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An airy solution to closet space in a cave

In 2013, Andreas Nauheimer was tasked with upgrading Iconic Santorini, on that Cyclades island in Greece, into an ultimate design environment that would command rates of well over US$950 a night, breakfast included. The challenge is the 19-key resort’s unique “rooms” – many of them extended from millennia-old caves set into the typical Santorini countryside and arranged like a hill-top rabbit warren. All the rooms appear to pop out of the steeply sloping terrain of the village of Imerovigli.

The closets, with Greek cotton drapery, provide storage space in Iconic Santorini's cave guest rooms.
The closets, with Greek cotton drapery, provide storage space in Iconic Santorini’s cave guest rooms.

Nauheimer worked with architects Alexis and Tasos Kontodimas to utilize the space. Many rooms therefore have open-sided bureaus that combine closet space, shelving for safes and drawers. A local touch is provided by drapes.

The concept fits well with the Gen-X desire to avoid closets with heavy doors, to enable one to see what is hanging up. “The idea at Iconic Santorini was also to provide adequate storage for our visiting friends that would be light and airy and suggest that a light breeze could move the soft and 100% Greek cotton fabric to create some movement,” says Nauheimer, speaking from his base in Santiago, Chile.

Iconic Santorini is owned by Corp Group SA, one of Chile’s biggest banking-supermarket conglomerates, and Nauheimer is owner’s representative. As such, he made sure that all Iconic Santorini’s rooms had either indoor or outdoor private heated hot tubs, and some, like the signature Cliff Suite, have both. With really fast and reliable WiFi, the property, which manages near-100% occupancy with no affiliation, therefore attracts global high-flyers, and the unique “closets” add a memorable touch.

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