June 19, 2025 | VOL 15
the REINVENTION of a FORMER NUNS’ DORMITORY
words Ebru Kılıç
photos Ali Bekman
Izmir is a city full of surprises. At first glance, you might think you’ve grasped its essence, but the deeper you look, the more stories emerge. Architect Serhan Gürkan’s home in Göztepe, Izmir, is no exception. Nestled on a street lined with apartment buildings, this detached house carries a visible trace of old Izmir.
“This is an authentic Izmir neighborhood, where real locals still live—there’s a grocer, a greengrocer, a dry cleaner, cafés, bakeries… It has a completely different spirit,” says Serhan Gürkan. He had always dreamed of designing a home for himself here, in the very streets he wandered as a child, moving between his grandmother’s and aunt’s houses. When the opportunity arose to restore one of these nostalgic homes with a contemporary design approach, he didn’t hesitate.
From the outside, the house appears to be a modest, single-story structure. However, it was once a dormitory for the priests and nuns of a church that still stands just across the street. As soon as you step inside, you’re greeted by a high-ceilinged entrance hall— peaceful and quiet, yet bursting with energy, even in the intricate details of the wallpaper. “The windows and doors between the rooms and the hallway create a sense of both transparency and a labyrinthine layout. As you move through the space, you keep discovering new corners, thinking, ‘Wait, there’s more?’” Gürkan explains.
One of the boldest design choices in the house is the wallpaper, created in collaboration with Designmixer. It adopts the style of classic toile de Jouy, but with an unconventional twist—its theme revolves around nudity. “We wanted to evoke the feeling of sin, something far removed from the ascetic life of nuns,” he adds.
I LIKE TO CREATE DIFFERENT EMOTIONAL ATMOSPHERES WITHIN THE SPACES I DESIGN
The entrance level was originally structured around a long, narrow hallway lined with small rooms for the nuns. Rather than eliminating these spaces, Gürkan preserved their essence while repurposing them. “These rooms, with their 4-meter-high ceilings, have been transformed into a dining room, living room, and bedroom. The kitchen, slightly lower and opening onto the garden, was also integrated into this level. The main hallway— wide, tall, and full of character—has become the focal point of the house, a space where both past and present residents have gathered. It’s a true meeting point,” Gürkan says.
