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Marissa Cox is known for sharing snippets of her life as a British transplant living in Paris, France, on her Instagram, @ruerodier. While that sounds pretty glamorous, Cox isn’t afraid to keep it real when it comes to actually buying a home in the capital. She and her partner Victor, an art director, started looking into buying a place in the city back in 2022, but the steep property prices quickly put a damper on their plans (a mortgage would have cost three times as much as their current rent). The couple pivoted and began looking at places further afield with the idea to get a small home they could go to on weekends, but also rent out.
The couple eventually landed on Rouen, a charming and historic city in Normandy which is just over an hour by train from Paris. After four months of viewings, they lucked out on a 150-year-old, one-bed apartment in need of modernization. Cox, who also runs an interior design studio, was keen for a project. “What I’ve noticed is that with a lot of French renovations, all the original features have been stripped out,” she says. “The idea was to give this space an interior more in keeping with its age and bones.”
What the 420 square foot space lacked in room it made up for in original beams throughout. Cox’s vision was to channel the vibe of a cozy boutique hotel, something a lot of the Airbnbs in Rouen appeared to be missing. The pair went another step further than most hosts: they made the rental, now dubbed Madame Capitaine, completely shoppable. No, you can’t just walk away with a Nordic Knots rug after your visit but you can browse the catalogue that Victor curated and look up everything from the paint color in the bedroom to the sofa bed. Cox’s plans lend a clever showroom aspect to the apartment, except there’s nothing remotely precious about it. Ahead, she talks us through every considered design decision.
The kitchen was previously a cupboard. There had been a sink and two burners but the fridge was randomly positioned in the living room behind a makeshift bar. Making enough room to house all the essentials was key—and our biggest challenge. In the end we moved the wall between this nook and the bathroom to create more space. We also reduced the depth of the cupboards by four inches on the left-hand side so that there would be enough room between the two counters. The sink is mini—I was calculating down to the minutia, but it works!
The kitchen cupboards are from IKEA, but elevated with door fronts from Plum Living. | Cabinet Fronts, Plum Living; Sockets and Switches, Fonitini.
The wiggly wooden handles recall the shape of the rattan mirror above the fireplace. | Wall Paint, School House White by Farrow & Ball; Faucet, Margot.
The living room, dining area, and kitchen are all painted the same neutral color to make everywhere feel more cohesive. I tested out a few shades because the apartment doesn’t get a huge amount of natural light, it needed to be warm and creamy. School House White from Farrow & Ball came out the best. | Quilt, Toast; Sofa Bed, Kipli; Curtains, Gotain.
The seating area was missing a focal point, so we brought a vintage marble surround that we found in Paris and had the builder create a chimney breast. Creating a void under the fireplace gives the idea that maybe there once upon a time was a burning fire there.
I can spend hours trawling through vintage sites such as Selency and Etsy for unique artworks and decorative objects. When I travel I’ll pick up things, too. The south of France is great for brocantes.
Reducing the footprint of the bathroom to enlarge the kitchen meant we had to sacrifice the bathtub. But it means we now have a decent-sized walk-in shower. I sourced the tapware from Margot, a premium French brand that supplies taps and shower columns to luxury hotels. | Wall Paint, Calamine by Farrow & Ball; Faucet, Margot.
We had to change the original staircase up to the bedroom because it felt like climbing a ladder—it was so rickety and steep. We explored the made-to-measure route but we were quoted thousands of euros. Victor eventually landed on a prefabricated one with a turn which we had our builder install. We tried staining it the same color as the beams, but it just didn’t come out right. Victor then had to go back and paint it off-white, and I wasn’t able to help because I was pregnant at the time and the product was quite toxic!
I wanted there to be a surprise element when guests climbed the stairs to the bedroom, kind of like they were sleeping in the sky! Lulworth Blue from Farrow & Ball is a beautifully bright but powdery blue that makes the bedroom feel very cozy. I drenched it across everything for a cocooning feel. | Paint, Lulworth Blue by Farrow & Ball; Blanket, Toast; Bedside Table, Talka Decor; Rug, Nordic Knots.
There was no storage in the apartment, so we had built-in cupboards made for the bedroom and painted them the same color as the walls and ceilings so it’s as if they disappear into the walls. | Tissue Box Cover, Alice Palmer & Co..
Olivia Lidbury is a freelance writer based in the U.K. She has been regularly contributing to Domino since 2021, pitching charming British houses, whimsical apartments and must-see vacation stays. Olivia also regularly writes for a number of national U.K. titles such as The Times and The Sunday Times Style magazine. She lives just outside of London in Kent.