Cultural Connection – Hellenic Homecoming by Maria Danos Architecture

As a personal exploration of heritage, Hellenic Homecoming references Greek architecture through a contemporary and crafted lens. Maria Danos Architecture plays with cultural expression through place, drawing on a palette of nostalgic and sensory elements that evoke memory and a sense of connection beyond location and origins.

As each locale has a distinct character, the stories of those living within communities layer an additional communication of self in among the architectural stylings. Set within Melbourne’s Oakleigh – a community with a high population of Greek individuals – Hellenic Homecoming is one such expression, integrating the designer’s own cultural connections to enrich the home. The resulting series of spaces convey the efforts of a personal journey. Maria Danos Architecture combines a layering of blue variations that connect to the culture of Greece.

Throughout, nods to reminders of ‘home’ are peppered throughout, each balanced by cool natural stones and textured elements, and connected through a base of muted timber flooring throughout.

With the original footprint remaining, including the 1990s addition, the interior has been reworked using colour and texture to enliven the home. What was once a dark and light deprived house is opened internally and its functions are reoriented to ensure the kitchen sits at the heart of the home. A core element of European life, the gathering and preparation space is also a place of nurturing and connection. Reminders of the client’s Greek heritage are found throughout – each balanced by cool natural stones and textured elements, connected through a base of muted timber flooring.

Referencing the glistening and expansive waters that surround the Greek Islands, and the skies above, a palette of rich tones gives depth to the resulting home.

Through a refined lens, Hellenic Homecoming combines connections to Greece in a layered fashion. In modernising the heritage surrounds, whilst honouring place, people and time, Maria Danos Architecture creates a home with an unfolding legacy.