Syros, Cyclades islands, Greece

On the western coast of Syros, where the land drops sharply to the sea, is this private coastal estate of 211,735 sqm, occupying its own headland above the open Aegean. The approach winds down in long curves, the road narrowing as the land falls away on both sides, and the estate reveals itself only at the final turn: stone buildings set low into the ridge, the pool terrace reaching out toward the water, and beyond it nothing but sea to the horizon. The orientation is west; the light here in the late afternoon is the flat silver of the Cycladic summer, and it stays on the water long after the coast behind has gone into shadow.

The estate occupies both sides of the headland, the ground rolling down through coastal vegetation to the water on either side. A network of paths threads through it, descending to two sheltered coves - each reached directly from the house, each enclosed by the natural rock of the headland. A tennis court sits on the southern slope, screened by the contour of the land.

When the light from the Aegean turns the stone walls golden, the open water to the west holds the last of the day's colour.

At the centre of the estate, the main house of approximately 600 sqm is built in natural stone, the proportions generous and the orientation arranged so that the principal rooms face the sea. The architectural vocabulary is Cycladic - stone walls, wide openings, terraces that extend the living spaces outward - updated with contemporary fittings and finishes throughout. From the main living room, the Aegean fills the windows; the terraces step down from the house toward the pool, open to the water on three sides.

The house has eight bedrooms and nine bathrooms, with staff accommodation and storage separate from the main building. The reception rooms, living spaces, and indoor and outdoor dining areas are generously proportioned and arranged across the building so that each has its own impressive outlook.

Cycladic architecture: wide openings, terraces extending the living spaces outward.

The pool terrace is the estate's main outdoor space: an infinity pool set into the stone surround, its far edge level with the open water below. Shaded terraces and lounge areas step around it, each with its own aspect to the sea. An outdoor dining area with a built-in barbecue sits to one side. The gardens are landscaped and established, giving the terraces their enclosure. A vineyard and an olive grove occupy part of the estate's land, both in production.

In the late afternoon, when the light off the Aegean turns the stone walls golden and the vineyard throws its shadow across the terrace, the full extent of the estate becomes clear - the two coves below, the paths threading down to them, the open water to the west holding the last of the day's colour.