Photographers can quickly identify well-known locations like Mykonos and Santorini thanks in part to their distinctive architecture. Influencers adore posing in front of the whitewashed homes with blue accents and doors on the islands. But why are the houses on Greek islands blue and white?
Greece's national colours, blue and white, are well known. They are the flag's colours. Additionally, these are the vivid hues of the sky and sea that make the stunning Mediterranean region famous.
The dwellings' unique blue and white hues, however, are not based on the colours' Greek symbolism on the Cycladic islands. In actuality, there were a number of causes behind this defining element of Greek island architecture. These were primarily factors of utility.
Summertime cooling of island dwellings
On islands like Mykonos, Paros, and Naxos, a lot of houses were first constructed of stone. Considering how difficult it was to find wood on the rocky Aegean islands, this was a sensible choice.
The colour of the rocky terrain is darker, though. This became an issue during the hot summers in Greece. The dwellings would get oppressively hot inside because the dark stones would absorb the sunshine that was beating down on them.
In an effort to cool their interior spaces, the locals started painting the stones white. Homes on the island are now cooler and more pleasant as a result of the process.
What Impact Cholera Had on Home Design
A governmental decree requiring the blue and white painting of island homes was issued in 1938. At the time, Greece was experiencing a cholera outbreak under the rule of Ioannis Metaxas. He gave the residents the order to paint their dwellings in an effort to stop the disease.
The whitewash used to paint the dwellings contained limestone, which can sound strange to us now. There weren't many other disinfectants in use at the time than limestone, which is a strong one.
In order to cleanse them and stop the spread of cholera, Greeks whitewashed their homes.
What about the blue hue of the houses on Greek islands?
In the Cycladic islands, blue is the most typical accent colour for doors and shutters, although it's not the only one. In fact, in addition to accents of blue, many islands also feature accents of red, green, and brown.
The Cycladic landscape is still dominated by the vivid blue colour, nevertheless. How come?
So, it all comes down to price. With whatever was left over after painting their boat, fishermen and other nautical men painted their windows and shutters. Blue was frequently the least expensive paint colour available due to its ingredients.
Greek island dwellings were painted blue using a combination of limestone and "loulaki," a blue talcum powder-like cleaning solution that was widely accessible to islanders. As a result, they found it to be quite simple to create the hue blue.
Greek islands are subject to military dictatorship's imposed colour palette.
The 1967 military coup that overthrew the Greek government and replaced it with a dictatorship made the lovely hues of Greek island residences obligatory. The regime thought the colours reflected Greek nationality and would arouse patriotism.
Eventually, a rule mandating the blue and white painting of Greek island dwellings was passed in 1974.
The blue and white hues of the Greek islands have grown to be a major magnet for tourists, despite the fact that these restrictions have since been lifted. As a result, many islanders keep using these hues to paint their homes. Basically, they started adopting these colours for practical reasons and because they are good for tourism.
Today, visitors can readily see homes with original earth-colored stones or slightly different colours by simply wandering about the Cycladic islands. Greek island architecture is still dominated by blue and white, and island houses are well-known for using this well-liked colour combination internationally.
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