A complete and colorful renovation for this 100 m2 apartment located in a building of the 6th district of Marseille, which was revealed thanks to strong bias.

Target

Bring back to life this apartment where the charm and assets were hidden by too many disparities, while recreating a common thread.

Course of action

The idea was to highlight the titles of nobility of the place, while revealing the taste of its owner and making the kitchen and living room communicate. Then to furnish it, without using neither blue nor green!

Achievement

The colors have slowly imposed themselves, warm, spicy, as well as noble materials like leather, wood and cement tiles.

In the living room, in order to keep the depth and the effect of space that the old ice wall provided, the designer Axel Chay designed an XXL mirror.

The Art Deco type glass roof between the kitchen and the living room creates an elegant opening through which one can enjoy the view without displaying the technical part of the kitchen. The transition between the spaces is smooth, thanks to a kitchen cabinet that looks like a library visible from the living room, creating an aesthetic link between the two rooms. The furnishings have been reorganized, a dining area created and the circulation optimized, with black as a common thread, in small touches, dialoguing with the quarter-top piano. In the kitchen as well as in the alcove, the ceilings were painted to accentuate the feeling of enclosure and intimacy.

In the entrance, the small windows were revealed. The former powder room, hidden behind its double doors, has been completely redesigned and decorated as a boudoir with a Garden of Eden feel.

The bathroom has been treated as a minimalist water room, where the white zelliges with pearly reflections are an invitation to relaxation. The cement tile floor with palm motifs evokes the Orient and its Oases. A touch of rosy terracotta enhances the complexion as soon as you wake up.

An elegant and subtle renovation.

LE QUARTIER

Préfecture

Around the Hôtel de Préfecture, this district is one of the most lively and commercial.
  • honoraires10 000 € (excl. tax) as a fixed price
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Before …

Under the roofs of Montmartre, a 63 m2 flat with eleven windows finally reveals its full potential to become an open, raw yet intimate and warm living space.

Target

To arrange each space in the flat in such a way that it can always benefit from the light coming in through the eleven windows. The challenge was also to make the corridors disappear.

Course of action

The choice of framing, transparency and perspective were essential to reveal each space. Finally, in keeping with the architecture of the place, the exposed beams and the volume of the main room were preserved.

Raw materials such as Vals stone, steel, stainless steel, glass, and a raw oak parquet floor have been used to magnify the project without ever stifling it.

Mise en oeuvre

Les meubles d’agencement, dessinés sur-mesure, viennent créer les espaces autour d’un mur porteur central : aucune cloison n’a été ajoutée dans l’appartement.

Chaque espace est pensé en lien avec le suivant par une série de meubles. Nous passons du salon à la chambre au travers d’une bibliothèque aux montants en acier et vitrée, vers la salle de bain, en traversant un des meubles.

Enfin, un soubassement ceinture la pièce principale  et permet de cacher subtilement le chauffage tout en créant une assise conviviale et en dissimulant du rangement.

  • Crédits photosABL
  • honoraires180 000
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L’ avant …

In the heart of Mazargues, the exterior of this apartment was already structured by its shape but never really invested. A challenge in only 50 m2!

Target

The exterior of this apartment, located close to the hills of Marseille, was already structured by its shape but never invested. It consisted of a wooden terrace that covered the entire space, and on the side, an outdoor shower/mini pool to cool off in the summer. It was essential for the clients to protect themselves from the opposite side of the house, to occupy this exterior as a real additional living room. A challenge in only 50m².

Course of action

Vegetate the whole space, but also create real distinct living spaces.

Achievement

The shower/mini pool area has been rethought in the choice of materials, a square blue Onyx mosaic has been put in place, to allow this element visible from the living room, to be an “object” highlighted summer and winter. The low wall separating it from the terrace was widened to provide a comfortable seat on both the shower/mini pool side and the terrace side. Facing this element, a module in waxed concrete and red cedar comes to dress the wall until now unoccupied and is broken up of several elements: air conditioner cover, summer kitchen and large masonry bench. These elements allow the installation of a lounge area, to spend convivial moments from the arrival of the beautiful days.

