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Name: Alon and Betsy Kasha
Location: Normandy, France
Size: 2200 square feet
Years lived in: 5 years

We got a first look at Alon & Betsy's Beautiful Normandy Home last month and now we're back to see the rest of this stunning home. Alon and Betsy have a clean and classic style and, in renovating this classic French home, they brought that perspective to the space.

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Alon and Betsy are the clever and creative forces behind a+b kasha. The couple renovates old Parisian apartments in what they term "the art of the pied-a-terre". With years of experience designing and rehabbing classic Parisian apartments, Alon and Betsy had a clear plan for the renovation of this house in Normandy. The combination of light wood floors and white walls, not to mention plenty of windows, keeps this home looking bright and airy. The exposed beams, which could have weighed down the space if they had been a dark color, fit right in with their gray finish. Taken as a whole, this home is a wonderful juxtaposition of old and new.

Since Alon and Betsy weren't able to be on-site for the renovation of their home, as they usually are with the apartments they renovate, the job took longer than they had anticipated. (Although I would have loved to have seen the construction workers using the zip line they fashioned on the job site!) Judging by the finished product, it was well worth the wait.

Apartment Therapy Survey:

Our Style: Clean, comfortable, classic.

Inspiration: Evolutionary from our work designing Paris apartments.

Favorite Element: Betsy: We removed the wall between the living and the dining room, creating an open floor plan, which I love! Alon: The exposed beams on the second floor.

Biggest Challenge: Our contractor.

What Friends Say: Wow!

Biggest Embarrassment: During the construction, the workers were living on the property, and created a trash pile that grew and grew in the front yard to the horror of our neighbors. For entertainment, they also made a zip line from our bedroom window upstairs to the drive way.

Proudest DIY: The house! We changed everything.

Biggest Indulgence: The Cassina dining room table.

Best Advice: We do this everyday professionally with apartments in Paris. We visit all our job sites on a daily basis to keep on top of every detail. When we did this house for ourselves, we could not be there on a regular basis. As a result, the work took a lot longer than we hoped for, and was not without frustration and additional costs. Our best advice is to stay on top of your project. And keep it simple!

Dream Sources: The classic Parisian and French village flea markets.

Resources of Note:

PAINT & COLORS

    • The three whites are: skimming stone, stony ground and cornforth white - all by Farrow & Ball.

LIVING ROOM

    • Antique le Corbusier leather chairs
    • Cassina met sofa
    • Antique Mexican door coffee table
    • A 1930 prototype leather and metal club chair
    • Antique farm table
    • Green Thonet chairs (covered in Knoll fabric)
    • Antique Persian rug
    • Antique potters table
    • Round zinc covered dining table that was cut down to coffee table height from Conran Shop.
    • Lamp made of recycled materials by French artist
    • Large canvas over sofa created by us

DINING ROOM

    • Cassina table designed by Mario Bellini
    • Italian 1960's leather and chrome dining chairs
    • American 1960's plywood and steel liquor cabinet
    • Over head light by French lighting designer, made from silicon chip boards.

KITCHEN

    • Ikea white lack cabinets with ikea butcher block top and ikea farm sink.

BEDROOM

    • Le Corbusier chaise
    • Antique Chinese day bed with legs cut off
    • The head board is an old armoire door that we painted and hung
    • Caravane bedding
    • Seagrass area rug with antique Persian carpet on top
    • Antique trumeau mirror leaning on the wall

BATHROOM

    • Antique mirror, stool and hardware
    • Pozzi Ginori Montebianco sink
    • Jacob Delafon bathtub

FAMILY ROOM

    • Custom design table desk
    • Missoni rug
    • Thonet chairs
    • Plum sofa from Habitat

Thanks, Alon & Betsy!

Images: Alon and Betsy Kasha

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