Maison NI: White Volumes and Sea Light Above Marseille’s L’Estaque
Maison NI rises above the Port of L’Estaque in Marseille, France, a hillside house by Isabelle Berthet-Bondet. The project steps with the limestone terrain, composing white volumes that hold daylight and open wide to the southwest view. Terraces stitch the rooms to the outdoors, and crafted woodwork steadies the bright, mineral palette. It reads calm and resolved.
White limestone rises underfoot and the Mediterranean fills the horizon. Sun tracks across white volumes, catching lime-washed walls and the pale grain of travertine.
This is a house set on a gentle slope above the Port of L’Estaque, arranged by Isabelle Berthet-Bondet as a sequence of terraces and rooms. The program is simple: bedrooms on the garden level, living areas above, with every move tuned to light, material, and the sea.
Work The Terraces
The plan leans on outdoor landings that act like glue. Terracotta planes step with the topography, linking a shaded dining corner, a recessed lounge, and open ledges that draw you to the view. Each terrace meets a corresponding interior, so movement feels continuous even as thresholds shift underfoot. Wind passes through the ensemble, softened by planting and the mass of the white volumes.
Light On Materials
Inside, finishes are chosen for how they catch and temper sun. Exposed concrete ceilings throw a cool counterpoint to lime-washed walls and travertine flooring, which bounce a soft, even glow through the rooms. Oak brings a warm register against this mineral field, settling the living areas and bedrooms with a tactile note. The palette stays honest and durable.
Thresholds And Openings
Niangon wood frames the sea like a series of measured apertures. On the façades, those openings punctuate the white masses and modulate sun, while inside they lay precise shadows across floors and joinery. The ground floor opens broadly to the southwest, allowing the living room to breathe onto terraces without fuss. Downstairs, quieter bedroom fronts keep privacy while still borrowing light and air.
Water At The Edge
Set apart from the house, the pool extends the sequence rather than crowding it. An infinity lip drops the far edge into the horizon, turning swimming into a long look outward. The separation leaves courts and paths around the house free for daily use. It’s a deliberate pause that sharpens the drama of sea and sky.
Arrival And Ascent
Approach unfolds as a small journey through planted landings and stairs. The route is calm, with changing glimpses of water before a massive wooden door ends the climb. That door sets the tone for the woodwork within—measured, robust, and scaled to the house. It makes the entry feel both sheltered and open.
Late sun warms the terracotta and deepens the lime wash. Concrete cools the rooms while oak keeps them grounded with a quiet rhythm. From terrace to pool, the house holds the hillside and trades in light.
Photography courtesy of Isabelle Berthet-Bondet
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