French practice Bertrand Guillon Architecture has made the most of extra height at the front of this shop in Marseille when transforming the interior into an épicerie (+ slideshow).
Located on the French city's Vieux Port waterfront, the La Sartine delicatessen, cafe and caterer is on the ground floor of a typical Hausmannian building with a double-height entrance.

The team reconstructed a mezzanine floor to fit the company's culinary studio, expanding the total floor space to 55 square metres.
As well as maximising space, they were eager to create an "innovative and punchy" concept that distanced La Sartine from the traditional Provencal food shop.

"From the first sketches, the owners and the architect agreed that it should be proposed to the customers something different from the outdated Provence grocery store," said the practice's founder, Bertrand Guillon. "Goodbye was said to the sideboards and buffets, cerused wood and chicken wire often commonly used in the past."

Instead, Bertrand Guillon Architecture created clean lines using custom-made structures in steel and oak.

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The completed interior includes a kitchen, retail space, an office, a culinary studio and a bathroom. Cafe tables are situated outside on the front terrace, overlooking the Vieux Port harbour.

The shopfront has previously housed a marine optics retailer, and the archite...