To protect the terrace from the opposite side, the openwork red cedar and metal screens close the terrace on the hillside without depriving the owners of the green view. The colors of the landscape are also found on the terrace: shades of green/gray for the plants, Ravel pottery in white terracotta, and a planter in earth fiber. Even the choice of furniture (Fermob and Arkimueble) links the different shades of the hills and the sea that is so dear to them.

Finally, a custom-made awning protects the entire length of the terrace and custom-made seat cushions have been designed in nautical fabrics, all made to measure for optimal comfort.

A renovation that smells like summer!

LE QUARTIER

Mazargues

A real village in the city, it has kept this spirit around its shopping streets.
  • Crédits photosGabrielle Voinot
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Before …

This villa designed by architect Alain Richard in 2007 has a 100 m2 roof terrace offering an exceptional panorama of the sea and the hills of Les Goudes.

Target

Develop this unused roof terrace. Largely dominated by its direct relationship with the sky, and the minerality of its context, the layout of the roof must blend into the decor.

Course of action

Work on the question of the limit and allow this new roof terrace to integrate elegantly and discreetly into its environment.

Achievement

The aesthetic choice was to work with light furniture, whose colors and materials are reminiscent of the immediate environment, or make nods to the imagination evoked by the place (boat, port, forts, etc.). The garden lounge and the dining area are the two strong, structuring elements, around which the color is brought by the small furniture, the decoration and the vegetation. Strict and direct forms are mixed with softer ones, to bring a touch of harmony and softness to the whole. The layout of the terrace contrasts with the brutality of its landscape. One serves the other for more lightness.

The outdoor design was realized in partnership with Good Design Store, for the supply of furniture (Fermob, Houe, Gervasoni, Petite Friture, Serax), Basset Diffusion Aubagne nursery for the plants (olive tree, phormium, dasylirion, cycas, etc).

A roof terrace where the owners now enjoy spending quality time!

LE QUARTIER

Private: Les Goudes

At the gates of the calanques, this district is in osmosis with nature.
  • Crédits photosFranKc Orsoni
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Before …

In a 1930s building, this apartment with beautiful art-deco rosettes required a total rehabilitation.

Target

This apartment benefits from significant assets: beautiful volumes, a pleasant distribution, a crossing light. In its original state, the toilets were on the balcony, the kitchen was independent, the small living room was no longer functional, the living room lacked light. The objective is to connect the living rooms and give them back meaning, to write the history of the new occupants while respecting the place.

Course of action

To bring coherence to the different spaces, while proposing a real decorative bias.

Achievement

The living room becomes an office and has been opened on the corridor, thanks to a set of light wood claustras. The corridor, original by its U shape is highlighted by a game of color. The partition between the kitchen and the living room is transformed into a light wood skylight, thus bringing light and finally connecting the two spaces. Storage units have been specially designed for the office and the parents’ bedroom, and particular attention has been paid to the choice of materials in the kitchen and bathroom.

A gentle renovation, where life is good!

LE QUARTIER

Private: Cinq Avenues

Away from the Old Port, beyond the Canebière, is the Cinq Avenues neighborhood.
  • Crédits photosChrystel Laporte
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Before …

In the heart of Bompard, the exteriors and views from the top floor of this townhouse appealed to the new owners. This small enclosed garden had to be able to accommodate two distinct spaces: a terrace/summer kitchen and a garden area.

Target

Nestled in the heart of Bompard district, this small enclosed garden had to be able to accommodate two distinct spaces: a terrace / summer kitchen and a garden area.

Course of action

This exterior was worked in two planes, signified by large horizontal elements, namely the low wall and the planting spaces.

Achievement

The result is a clever play of contrasts between sharp colors and a choice of plants with characterful foliage. Strelitzia and false pepper trees are green in all seasons, responding with character to the minimalist design painted on the wall. The low wall is long and accommodates the summer kitchen and garden spaces, creating an impression of perspective and depth.

A colorful and graphic patio, beautifully highlighting the different tones of the chosen species.

  • Crédits photosVincent Driancourt
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Before …