hardertoaccessthanotherGreek
islands,whichhasaddedtoitsallure.
‘Inthosedays,’saysTety,‘itwasan
adventuretogetthere.Boatswere
primitiveandmuchslower– weate
bread,fetacheeseandolivesandslept
ondeckunderthestars.’Onher rst
arrival,Tetywasspellboundbythe
island,andparticularlycharmedby
theorganicnatureofthebuildings
overlookingtheharbourofSkala.The
triphada greatimpactonher,andshe
returnedwhenevershecould in order
tostudythearchitecture.
HousesonPatmosgenerallyfallinto
twocategories,Tetyexplains.During
theearlier,Byzantineperiod,
immigrants eeingthefallof
Constantinoplein 1453 builtdwellings
aroundthemonastery,whichshe
prefersthestyleof.Thelater,more
formalneoclassicalmansions,
locatedaroundtheharbour,were
commissionedbyrichmerchant
traderswhowantedtobeableto
identifyshipsastheycameintoport
from the comfort of their homes.LEFTThepaintingof theyoung
womanandparrotis byTety,
inspired,shesays,bynaïve
paintingsshesawin theold
mansionsontheisland.The
slimshelfabovethepainting
runsalongtheentirewalland
acrossthedoorwayto an
adjacentbedroom.It is a useful
way to display antique half-glazedstorageurnsandother
decorativepieces,such
asthehand-paintedtray.
ABOVELattice-fronted
cupboardsaretypicalof Patmos
andthesurroundingislands.
Tetypaintedthemlightgreen
to createanairof freshness.
Theceramicbowlsarefromthe
nearby island of Samos.100 Homes & Antiques August 2019
HOMES Greek Tradition