From Place To Space: Cassis & Marseille

Like every week I want to take you on a little inspiring voyage to yet another place. Even though I am just back from Copenhagen, I still want to share my last impressions from the Provence, France, with you. You remember my first coverages HERE and HERE, and today I am taking you to the last stops on my sunny trip - to Cassis and Marseille. Ready? Here we go!

Cassis is a charming little fisher town on the Provence coast not far away from the region's capital Marseille. I spent my birthday in Cassis and had one big plan in mind: to swim in the Mediterranean for the first time this year. And oh yes, I did it! Even though the water was pretty cold, I couldn't resist its crystal clear appearance and shimmers of all kind of blue and turquoise hues. Moreover, the way to the beach was pretty short - my swanky little design 'Hôtel de la Plage Mahogany' was just across the Bestouan beach. After a refreshing swim, I decided to hike a bit and discover the famous 'Calanques' of Cassis. 'Calanques' are steep-walled inlets and bays on the French coast. After a little hike I was rewarded with splendid views of the bays. A place to return again! A birthday dinner and the inevitable glass of champagne was later savoured with relish in the town's cute little port. Bliss!

Tomorrow, I headed off to the capital of the Provence, to Marseille. I went to Marseille a few years ago and blogged about it HERE, so I was pretty excited to see the city's development ever since as it is currently the 'European Capital of Culture'. And yes, there was lots of improvement visible. The entire old port area has been revamped and transformed into a cool pedestrian zone with interesting art and architectural installations like the mirrored ceiling of the 'Vieux Port Pavilion by Foster + Partners' and further on the brand new MuCEM museum that opened this month. Opposite of the MuCEM museum you will find the 'Musée Regards de Provence' with art from different eras representing the Provence, its nature, its people, its culture. 

So if you need a little inspiring voyage for one of your upcoming weekends (if you are in Europe), why not head to the bustling city of Marseille and its surroundings for sun, sea and culture. All in one! 

Happy week, friends!

P.S. Have you noticed all the Happy Interior Blog colours on the first picture? I LOVE it!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

Tweet

From Place To Space: Marseille

With every new Monday I am more than happy to take you on a new, little voyage within my blog series 'From Place To Space'. Many of you have realized by now that France is one of my favorite countries to visit. So this time I've decided to take you to the Mediterranean metropolis Marseille in the country's south. 

This was a real last minute trip a few years ago. A friend and I decided on a Friday we need a little inspiring break over the weekend. So we packed our suitcases and went off to the airport on Saturday morning. We approached one of the travel agencies at the airport and had a little talk to the travel agent, flipped through a few city names on his screen and picked Marseille due to the best departure and return times. A few hours later we arrived on the shores of the Mediterranean. During the trip we booked a hotel via our phones and here we were: without a travel guide, without any special plans or ideas. And it was perfect. It was an ideal combination of relaxing and discovering a new city with all its charms. We took one of the open-top city tour buses and visited the main sights like the Vieux Port (Old Port) where we enjoyed a glass of the local Pastis (an anise liquor), the local fish market, the famous Notre-Dame de la Garde cathedral on a hill top. We set off to the close by island Ile d'If and visited the famous Chateau d'If with its prison. That's where Alexandre Dumas set the scenery for his novel 'The Count of Monte Cristo'.

To take you from place to space I researched the web for some inspiring interiors in Marseille, too. And I found two amazing examples. This 1950s inspired Marseille home of Emma François bursts with mid-century vintage finds and a typical 50s colour range. The big round hole in the living room connects the home with its porch and adds to the mid-century look and feel. 

The second interior is a light flooded home designed by Marseille based interior designer Maurice Padovani. It combines a rustic and modern feeling with natural hues and materials and many open spaces that let the unique Mediterranean light into this stylish home. I am drawn to this home with its interesting vibe set alive with vintage furniture combined with design classics such as the Eames chairs or the stunning Zettel'z chandelier by Ingo Maurer. 

Have you enjoyed this week's little trip? Hope to see you next Monday again!

Photography: Emma François home via Interior Design Files; Rustic and Modern Home via Maurice Padovani; all other pics by Igor Josifovic.  

Tweet