Horm Stories #17
Today, we want to introduce you to architect Teresa Sapey and her eponymous studio, which incorporated products from the RememberMe collection by Casamania (chairs and bistro tables made from recycled jeans and t-shirts) into the interior design of the Nhow Hotel in Marseille.
Ironical, energetic, and surprising, Sapey has made color an indispensable ingredient in her projects. “Architecture is born from emotions,” Sapey tells The Book – Contract + Design, “and emotions are communicated through color, which, far from being a flat surface, is matter, volume, life.”
The article goes on to describe the genesis of the Nhow Hotel in Marseille, where, thanks to the use of color and out-of-the-box solutions, Sapey’s studio transformed a jungle of pillars and a long, dark tunnel with low ceilings into a kaleidoscope of planes and colors, breaking and fragmenting the space to create new spatial dynamics.
Sapey designed the ground floor common areas, including the Cactus Bar, Tunnel Bar, restaurant, terrace, and meeting/event spaces, transferring the contradictions and energy of Marseille into the hotel’s identity, giving it a unique and strongly Marseille-inspired personality. “The Cactus Bar,” explains Sapey, “feels like a huge underwater platform beneath the Corniche rock.” The bathroom sinks are shaped like traditional Marseille soap, and the floors, ranging from blue to emerald green, faithfully reflect the colors of the sea.
With this renovation, the hotel claims its Marseille identity, positioned between land and sea, city and beach, with a surprising concept and furnishings perfectly aligned with the city’s evolution and the nonconventional character of the Nhow brand.
Within this visionary and unconventional architecture, the Pollon poufs found their perfect place, as did the RememberMe chairs and bistro tables by Casamania. This original project, designed by Tobias Juretzek for Casamania, champions sustainability and recycling, giving new life to objects that unknowingly carry memories and personal stories. The chairs and tables are crafted entirely from old jeans and t-shirts (potentially supplied by the client), assembled and solidified through an innovative production process.
