Before and After: Mediterranean Dream Home in Marseilles
A renovation makes the most of the French home’s sunny surroundings and extraordinary views
Agnès Carpentier
June 30, 2021
With its white villas, bougainvillea and pine-planted valleys overlooking the Mediterranean sea, the La Corniche Boulevard in Marseilles, France, is a dream location. It is on one of the slopes of the Bompard neighborhood that, in 2018, this family of four — a couple in their 40s with their two teenagers — stumbled on a great find on a classifieds site. Already residing in the neighborhood and on the lookout for a larger space, they jumped at the chance to buy this two-story, 1930s building, which the previous owners had recently renovated. They knew right away that its location near Valmer Park was their dream spot, but the renovation was not to their taste and they planned a complete revamp. They knew the perfect professional to take it on: interior designer Chrystel Laport, who had just bought their previous home!
Photos by Gabrielle Voinot
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A family with two teenagers
Location: Marseilles, France
Size: 2,153 square feet (200 square meters)
Interior designer: Chrystel Laporte of Un jour d’Avril
Landscape architect: Élodie Wehrlen of Côté Outdoor
Budget: $240,000
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A family with two teenagers
Location: Marseilles, France
Size: 2,153 square feet (200 square meters)
Interior designer: Chrystel Laporte of Un jour d’Avril
Landscape architect: Élodie Wehrlen of Côté Outdoor
Budget: $240,000
Before Photo
Before: As you can see in this photo from before the renovation, the house was disconnected from its yard. Built on a steep slope, the outside space could be accessed through a little terrace perched atop a dozen travertine steps. The stairs seemed out of proportion, and the terrace was too small to have breakfast on. The owners were keenly aware of the paradox of a home with a garden they couldn’t enjoy.
After: Interior designer Chrystel Laporte agreed. She says the running theme of her work was “opening this home to the outside and recreating the living areas to make the best use of them.”
Since the terrace was the only place where you could easily eat outdoors, the pro reimagined it to make it more than just a dreary passageway. She put in a comfortable pergola which echoes the graphic lines of the staircase. She also inserted a wide window with a low ledge, which looks out from the office. The black railings foreshadow the plan for the window frames, most of which were left as they are for budgetary reasons, but will be replaced at some point in the future.
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Since the terrace was the only place where you could easily eat outdoors, the pro reimagined it to make it more than just a dreary passageway. She put in a comfortable pergola which echoes the graphic lines of the staircase. She also inserted a wide window with a low ledge, which looks out from the office. The black railings foreshadow the plan for the window frames, most of which were left as they are for budgetary reasons, but will be replaced at some point in the future.
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Before: Inside the home, the air conditioning, electricity, plumbing, heating and windows had already been renovated, which worked out well for the new owners, who hoped to limit the cost of their renovation. But they did not like the layout of the home at all: They were not fans of its cordoned-off entrance hall, or the long living room, and still less that the door of the toilet opened into the dining room. As for the decor, they thought it lost the home’s soul.
After: Wanting more quality in materials and layout, they gave Laporte carte blanche to bring out the charm of this family home.
Before Photo
Before: The entrance was previously cramped, jammed up against the staircase to the first floor. It was oppressive, and did not reflect the roominess of the grand home.
After: Laporte was attentive to the the owners’ desires right from the first visit, and collected inspirational photos that reflected their wishes. “These mood boards help me tailor the feel of the rooms throughout the project,” she says.
“I also paid attention to the home and looked at its plan in 2D. I always worked from the existing space and examined its lines of sight to create a surprise,” Laporte says. As a former graphic artist, she is always attuned to the best framing. So, for example, the staircase was modified so that it would not open out facing the entrance.
“I also paid attention to the home and looked at its plan in 2D. I always worked from the existing space and examined its lines of sight to create a surprise,” Laporte says. As a former graphic artist, she is always attuned to the best framing. So, for example, the staircase was modified so that it would not open out facing the entrance.
The office space to the left of the entrance retained its function, but Laporte redecorated it for a warmer feel. The tile, which had covered a heated floor, was replaced with wide boards of a light-colored engineered oak flooring. A custom made desk, painted in a blue from the Caparol color chart, matches a wall covered in a black-and-white panoramic wallpaper with a tropical print. The latter conceals an invisible door that leads to the washroom in its new location.
Before Photo
Before: The very long living room had a surprising layout. The sofa had been placed with its back to the window, facing the kitchen. “It was as though the home had been turned in on itself,” Laporte says. To make up for the cramped entrance, she sought to capture the gaze of anyone entering and draw it towards the back of the room.
After: Laporte had no doubt that she had to reorient the room toward the home’s extraordinary views. “One could say that this home has crazy views,” she says. “Just imagine: From the window you can see all the way to the Sainte-Baume mountain range, and a bit to the right, the sea and the beginning of the Calanques!”
Before Photo
Before: The kitchen was recently redone, but the owners wanted more relaxing surroundings than its combination of lime green, chocolate and stainless steel.
After: The kitchen had initially been set up so that one cooked facing the green wall, but Laprote turned it back around toward the windows. She turned the work surface and sink toward the sea through the south-facing window. The cooking area on the island is equipped with a large induction hob with a hood, and overlooks the living room and its east-facing window through a glass divider.
