As children, Erazmia and Anxhela Gjikopulli reveled in summers at their parents’ house near the beach in Dhërmi, an idyllic Albanian village some three hours south of Tirana, the capital. So, when their father bought a dilapidated building in the historic center, the ambitious sisters were keen to transform it into an inviting home and forge new memories.

“For as long as we’ve been coming to Dhërmi, it’s looked like a ruin,” says Erazmia of the once-neglected structure. In the past, it was used for storing and pressing olives, but for Erazmia and Anxhela it evokes nostalgia on a more personal level because it neighbors the home their grandparents resided in before they abruptly left during communism.

Before: Facade

At first, Erazmia, a Tirana-based architect and urban designer, and Anxhela, who works as a product owner in Munich, envisioned the renovation unfolding as one commodious, duplex-style apartment. Ultimately, they decided to create two pieds-à-terres—Sea Apartment 1 and Sea Apartment 2—one for each of them to relish in between guest bookings managed by their mother.

After: Facade

From the outside, the well-preserved stone walls blend into the landscape, reinforcing Dhërmi’s vernacular architecture. The windows are now buoyed by quaint wooden shutters and elongated to maximize natural light, although they respectfully retain their original width.

Inside, the aesthetic veers from rustic and traditional to decidedly contemporary. “We knew we wanted something minimalist,” explains Erazmia, “but we also wanted lots of wood.” Indeed, a cozy ambiance abounds thanks to swaths of oak that mesh well with industrial elements such as bathroom tiles that emulate concrete and the kitchens’ soft gray tones.

After: Balcony

The ground floor has an open layout, save for a glass partition that divides the bedroom and living room. The sleeping area had a small window and a huge beam so the sisters installed the floor-to-ceiling expanse of glass to bring in views of the village and the Ionian Sea through the living room’s large windows. (A workspace is positioned in front of one of the exterior windows for ample inspiration.)

Given its plethora of churches, Dhërmi is at its busiest during Easter as well as peak summer season, but Erazmia and Anxhela love visiting in winter, too. The living room’s corner fireplace is one way of enticing guests with a year-round sanctuary.

Before: Interior

After: Sea Apartment 1

For the upstairs apartment, Anxhela was determined to create a balcony off the living room. Outfitted with built-in wooden stools, the outdoor space encourages lingering for one of Dhërmi’s spectacular sunsets over the sea. “If you haven’t seen a sunset in Dhërmi, you haven’t been to Dhërmi at all,” points out Erazmia. From the balcony, the star-filled night sky can also be savored without the aid of a telescope.

Throughout the day, adds Erazmia, “if you turn your head you can see St. Mary’s, the oldest church in Dhërmi, up on the hill—and you can hear bells at different times of the day.” Emblematic of Dhërmi life, it anchors visitors in the magical setting.

Further strengthening the connection between indoors and outdoors are the bedroom’s low windows, necessitated by structural constraints. Taking advantage of the thick perimeter walls, Erazmia and Anxhela converted the sills into pillow-embellished seating nooks for reading and contemplation. When time on the laptop becomes a necessity, however, there’s a workstation enveloped by a slatted screen.

After: Sea Apartment 2

The wood-covered ceiling—a Dhërmi architectural hallmark—is complemented by furnishings “that follow the slopes of the rooms,” as Erazmia puts it. Erazmia designed some of the clever pieces woven into both apartments herself, including shelving that conceals unsightly heating infrastructure and a desk that incorporates a space-saving shoe rack.

Although Anxhela’s design experience is more rooted in UX, her sharp eye was crucial to conceiving the warm interiors. “We talked about every detail together,” she says, like the decision to lay down a handwoven Albanian rug gifted to their mother before she was married.

This family heirloom melds with pottery crafted by a ceramic studio in Kosovo, framed collages of Dhërmi scenery, and books by Albanian aerial photographer Alket Islami and Petro Marko, a literary great from Dhërmi. “Petro is of the same time and style of Ernest Hemingway, and he’s the pride of the village,” says Erazmia.

By paying homage to the local culture, the sisters sought to illuminate Dhërmi’s soul for curious guests. “What’s special to me about Dhërmi is the vibe,” says Anxhela. “The village is completely different from the beach. It’s like a Greek island, where you spend the day on the water, and then you spend the evening in the old town.”

“Whether it’s morning, night, winter, or summer,” adds Erazmia, “you will feel the atmosphere of Dhërmi.”

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In Spain, a Compact 1960s Apartment Gets a Quirky, Experimental Retrofit

Project Credits:

Architectural Design: Erazmia Gjikopulli

Project Manager: Simon Gjikopulli