"I Let Go of Preconceived Notions, and Asked Myself: 'How Do I Want It to Feel?'" This Designer's Cretan Holiday Home Is a Feel-Good Escape

Hallway with warm off-white walls, exposed ceiling beams, stone floor, arched glazed door, round wood entrance table and sculptural wood chair.

"This is my favourite place on Earth," says Cari Giannoulias, of the very personal property in Crete that she shaped down to the smallest detail. The gently sloped stone modern home appears as if it is a continuation of the surrounding rocky landscape and was designed by Scope Architects, with the exterior areas by Fytron Landscapes.

Residing most of the year in Chicago, where her eponymous design studio is based, Cari thinks of Greece as her special place. "My husband’s parents are from Greece," she says. "He spent his summers travelling around the country, but Chania [in Crete] was always home. When he introduced me to the city, I quickly fell in love.