The beautiful addresses of Marseille: The selection by Sophie Ferjani
Fer à Cheval takes you on a discovery of its most beautiful partner addresses thanks to its new series of exclusive interviews.
Concept store, large decoration store, historic hardware store… each address invites you to enjoy a unique and unusual shopping experience.
To start this new adventure, head to the first “La Selection by Sophie Ferjani” boutique in Marseille for colorful and local decorative inspirations!
How would you define this place?
The selection is in fact made up of two old shops connected by a passage. It's a place that had an incredible soul and that we knew how to preserve as much as possible (for example, we kept the front of the hardware store, renovated the same as that of the bookstore). The initial volumes have been preserved, but brought together to make a unique place, at the bottom of Le Panier, the oldest district of Marseille. Ten years before opening the store, I already knew that it would be called La Selection and that I would sell products that resemble me, that I could have at home. I work as a family with my husband, and we define ourselves as a family decoration concept store , where you will find my selection of decoration , well-being and furniture products, to adopt “the Marseille lifestyle according to Sophie”! It's a place where it's good to stroll with family, get inspired, and even have a coffee. Here we like to welcome you as our friends.
What makes your store unique?
There are no saleswomen here! They are interior architects, scenographers or decorators. At La Selection, we do not seek to sell at all costs, but rather to advise our customers , and this is really what makes us unique compared to other stores. We have a passion for decor , and love creating worlds more than anything. Our customers come to the store to have a good time, to have an experience. We do not offer all the products, and the selection evolves according to my inspirations , my discoveries and my desires. Three years ago, we also launched an online store , which offers an experience complementary to that of the physical store. Every month, we launch a capsule collection on a dedicated theme (Miami, neo-western, indigo, etc.), to decipher a major trend or highlight a color. Each time, we bring in a local artist or brand , to further promote our Marseille identity and our roots in the South every day.
If your store were to be a smell, a material, a landscape, a sound... What would the picture be?
It would be the story of my grandmother Madeleine , who had a grocery store in my native village. I imagined The Selection taking into account my childhood memories : I like the idea of the parquet floor creaking like in grandma's attic, then I hear the sound of her heels clicking on the tiles in our space kitchen, I smell the Marseille Fer à Cheval soap which immediately takes us back to childhood , like in the cartoon Ratatouille. I open a creaky cupboard, in which, as a child, I found all of my grandmother's hidden treasures, I see again the jars displayed in the kitchen on the open shelves, the terracotta candy box from which a harlequin candy was stolen … all that is the DNA of La Selection. In summary, The selection is my (grandma) Proust’s madeleine!
What is the next event not to be missed?
We create meetings regularly with our customers, whether in store or online. The capsule collections change every month, and our selection of products and brands evolves very regularly in store. We welcome new products every week , so don't hesitate to come back and see us regularly to discover our new products and trends! You must of course come and discover my own textile collection “Marseille je t’aime” and “La bonne Mère” , as well as my Sophie Ferjani paintings, whose colors change with the seasons.
Your three favorite Fer à Cheval products?
For the mother that I am: the super effective stain remover stick.
For the decorator : the soap dish and cicada soap box made in collaboration with Monochromic.
For the indoor and outdoor woman : black soap, to clean everything in the house and fight against the invasion of aphids on plants!
Find our partner store at:
45, rue de la République, 13002 Marseille
Open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
0491190409
Online store: https://la-selection.fr/
Also discover Conception, Sophie Ferjani's interior architecture firm located at 43, rue de la République. We offer a two-hour consulting package and a package for complete architectural projects. Our materials showroom is open without appointment from Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
https://la-selection.fr/pages/architecture-interieure
Photo credit featured image Baligh and Sophie: Yann Lacombe