Hotels and Spas

To get to the Au Vieux Panier guesthouse, you are obliged to lose yourself in the maze of little streets so typical of Marseille, but the picture postcard cliché stops there.

By Sarah Carrière Chardon - July 25, 2011

Once inside, you are immediately swallowed up in a creative universe. The living room sets the tone. Here everything is unique; contemporary art and designer furniture are set against traditional terracotta floor tiles and the uncluttered stone of a typical Provencal building. The story begins with a young woman named Jessica Venediger, half English, half Corsican and living in Marseille with a tribe of globetrotters. Very early she developed a taste for art and for travel, living between London, Dubai, Norway and New York.

While studying business at Berkeley, this fan of hip-hop, skate and graffiti culture noticed that her first loves in graphic design were now working for big brands, and she thought to herself that she’d like to bring to their attention one of her favorite subjects: travel. While contemplating this idea, she moved to Barcelona then left for a four month project in Asia developing an eco-tourism venture, another unresolved dream. Once back at home, at the heart of the Catalan capital, she began to develop her project for an Art Hotel.

But while on a trip to visit her family in Marseille, she fell in love with this old building sitting at the top of the Rue du Panier. In June 2010 she opened the hotel with an initial series of five rooms decorated by illustrator Stéphane Manel, painter Fred Calmet, design studio Tous des K, New York graffiti artists Lartmada, and textile designer Claire Leina. And now she is launching Season II. With the photographer Justin Blyth, the graphic designer Mothi Limbu, the artist

Gaëlle Villedary, the design studio Corpus Alex Orvane et Olivier Lerouge, a new variation on the same theme begins, with each room specifically chosen by the mistress of the house and matched with its artistic director. The hotel is eclectic, inspired, unique and varied in style with each edition. The artists all managed to give to the place a bright, refined and singular atmosphere, without ever compromising their art. Moving around this 17th-century building, each corner

hides its share of surprises and discoveries. You’ll feel right at home here, and be delighted as the rooms reveal their little secrets to you one by one. Each visit will reflect a new look – temporary exhibitions are held in the public areas and almost all of the other works are for sale! The next call for Season III proposals will take place in the fall, and

we can’t wait to follow this saga of a truly urban, inventive and sincerely inspiring adventure!

 

MORE PICTURES

Discover

"Dark Memory"
by Guillaume Chamahian and the interactive installation

"SMARTIES  ET  MOLECULES"

mixing Plexiglas, graffiti and light by Véronique Sarafian.

All summer at the Au Vieux Panier.