Dexamenes is the Greek term for ‘tank’, an apt name for the luxury retreat designed by converting an old seaside wine factory into a unique hospitality experience along the coast of Peloponnese.
The former wine factory held commercial engagements in 19th-century Greece, to utilise the residual stock of unsold currants following a sharp decline in overseas demand. This particular winery, overlooking the Ionian Sea, was set up on the water to ease the loading of wine directly on ships, until its production methods were superseded by the ‘more efficient’, industrial techniques in the 1980s, when it was ultimately deserted. It was Nikos Karaflos, an entrepreneur-turned-hotelier, who realised the potential of the abandoned site and hired K-Studio to convert it into a scenic retreat. The architectural practice—known for its experiential designs across a portfolio of hospitality and residential projects, such as Villa Mandra in the Aleomandra hill of the Mykonos island—transformed the derelict factory into the Dexamenes Seaview Hotel. The project involved minimal interventions to its original architecture, allowing the site to function as an archive of industrial architecture over time.
The architects decided to retain the existing, raw materiality of the concrete architecture while introducing a contrasting material palette in the hospitality design, marked by steel and glass, with the occasional spurts of wood as an ode to the nautical association of the establishment. Under the original adaptation scheme, the existing cylindrical fermentation tanks—arranged in two linear rows along the coastline—were repurposed as “Beachfront Wine Tank Suites”. The silo tank at the centre of the courtyard was converted into a pop-up restaurant whereas the former service areas became wellness and learning spaces to host a yoga studio and an art gallery.
In their latest addition, the Greek architecture studio has designed eight new “Seaview Terrace Suites” atop the original ones. From the beach, the new level appears as a horizontal stretch of warm, wooden tones quietly inverting the cold concrete structure of the floor below. A lightweight structural frame follows the original grid, gradually retreating from the tank edges—in layers of timber screens, sliding shutters and glazing—and fronted by a linear walkway tracing the length of the building. Set amidst the low-rise agricultural architecture and open fields of rural Peloponnese, the composition feels at home.
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The new suites carry the architectural language of the old fermentation tank-coverted-beachside view rooms Image: Courtesy of Claus Brechenmacher & Reiner Baumann Photography
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The newly added “Seaview Terrace Suites” appear to gently rest on the existing concrete building due to their lightweight frame Image: Courtesy of Claus Brechenmacher & Reiner Baumann Photography
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The canopy roof crowning the elevated suites at Dexamenes appears to be floating Image: Courtesy of Claus Brechenmacher & Reiner Baumann Photography
From the inside, the rooms follow the restrained theme through their spatial organisation and material palette: open wardrobes with integrated desks, a textured glass screen that loosely curtains the bathroom while allowing dispersal of natural light and polished terrazzo floors paired with engineered glass partitions that contrast with the exposed concrete finish. A full-length folding window at the edge allows the room to be extended into the open verandah, shaded by a wooden canopy. The sleek supports of the pergola are pulled back from the elevation, adding to the ‘hovering’ effect of new suites.
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The room interiors carry a restrained material palette: steel, glass, exposed concrete and timber Image: Courtesy of Claus Brechenmacher & Reiner Baumann Photography
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Terrazzo floor, warm timber ceiling and floor-to-ceiling glass partitions contrast against the exposed concrete walls Image: Courtesy of Claus Brechenmacher & Reiner Baumann Photography
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The new suites directly overlook the horizon where the Ionian sea meets the vast blue sky Image: Courtesy of Claus Brechenmacher & Reiner Baumann Photography
Beyond the verandah, a small water channel runs along the facade. When viewed from the inside of the suite, the water in the channel reflects the encounter between the Ionian sea and the vast sky, virtually compressing two cosmic entities into a narrow horizontal band that precedes reality, effectively luring the surrounding seascape into the room interiors.
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A narrow water channel smudges the threshold between the outdoor seascape and room interiors Image: Courtesy of Claus Brechenmacher & Reiner Baumann Photography
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The floor-to-ceiling foldable window opens up the verandah as part of the room Image: Courtesy of Claus Brechenmacher & Reiner Baumann Photography
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The water channel runs linearly along the length of the facade Image: Courtesy of Claus Brechenmacher & Reiner Baumann Photography
It is not solely the architecture of the Dexamenes Seaview Hotel that has been updated; the recent additions also include new culinary experiences. During the adaptation of the site, the silo tank from the 1920s, christened in 2024 as dex.Silo.01, was reimagined as a food and drinks venue offering a uniquely curated fine dining experience. The large cylindrical tank now hosts five themed experiences created in collaboration with chef Gikas Xenakis: Traditional, Illegal series that advocates for traditional food practices being outcasted by modern regulations; Zymosis, an experiential commentary on fermentation; Full Moon, No Moon, a periodic ritual feast prepared during the extreme phases of the moon; Tomato, a gastronomic lesson on regional varieties of tomato based dishes and techniques from around Greece, and wine and food pairing held at the Dexamenes vineyard, along with other food activism programs.
The 45-key Dexamenes Seaview Hotel is an invitation to marvel at the Ionian Sea, framed by refined modern structures rooted in its industrial past. Through its rough, unfinished aesthetic that blends a historical wine factory with modern hospitality architecture and themed culinary experiences, the retreat elevates itself from a generic holiday resort into a cultural platform offering immersive experiences of classical Greek culture set against the serene waters of the Mediterranean Sea.
Project Details
Name: Dexamenes Seaside Hotel
Location: Peloponnese PC 27200, Greece
Typology: Hospitality
Client: Design Hotels
Architect: K-Studio
Year of Completion: 2025 (extension)