Equal Parts Humble and Chic: A Seaside Romantic Ruin for Rent in Marseille

“Samena is the story of how to reinstate a ruin,” says Olivier Amsellem. A fashion photographer and co-founder of Marseille’s hipster lifestyle boutique Jogging, Amsellem purchased a rundown beach shack half an hour down the coast from his shop with an eye to creating a rental house and artist residency that’s a satellite of the Jogging universe. It took him five years to decide how to remodel it.


“At that time, I was poor and this place was as poverty-stricken as I was,” Olivier told The Socialite Family. “The early days of Jogging were years of hardship; we lived on very little. I finally had the idea of restoring the ruin, but not just any old way. I wanted to respect the heritage of those who had lived there, all these generations of people from Marseille. So I decided to bring in materials as poor as the dwelling itself, like concrete, steel, terracotta, and wood. ‘Poor but strong’ is my philosophy.”


The one-bedroom cabanon sits atop a cliff overlooking the Mediterranean. Though at one time part of an industrial area, it’s in the Calanque de Saména, the first cove at the entry to the Calanques National Park wonderland. Complete with crumbling walls, a Victorian bathtub in the bedroom, and indoor/outdoor lounge areas, it’s a seaside folly that awaits guests who appreciate the splendor of then and now.


Photography courtesy of Olivier Amsellem/Jogging.
Above: The house was a roofless ruin when Olivier found it. He carted away its battered furnishings without “taking away any history, the layers of which I tried very carefully to preserve.” And he made improvements, including new glass doors that lead to two patios (Olivier sacrificed part of the house to create them). There’s a galley kitchen right off the dining room.
Above: The furnishings are Olivier’s vintage finds with a few contemporary pieces mixed in. The Virgin Mary with no hands, he says, is “a witness to everything that happens down here.”
Above: Modernist open shelves display ceramics and beach terracotta.
Above: Set for lunch. On occasion, Amsellem invites chefs to stage meals at the house,
Above: Work by Jogging’s visiting artists is on view amid the antiques.
Above: Preserved old walls meet fresh linens, Gras lights, and Marina Bautier’s oak Wardrobe with Sliding Doors in the bedroom.


Like many of our favorite shops, Jogging has a vintage design department—a Gras clip-on task light is currently among the offerings. New Lampe Gras 222 Wall Lamps, like the ones used here, are available from the Finnish Design Shop for $481.
Above: An antique bathtub with a refinished interior stands alongside the bed, and there’s an adjacent living room with a wood stove. Olivier installed interior wood shutters throughout to protect the interior from the mistral. The dried branch is from a flowering aloe growing right outside.
Above: There’s also an outdoor shower.
Above: A new built-in counter with a sink serves as an outdoor gardening and cooking area.
Above: The terracotta-lined terrace has a concrete table and a plunge pool.
Above: The dining table can be relocated for plein-air meals. The ocean is visible just over the retaining wall.
Above: The Samèna Cove, a mere 10 meters away, is enclosed by steep cliffs.



https://www.remodelista.com/posts/top-vacation-rental-houses-on-remodelista/The Samena house sleeps two and is available to rent from Jogging.


For more summer getaways, take a look at Greatest Hits: 45 Rental Houses from the Remodelista Archive, International Edition. | bit.ly/3XLoEJb


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