Casa Youm

Please describe Casa Youm in a nutshell.

In the beginning, it was a house of painters. Paul Cezanne lived here for six months. We are the third owners and wanted to create a place where guests would want to spend the entire day. This is why we named it “Youm”, meaning “day”.

What is the story behind Casa Youm, what was your inspiration to create it?

I am from Tunisia and my husband is half-Italian/half-French. For the last 10 years, I have worked as an engineer with luxury brands in Paris while my husband has experience in restaurants.

Since I was young, I dreamt of creating some kind of hotel or guesthouse with high-end services. After Covid, it happened. My husband was already living in Marseille and I wanted to move there, so we decided to open Casa Youm.

In Marseille, there are mostly big hotels. We wanted to create something smaller where you could be in the pool with not a lot of other people.

How would you describe the atmosphere and the interior design of Casa Youm?

We were inspired by places in Tunisia and Italy, so the property has a Mediterranean feel. A lot of guests tell us they feel as though they are in Ibiza or Spain. There is an Andalusian aesthetic. It’s very quiet and with a lot of spots where guests can relax, read and chill.

To you personally, what is so special about Casa Youm?

It’s located in a quiet and calm part of Marseille that used to be an artists’ enclave. Before, people from Marseille didn’t often come here as there weren’t many restaurants and cafes. Now, we have a lot of local people coming to escape the noise of the city. There are views across Marseille but you don’t hear the cars and the noise. You feel as though you are far from the city, even though you’re not.