Art Nouveau bones and contemporary craft shape this Marseille home

Interior architects from Unamé Studio in Marseille have reworked this 116sqm apartment with a light touch, bringing out the building’s Haussmannian style and Art Nouveau detailing. The interiors are the work of the owner herself, decorator Jeanne Ifergan of Jema Collective. Together they’ve created a setting that feels of its time yet effortlessly contemporary, with Marseille’s National Conservatory just around the corner and the city’s cultural heart all around.

Preserving the historic warmth of the 1900s building are original details like marble fireplaces, plaster mouldings and Provençal tomette tiles. The tiles set the tone for an earthy palette while stainless steel introduces quiet modernity.

An elegant arch is a prominent feature linking the dining and living spaces, allowing light to move fluidly through the double reception to the kitchen, redone in stainless steel with a neutral zellige-tile splashback. Further along, a striated glass partition gently defines one of two bedrooms without breaking the visual continuity. Twin bathrooms in soft green and more zellige tile echo the same handcrafted precision. A sunlit balcony runs the length of the façade.

Throughout, the renovation demonstrates a restrained dialogue between eras — contemporary surfaces layered over century-old bones. Ifergan’s unique vintage furnishings, from mid-century Scandinavian pieces to French deco accents, are brilliantly staged, exhibiting the property’s potential. A service room and cellar complete the plan, adding practical depth to a home that feels both crafted and lived-in. The owner has listed it for €550,000 with Archik.