The professional designed the kitchen around cupboards from Leicht, a German manufacturer, distributed in Marseilles by kitchen specialists Dôme Vanadia. The counter is a compact laminate that matches the cupboards.
The professional designed the kitchen around cupboards from Leicht, a German manufacturer, distributed in Marseilles by kitchen specialists Dôme Vanadia. The counter is a compact laminate that matches the cupboards.
“This house is on a hill and very bright, but it did not take on the very particular light of Marseilles. We rethought it to be a white box facing the sea, which would integrate it into its neighborhood,” the pro says.
The feel in the kitchen is soft and minimal, contrasted by the high black-metal stools and some of the appliances. This contemporary decor might have felt clinical, but it is warmed by touches of wood and artisanal zellige tiles in the backsplash. The hand-made Moroccan zelliges are also a wink at the Mediterranean culture that inundates the city.
The feel in the kitchen is soft and minimal, contrasted by the high black-metal stools and some of the appliances. This contemporary decor might have felt clinical, but it is warmed by touches of wood and artisanal zellige tiles in the backsplash. The hand-made Moroccan zelliges are also a wink at the Mediterranean culture that inundates the city.
A glass and black steel divider hides the kitchen so it cannot be seen from the living room as before. Just in front, the dining table — surrounded by its comfortable dusty pink chairs — creates a transition to the living room.
Note that the door to what had previously been the washroom is now located opposite the glass divider. The little room was converted into a laundry and storeroom.
Note that the door to what had previously been the washroom is now located opposite the glass divider. The little room was converted into a laundry and storeroom.
Before Photo
Before: Laporte proposed turning the living room around to face the outside and to take advantage of the home’s elevated vantage point by widening this window.
After: The existing opening was enlarged and its sill lowered to a comfortable sitting height, so that it doubles as a bench. Framed in oak, the picture window frames this magnificent view like a painting. It has become the focal point of this room and has not failed to attract attention on social media.
“Since I published a photo of this spot for contemplation, people have asked me to reproduce it in many projects, but this has never succeeded as well as here, except in places where the view is, like here, extraordinary,” she says.
“Since I published a photo of this spot for contemplation, people have asked me to reproduce it in many projects, but this has never succeeded as well as here, except in places where the view is, like here, extraordinary,” she says.
Two sofas and the iconic LC4 lounge chair, designed by Le Corbusier and Charlotte Perriand, offer comfortable perches to contemplate the dreamy view from this living painting. As for the coffee table, this had once been a dining table. The owner simply sawed off its legs.
Before Photo
Before: Laporte got rid of the turn at the end of the staircase, so that it no longer comes out towards the entrance. The family also wanted to get rid of the wrought-iron railing, the floor tiles and the khaki plaster covering the bottom of the wall.
After: The steps are finished in a black waxed concrete, which is both contemporary and easy to wash and maintain. In the near future, a bookcase will go up with the steps and liven up the wall. “The geometric effect of the staircase is important and the bookcase will reduce its unusual width.”
On the second floor, the layout of the bedrooms and bathrooms was not the most optimised. Only one of the three bedrooms lacked an ensuite, but a large separate bathroom had been placed between the other two.
The owners’ son moved into the room above the office, which had been equipped with an en suite. The young lady took the central bedroom, where the en suite was modernized. Do not ask for photos of the teenagers’ rooms: at this age, they are understandably shy.
The large bathroom was reattached to the last room. To shorten the hallway which had crossed the width of this story, the locations of the room and the washroom were swapped.
The large bathroom was reattached to the last room. To shorten the hallway which had crossed the width of this story, the locations of the room and the washroom were swapped.
Before Photo
Before: This is the main bedroom before the works.
After: Swapping the main bedroom and the bathroom required major changes to plumbing, which explains the platform seen here: It makes it possible to run the piping along the floor.
In terms of decor, the room is completely white, with natural touches for an incredibly restful atmosphere. “As on the ground floor, we chose a bright, holiday feel and used simple, almost raw materials,” Laprote says.
The pro has a fondness for details like the wardrobe handles. “It is a simple grip made out of a length of wood, created by the carpenter. Almost raw, it is very geometric,” Laporte says.
Before Photo
Before: The main bathroom on this storey had been dressed in yellow tile with contrasting maroon stripes.
After: It’s no surprise that the main bathroom was reimagined in the bright and restrained style that characterises the rest of this renovation. Black flowers scattered throughout the white mosaic floor create contrast. Even the fixtures, the frame of the shower divider and the hollow join of the vanity were decorated in black to elegantly underscore these boxes on a blank page.
In this room, Laporte likewise determined the layout of the fixtures based on the outside views. The freestanding bathtub takes up the best place by the window, the perfect setup for contemplating the view in a relaxing bubble bath.
A year after renovating the interior of this home, the owners called Laporte back to decorate the garden to fit with the interior. The pro collaborated with a landscape architect.
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Anyone else want to see the sleeping doggy in the "After" photo? :D
Splendid views brought inside. Before and after photos, along with the floorplans, are really helpful in appreciating the transformation. I wish we could also get a feedback from dwellers after they have lived in a place… what works, etc.
Anything would have been an improvement on the 'Before'! Chrystel has done an outstanding job in turning an ugly duckling into a swan. Every room beautiful, and the exterior sensational.