Interior designers Carla Romano and Nicolas Cazenave de la Roche have established Bétyle Studio in Marseille and revealed their first residential project - a hybrid living space that functions as both an office and guest room. The duo, both under 30, met at École Bleue in Paris, a school specializing in interior architecture and design professions, and began collaborating on projects including a podcast before founding their interior design agency.
The intriguing name "Bétyle" refers to a sacred stone from antiquity extracted from meteorites. "There's a legend that says when you rest your head on a bétyle stone, you receive a shower of ancient stories," the duo explains. Originally, the young students chose this term to name their podcast, a project developed during their training with Nicolas's mother. Each episode presented reflections on the careers of icons like Gio Ponti and Jean-Michel Frank. They temporarily set aside this activity to focus entirely on creating their interior design agency.
For their debut residential project, Carla and Nicolas received complete creative freedom to design a 43-square-meter hybrid space serving as both office and guest room. "We were lucky to work with a client who trusted us completely. This is a custom project - nothing is standard. We were able to design everything, even the handles and curtain rods. It's very educational, and it allowed us to establish our positioning and style," the interior designers observe.
Inspired by Nicolas's father's profession as a maritime archaeologist, the couple enjoys researching the memory of places to perpetuate their history. This particular space is a former agricultural outbuilding from 1820. Without the possibility of creating new openings that would have damaged the building's structure, Carla and Nicolas focused on bringing light into the different spaces. They completely demolished the partitions to create an internal skeleton, inspired by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House.
To allow light circulation, they worked with a carpenter named Aurélien Palomino, who brought to life a partition furniture piece enhanced with sandblasted glass blocks. This technique evokes Pierre Chareau's Maison de Verre, which the duo visited a few years ago. This creation also allowed them to conceal storage spaces. Wood extends throughout the project, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of a boat. The walls are dressed in okoumé panels, a tropical wood species.
The interior designers also developed a taste for marquetry, a technique used to create celestial illustrations on the bed. This universe around stars and cosmos represents one of the pillars of the identity they wish to continue exploring. To bring references related to the agricultural building's history, Carla and Nicolas turned to a metalworker to craft a stainless steel sink in the bedroom, fashioned like a manger.
To complete this project composed down to the smallest details, the studio sourced vintage furniture and pieces from Memòri and Objets Inanimés galleries, both located in Marseille. "The furniture wasn't a final touch added at the end of the project - it was conceived from the beginning. We wanted it to resonate with the place," the interior designers specify. The space features carefully curated pieces including a Kasbah wall sconce by Houda El Oman from Memòri Studio, a glass and stainless steel desk from Memòri Gallery, Steve Lombardi wall sconces for Artemide, and vintage forged iron stools enhanced with custom fabric skirts by Bétyle Studio.
The bedroom showcases custom nightstands by Bétyle Studio, vintage 1960s brass and mother-of-pearl sconces, staff wall sconces by Bétyle Studio, and a custom stainless steel sink created by a metalworker. Additional furnishings include a pine and leather armchair by Heinz Witthoeft from Memòri Gallery, a stoneware vase by Luc Rolland from Galerie Jaïs, a Lavinia lamp by Masayuki Kurokawa for Artemide from Memòri Gallery, and a glass chandelier by Marco de Gueltzl from Memòri Gallery.
They also reveal the first prototype of a lighting and furniture collection coming in early 2026. The pendant light named Boscaina originates from a previous Bétyle Studio project that didn't come to fruition. "We applied to the Design Parade Hyères festival. Our project wasn't selected, but we loved working on it around naval architecture. We worked around the Boscaina ship, stranded in the bay of Saint-Florent, Corsica. This reflection led us to develop furniture, including this lamp. The entire collection is produced in collaboration with Aurélien Palomino," the two designers explain.
After this first residential project that spanned six months, Carla and Nicolas are currently working on decorating a Parisian restaurant, scheduled to open by fall. The project features a marquetry wooden bed created by Bétyle Studio in collaboration with Marseille-based carpenter Aurélien Palomino, and the Boscaina pendant light in resin and stainless steel, designed by Bétyle Studio. This emerging duo represents a promising new voice in French interior design that merits close attention.
