tanks, measuring approximately 5 by 6 metres, were perfectly sized to become hotel rooms, each with its own ensuite bathroom and shaded patio. The space between the 2 blocks has been transformed from an industrial scrapyard into a peaceful courtyard garden, where a shallow pool reflects light and provides comfort on hot afternoons. It’s in the water that the impressive steel drums that give the hotel its characteristic logo have been placed.
These drums are simply thick slabs of concrete, which were previously slices of tank wall removed to make the doorways that have been placed in the water like stepping stones so that guests might enter them and experience the way light and acoustics play over their concave walls throughout the day. Local grape and currant varieties were planted along the edges of the garden and are already becoming well established, with the hotel hoping that one day they will make their contribution to the microclimate and productivity of the hotel.
The wine bedrooms
The courtyard tank rooms are all identical in layout, with original features such as the manholes and pipes in the façade of each tank and the patina of the internal wall surfaces having been preserved. Inside, a narrow black steel frame brings the different elements together within the 30 square metre space, and textured glass brings light through from the bedroom and dressing areas into the bathroom. Generous proportions in the shower and WC bring a sense of luxury to the warmly toned and textured surfaces. Polished terrazzo, on the other hand, references the colourful texture of beach pebbles revealed wherever the old walls have been sliced through to create new openings.
The internal layout of the sea-front tanks makes the most of their immediate connection to the beach. The beds are centred in the room, with a large sliding window right at their feet overlooking the water and, later in the day, the sunset, from beneath the canopied patio. The bedrooms are connected to their surroundings by a promenade walkway raised above the sand, leading to the other parts of the hotel and down to the beach. Even the promenade railings play their part in the design, featuring parts of the reclaimed irrigation system originally installed on the tank roofs.
The social venues of Dexamenes
In addition to the tank rooms, their pavilions and the courtyard garden, the 2 original stone outbuildings have been converted into the hotel’s in-house dining and event venues, all of which celebrate the culture of the area and the history of the building. Reclaimed bricks found inside the original structures line the floors and terrace, and the pitched roofs have been restructured with unique ceramic tiles made locally and crafted to blend with the originals.
The taverna features an open kitchen with a communal dining table for wine tastings and cooking workshops, plus an external dining terrace where guests can enjoy meals prepared with local ingredients throughout the day. Facing the terrace and kitchen is a large cultural building fully equipped to host artistic events of various scales, such as exhibitions, workshops or lectures. The hotel has an ongoing programme of arts events, with resident artists presenting performances, installations and exhibitions throughout the summer season.
Reimagining the concrete tanks
The project of Dexamenes is one that matures gracefully over time, like wine. Quiet reinvention has become part of its character, as the hotel extends itself, layer by layer, season by season. A few years after its opening, it became clear that the site could accommodate a new type of accommodation.
In the early days of construction, when the interiors of the tanks were still inaccessible, time spent on their roofs revealed a sensation of uplift unlike any other. From there, the sky met the sea in an uninterrupted line, and it was this experience that inspired the addition of a new layer atop the concrete tanks: eight new rooms now sit above the concrete tanks.
The new rooms continue the palette, aesthetic and layout of their predecessors. Each opens toward the sea from a generous veranda, sheltered under a wooden pergola, while access from the back courtyard connects them to the hotel below. From here, guests can appreciate the silos, the cultivated vines of the garden and the pulse of activity below, all from a different, elevated perspective.
Dexamenes reuses the old winery, preserving and adapting it to a new life. Its tanks, yards and outbuildings are now the base of a luxurious hotel by the sea, allowing the new rooms and shared spaces to reminisce about a past full of history while overlooking the light blue waters of the Ionian Sea.
