5 Dream Homes by the Sea

With its white villas, bougainvillea and pine-planted valleys overlooking the Mediterranean sea, the La Corniche Boulevard in Marseilles, France, is a dream location. When a family of four found this two-story 1930s building for sale, they jumped at the chance to own it.

They hired interior designer Chrystel Laporte of Un jour d’avril and landscape architect Élodie Wehrlen of Côté Outdoor to help them turn it into their dream home. Designer Laporte began the design process by listening closely to the owners’ desires and collecting inspirational photos to reflected their wishes. “These mood boards help me tailor the feel of the rooms throughout the project,” she says.

“I also paid attention to the home and looked at its plan in 2D. I always worked from the existing space and examined its lines of sight to create a surprise,” she says. As a former graphic artist, she’s always attuned to the best framing, as illustrated here with this tantalizing slice of sparkling Mediterranean sea on display in the main bedroom, which was previously a bathroom.