At home with radical young designer Axel Chay and family
Axel Chay has never played by the book. The self-taught artist and designer is known for his crayon-coloured tubular objects in iron and steel, and unconventional interiors that playfully nod to the postmodern, Memphis and Kinetic art movements.
He may cite Donald Judd and Tom Wesselmann as influences, but it’s everyday life and his lifelong love affair with the Mediterranean that shape everything he does. From streetlights to security barriers, functional things are reimagined through his lens into lamps, chairs, mirrors and sculptures.
Mélissa, Axel’s partner in life and work, shares his passion for experimentation; as well as working with him on the creative process, she oversees the communication side of their business.
They work with Axel’s brother Aimeric, a skilled metalworker who brings Axel’s ideas to life – although demand for Aimeric’s work is so great now that they require artisans to produce his sculptural pieces, while the trio concentrates more on custom projects and prototypes.
After meeting at business school in Lyon and spending time in London, Axel and Mélissa found themselves settling in the port city of Marseille, close to where he grew up, their arrival coinciding with the founding of his eponymous design studio.
France’s second city is cut off by the Massif de l’Etoile mountain range, which may explain its reputation for being fun-loving, independent and a little gritty (it is the birthplace of Eric Cantona, after all). Today, creatives are flocking there, enriched by its energy, mix of cultures and rebellious attitude.
Axel, Mélissa and their children Austin and India live in a house that’s as much a laboratory for developing new ideas as it is a relaxed home. The couple were travelling in Japan when they came across it for sale online. ‘We were in our hotel in Osaka during the auction,’ Axel recalls.
It’s in the La Calade neighbourhood, overlooking the industrial harbour – hardly picturesque, but with a brutal beauty that fires Axel’s creativity. ‘It’s a popular area, not attractive, but we did not care about that,’ he says. ‘We wanted a big house with a sea view and a garden, and this place offered that.’
The house was built in 1890 and had been abandoned for years. The ground floor was a series of dark, boxy rooms. ‘We destroyed all the walls and gained a lot of ceiling height,’ explains Axel. Original marble fireplaces, terracotta tiles, ironwork and the garden fountain were carefully preserved, their historic charm accentuating the modernity of the family’s designs and possessions, which pop against the white walls.
In this anything-goes atmosphere, an ever-changing assortment of fleamarket finds sit happily alongside furniture by Pierre Paulin, Warren Platner, Eero Saarinen and Axel’s own pieces, both current and from Nova Obiecta, an earlier venture he launched with a friend.
The robust flavours mingle as successfully as those in Marseille’s famous bouillabaisse. The duo didn’t set out to design a home with a local feel, but something about Marseille’s spirit has found its way into the interiors, regardless. ‘I think it was quite natural, it was not on purpose,’ Axel muses. ‘Yes, maybe without knowing: free, colourful and sunny.’
Axel describes his home as ‘a place to welcome friends, family and have dinner,’ but he makes no distinction between this social aspect and the fact that he is constantly testing out designs and ideas in the space. ‘There is almost no separation,’ he says. ‘We change a lot as we create a lot!’
His favourite room shifts with the seasons, but in winter he loves to take a warm bath and watch the sunset and the big boats passing by. ‘We see the harbour of Marseille – not the historical one with small boats, but the ferries and cruise ships. I hate them because of their pollution, but they are beautiful with all their movement and lights. We also look out over the shipping-container place with all its mysteries.’
In a distinctly non-linear career – that’s all the more exciting for it – the most recent project is always Axel’s proudest moment. Highlights include his collection with Pradier-Jeauneau; an exhibition in Paris titled ‘Bains de Mars’ (a linguistic play on words linking Marseille, the Roman god Mars and the month of March); and, before that, a collaboration with Monoprix.
Right now, he says, ‘I’m finalising a collaboration with a sunglasses brand from Marseille called Waiting For The Sun, and some very cool projects that I cannot speak about!’
Often his own client, Axel creates to please himself. ‘Everything I do is to make me feel happy and proud,’ he declares. ‘My tastes change, for sure, but everything I create is something I would like to have in my home.’
Determined to avoid being pigeonholed, he claims no grand vision drives him – a freeing attitude that allows him infinite space to evolve. ‘I like strong designs that differ from others. I want to make timeless pieces that cross decades and trends. I am happy when people don’t understand if it is a vintage or contemporary piece. I don’t stand for anything, except having fun and enjoying music, life and my job.’ axelchay.com
