buildersas‘theyhavetheknowledgein
theirgenesandtreatthehouseswith
greatrespectandcare’.Sosheturned
tohertrustedteam,whohelped
diagnosetheproblems.‘Andthen
together,withgreatcare,webrought
thesouloftheoldhousebacktolife.’
Duringthework,Tetydiscovered
theupstairssalonhadbeenenlargedto
itspresentsizeinaround 1800 bya
CaptainKyriakoswhooriginallycame
fromConstantinople.Agreat
entertainer,hehada four-metre-long
sofabuiltfortheroom.Thehousealso
hasa bigroombelowthesalonthat
wouldhavebeenusedona dailybasis
fordining,asit istoday.Adjacentisthe
kitchenanda smallbedroomwith
doubledoors.‘Anelegant,iron-frame
four-posterwasa mustinmost
smarthouses,’saysTety,‘andthe
arrangementoftheroomswouldnot
only give the illusion of a larger house,buttheall-importantbedcouldbeseen
fromanyplaceinthemainroom.’
Thereisli lewoodontheisland,so
therearefew replaces,andinsulation
iskey.Roofsweremadefroma
concoctioncalledpatelia– a mixtureof
eucalyptus,seaweedandclay,which
becomeswaterproofwhenit rains–
andthewalls,calledtsati, weremade
ofwoodenbeamsinzig-zagformwith
goathair,stones,oldporcelain and
mudcompressedtogether.
Tetyisunquestionablya puristwhen
it comestothehousesofPatmos,
andChoraisluckytohavesucha
passionatedefenderofitsarchitectural
heritage.Butshe’salsoa realist:
althoughthehouseis lledwith
simple,beautifulobjects,textiles,rugs
andfurniture,justasit mighthave
beenfurnishedinthepast,Tetyis
quicktoadmitthesensethattheplace
‘hasbeenle untouched’issomething
ofanillusion.And one she is perfectly
relaxed about.RIGHTTety
didn’twant
to sacrificea
roomin order
to createa
bathroom,so
shemadea
smallpartition
in thebedroom
behindwhich
sheinstalleda
toiletandbasin.
BELOWThe
mainbedroom
is opposite
thedining
room,keeping
it warmerin
winter,while
alsoallowing
visitorsto see
thefour-poster
bed,whichwas
derigueurin
smart houses.HOMES Greek Tradition
104 Homes & Antiques August 2019