Tuba Club: Marseille’s On-the-Rocks Hideout

Tuba, a happening restaurant and bar with rooms to rent, is located on a rocky cove in Marseille in what was formerly a scuba diving center. The brainchild of two childhood friends who dreamed of building their own hangout, it opened during the height of the pandemic as an all-hands on deck situation.

Film producer Fabrice Denizot and restaurateur Grégory Gassa heard about the property from another pal, interior architect Marion Mailaender, who they gave free reign to design the interiors. In the weeks leading up to opening, they all spent night and day on site, painting vintage chairs, assembling tables, stacking plates, and hanging art, including work by Marion’s husband, Thomas Mailaender. The teamwork shows: Tuba feels like an artful clubhouse created by friends.

Photography as credited, courtesy of Tuba (@tuba.club).

Above: Local architect Delphine André converted the damaged remains of the diving center into the restaurant and hotel, and Marion Mailaender designed the interiors; she’s the one who came up with the name Tuba, French for “snorkel.” Photograph by Florian Touzet. Above: Tuba is located in the fishing village of Les Goudes on the edge of Calanques National Park, a 20-kilometer stretch of limestone cliffs. Photograph by Edouard Sanville. Above: Diners can sit on the terrace or right on the rocks. There are also nearby striped yellow chaises for hotel guests who climb down ladders to take a swim in the Mediterranean. The creators describe Tuba as “a sanctuary for friends, idlers, purists, and fervent defenders of letting go.” Photograph by Florian Touzet. Above: The fresh seafood—and its presentation—is a big draw. Photograph by Delaney Inamine. Above: In place of a diver’s dormitory, there are now five guest rooms, all overlooking the water (and a villa with three more is in the works). Here, a 1970s Fratelli Reguitti Hollywood director’s chair with a view.

Marion Mailaender grew up in Marseille’s Cité Radieuse designed by Le Corbusier and took inspiration from his work, including his Cabanon, as well as the local buildings. She told The Socialite Family, “I have always had a passion for the vernacular, for architecture without an architect, with its imperfections, its quirks—that’s what makes up the charm of these places. Photograph by Edouard Sanville.

Above: A built-in sofa is flanked by cabinets with woven reed insets—to see more, go to DIY Idea: 8 Economical Projects from Readymade Woven Cane. There’s wall-t0-wall sea rush matting on the floor. Photograph by Edouard Sanville. Above: Art in the rooms include outsized beads that reference buoys. The adjustable bedside light is Stilnovo’s Minibox LED Wall Sconce by Gae Aulenti and Piero Castigliioni. Photograph by Edouard Sanville. Above: Interior windows offer a glimpse of the sea and of the bathroom’s mirrored tile mosaic. Photograph by Edouard Sanville. Above: Pleasing simplicity in a bathroom. The faucet with outsized handles is Fantini’s I Balocchi Washbasin Mixer. Photograph by Edouard Sanville. Above: A step-up tiled tub. Photograph by Edouard Sanville. Above: Some of the rooms look like wooden ship’s cabins. Photograph by Florian Touzet. Above: A cabin balcony. Photograph by Florian Touzet. Above: A color-drenched bathroom. Photograph by Florian Touzet. Above: The DIY shower built by their plumber has handles that Mailaender describes as “looking like boat machinery,” and a hose for rinsing off. Photograph by Florian Touzet. Above: Rooms start at €220. For more info and reservations, go to Tuba. Photograph by Florian Touzet.

And for more design-forward getaways in France, see:

• Les Bains Gardians: White Horses and “Conscious Hedonism” in France’s Camargue
• Hotel of the Moment: 11 Chic Design Ideas to Steal from Lilou in France
• New in Nice: Quiet Luxury at Hotel du Couvent in the French Riviera
• Let There Be Light: Hotel Le Sud in the South of France, a Guesthouse Inspired by Picasso