The vernacular architecture of Halkidiki is a local version of the familiar Macedonian style. The region offers a wide range of interesting buildings, from simple one-room dwellings to fine mansions. There is also the distinctive mix of buildings with narrow and broad facades, characteristic of the area.

A fundamental characteristic of the local houses are the stone walls at ground level, surrounding the upper floor on three or four sides and supporting it. Another very typical feature is the large, covered terrace known as the haiyati, usually placed on the southern side of the upper floor. A stairway usually leads up under the haiyiati from the ground to the first floor. In some cases the stairs open into the main room, in others they end in a central hallway.

It was in the fashioning of the fireplace that the local craftsmen used all their skill and imagination. In many cases, despite the meager resources at their disposal, they transformed the fireplace from a rudimentary functional feature into a true work of art.

Timber played a huge part in the vernacular architecture of Halkidiki. We find timber in most parts of the house, the frameworks of the walls, the roof, the floor of the upper storey, the covered terrace and the open balconies, the windows and doors. One feels the presence of wood, symmetrically arranged, in every part of the structure. It is never painted and no attempt is made to conceal it. The only decoration the craftsmen allowed themselves was a limited amount of carving on support columns and in the timber of the covered terrace.

The stove of a traditional house was always constructed outside the main structure and could assume a variety of styles and forms. Sometimes it was built as a projection from the main building, like a fireplace raised above the ground, sometimes it was set in its own detached structure.