Villa Salvia

The brief

I photographed Villa Salvia in Paros, in the Cyclades, for Sotheby’s Greece. The collection presents the villa through its architecture, interiors and outdoor living areas, paying particular attention to the details that give it a distinct identity. White stone, turquoise joinery and views towards the sea form a continuous thread through the photographs.

The photographic challenge

The villa combines a restrained palette with richly textured surfaces. In strong island light, white stone can easily lose its depth, while sheltered spaces carry a very different atmosphere. Retaining both the texture of the walls and the softness of the interiors was essential to describing the property convincingly.

Turquoise appears across shutters, doors, furnishings and kitchen cabinetry. It is a defining element, but the photographs also need to show how each space works. Colour should guide the eye without taking attention away from the proportions of the rooms or their connection to the terraces.

My approach

I built the series around that relationship between colour, material and setting. The opening living-room photograph looks towards the sea through turquoise doors, bringing the interior and its outlook into a single composition. Exterior views then establish the white stone volumes, paved courtyards and planted edges.

On the terraces, the reed and timber pergolas create a more sheltered scale. Dining tables, wicker seating and the poolside lounge show different ways of occupying the outdoor spaces. Their shadows also make the structure of the shade visible without losing the brightness of the island setting.

Inside, wider compositions describe the living areas and kitchen, while the bedroom and selected details bring the sequence closer to the materials. A timber table, an oval mirror and a sea painting offer a quieter view of the house. I kept the perspective controlled and the colour relationships natural across the collection.

The result

The resulting photographs give Villa Salvia a clear, consistent visual identity while allowing each room and terrace to retain its own atmosphere. The series combines an overview of the property with more intimate observations of its surfaces and furnishings. For a luxury property audience, it offers an introduction rooted in the visible character of the villa and its location in Paros.