1970s-style restaurant and wine bar Dévo is very Marseille

Design duo Axel and Mélissa Chay set out to bring "charm, humour and a sense of place" to Dévo, a Marseille restaurant characterised by glossy lacquer, smoked glass and a swooping seagull stuck to the wall.

Dévo is a restaurant and wine bar in Marseille's Préfecture neighbourhood, created by furniture designer Axel Chay and art director Mélissa Chay.

The husband-and-wife duo created a textured, open-plan interior to reference the southern French city's culinary reputation.

"Marseille's food scene today is instinctive, generous and deeply rooted in sharing, while remaining open to influences from elsewhere," said Axel Chay. "That attitude was central to the design approach."

"[Dévo] reflects a Marseille that is confident and Mediterranean, unpretentious yet expressive, where food is taken seriously, but never stiffly," he told Dezeen.

Cavernous stone walls envelope the single dining room, which is anchored by clusters of Axel Chay's bespoke tubular stainless steel chairs topped with dark green cushions.

The duo was influenced by the high gloss and bold glamour of 1970s Italian bars, opting for a zinc and timber bar positioned in front of round-edged smoked glass shelves.

"The 1970s Italian bar felt like a natural point of reference because it represents a very particular balance," Mélissa Chay said. "Warmth, elegance and a strong sense of social ritual."

"These were spaces designed for everyday life: to share a real conversation, a coffee, an aperitivo, rather than for 'spectacle' and 'only design'," she continued.

"Details such as the proportions of the bar, the choice of finishes and the overall atmosphere subtly echo that era, without becoming literal or nostalgic."

Flooring was crafted from burgundy-hued resin, which is reflected in the gleaming lacquered ceiling and illuminated by chunky red sconce lights.

Local artist Aurélien Ciller created custom mirrors for the walls, printed with old photographs of the mountainous landscape that surrounds Marseille.

A playful sculpture of a seagull in flight features on the wall at the entrance of the restaurant, chosen as an ode to the Mediterranean.

"These elements reference the port, the horizon and the everyday poetry of a coastal city," said Axel Chay.

"They bring charm, humour and a sense of place, something very Marseille!" he added, referencing more seaside ephemera that features in the space, including a scale model of an old-fashioned ship.

Accessed via steps, the black-and-white-tile-clad kitchen is concealed behind floor-to-ceiling satin curtains.

Marseille is home to well over 3,000 eateries, which have earned the city its gastronomic reputation.

Last year, architecture studio Neri&Hu designed the Gros Bao restaurant in Marseille, created with a full-height void selected to reference Shanghai's traditional alleyways.

The city is also known for Le Corbusier's iconic Cité Radieuse housing block, built between 1947 and 1952.

The photography is by Mathilde Hiley.

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