

MYRTO TABOURATZAKI
Interview: Maro Voulgari
The Mediterranean unites all styles
At the heart of Drios, in a space that lives and breathes the sea even without facing it, Myrto Tabouratzaki has set her dream into motion: putting forward solutions that turn a mere dwelling into a home. And successfully so, as she carries fond memories of Paros while being open to what the future may hold.
“My grandmother was Parian-born and bred,” Myrto tells us. “She lived in Elitas. Her parents grew tobacco, so all of my father’s summers were about harvesting tobacco and working in the fields. Later, it was my turn to discover Paros in a different way. Along with Konstantinos, my husband, as young carefree holidaymakers doing windsurfing. Together we came into possession of our home at Tzannes and became permanent residents of Paros raising our child here. However, a property developer and an interior designer would sooner or later become involved in the aesthetics of the residences they deal with. Thus, after 15 years of permanent residence on the island, Medusa is our suggestion for a modern Mediterranean home bathed in the sun and the sea, which we have pictured as welcoming and luxurious, yet, at the same time, minimal and tradition-conscious.”
Medusa is a space inspired by the Mediterranean. Traditional forms derived from cottage industries are blended with more abstract pieces by contemporary artists, all of which seem to be drawing on ancient pottery, sculpture and textile art. As various peoples connected and conversed with each other throughout history, they seem to have created a single seamless stylistic vocabulary. Ancient Greek, Moroccan, African, Asia Minorian, traditional folk, colonial, Byzantine – all influences create a polyphonic harmony without the least discordance.
“I really like to bring back stuff from my travels”, adds Myrto. “I love details that set the tone in a space but I don’t like cluttered homes. I’m keen on spaces that breathe. I love earthy and neutral colours, white which is the perfect backdrop for every other colour, but I’d also love to see a more colourful version of the Cyclades, as they used to be before the necessary use of quicklime for disinfection purposes.
What’s more, I prefer an olive grove to a swimming pool for my garden, but that’s probably a matter of personal taste. I love cedars, lemon trees, gardens and yards. I also feel that our daily joys come in small details. A beautifully laid table and a family gathering around it create strong ties of security. Plates, glasses, towels, vases, candles, baskets, and lovely soaps are small doses of daily happiness that we should not be deprived of.
At Medusa, we also love fabric, as I grew up surrounded by it in our family business. This is how we offer all-inclusive suggestions for decorating spaces ranging from a sofa to a teaspoon. We also host a large number of Greek and foreign artists integrating beautiful and unique pieces into our everyday life. My grandmother knew how to weave rugs and baskets. And this makes me emotional and sensitive to every hand-crafted artisanry. So we’ve viewed Medusa as a small gallery featuring all these artisans as well as a corner shop for gifts and souvenirs that our visitors bring back home with them”.