Houzz Tour: Simple Scandinavian Style in an Old Parisian Apartment
Scandinavian style and simplicity characterise this elegant and understated Paris home
All the elegance of this apartment stems from the simplicity of its design in white and pale wood. It’s sober, efficient and delicate.
In order to restore the old apartment they had just purchased to its former glory, an American family called on Alon and Betsy Kasha, a duo of architects known for renovating pieds-à-terre. ‘They wanted the apartment renovated in a Scandinavian style,’ Alon explains. ‘They were looking for white, space and lots of light, so we pulled out all the stops to fulfil their wishes, searching for the right balance between modernising and respecting a classic interior.’
The architects completely restructured the pied-à-terre before whitening the floors and ceilings and making discreet additions. ‘A beautiful apartment is the sum of its details,’ says Alon. ‘You don’t necessarily notice them at first glance, and you don’t know why it’s beautiful. But it is.’
In order to restore the old apartment they had just purchased to its former glory, an American family called on Alon and Betsy Kasha, a duo of architects known for renovating pieds-à-terre. ‘They wanted the apartment renovated in a Scandinavian style,’ Alon explains. ‘They were looking for white, space and lots of light, so we pulled out all the stops to fulfil their wishes, searching for the right balance between modernising and respecting a classic interior.’
The architects completely restructured the pied-à-terre before whitening the floors and ceilings and making discreet additions. ‘A beautiful apartment is the sum of its details,’ says Alon. ‘You don’t necessarily notice them at first glance, and you don’t know why it’s beautiful. But it is.’
At first, despite its location in a very pretty building, this apartment ‘was really in a deplorable state’, says Alon. And all its best features were damaged and hidden under layers of paint, including the cornices, which Alon and Betsy restored, because reviving the spirit of the place was important to the new owners. ‘We had to make some new links before sanding them down and repainting them.’ They were repainted in white, obviously –the dominant colour in this project.
Fans of French gastronomy, the couple that bought this apartment love going to the best shops in Paris for good-quality products. They therefore needed a functional, fully equipped kitchen that was also discreet, as it needed to be completely open to the dining room. The room is entirely white and only three metres long. The refrigerator and the cooker hood disappear into the white kitchen furnishings, so as not to disrupt the pure aesthetic of the room as a whole.
On the decorative side of things, Scandinavian style is honoured again with a white Saarinen table and pale wood chairs found at Scandinavia Design.
Tulip table by Eero Saarinen, Knoll. Nerd chairs by David Geckeler, Muuto,
On the decorative side of things, Scandinavian style is honoured again with a white Saarinen table and pale wood chairs found at Scandinavia Design.
Tulip table by Eero Saarinen, Knoll. Nerd chairs by David Geckeler, Muuto,
Clean lines and 1950s Scandinavian style define this built-in unit. In all white, it adds subtle detail to the dining area of the living room. It’s also functional – tall shelves allow crockery to be displayed.
Meanwhile, things that don’t belong on display are stored in the lower cupboards. ‘My wife and I like to put these elements on display,’ Alon explains. ‘This allowed us to lighten the piece of furniture.’
Browse more crisp white schemes
Meanwhile, things that don’t belong on display are stored in the lower cupboards. ‘My wife and I like to put these elements on display,’ Alon explains. ‘This allowed us to lighten the piece of furniture.’
Browse more crisp white schemes
The family decided to put out crockery that was mostly white and as simple as the display unit itself – a choice that reflects their desire to stick closely to Nordic style.
Check out more Scandinavian style
Check out more Scandinavian style
The living room joins directly onto the dining room. It is full of colour, from the blue Le Corbusier armchair to the orange cushions on a grey sofa. It’s a more lively, joyful and convivial space, where the small family enjoy coming together after their Parisian escapades.
‘As the pre-existing floor was very warped and the floorboards were in bad condition, we redid everything,’ explains Alon. ‘We laid down a new surface and covered it with with new herringbone floorboards. Usually, Betsy and I prefer to use old boards, but here we wanted new ones for a very pure feel.’
With water-based varnish, these new boards in classic oak stay very light in colour, fitting in with the atmosphere the family were hoping for.
‘As the pre-existing floor was very warped and the floorboards were in bad condition, we redid everything,’ explains Alon. ‘We laid down a new surface and covered it with with new herringbone floorboards. Usually, Betsy and I prefer to use old boards, but here we wanted new ones for a very pure feel.’
With water-based varnish, these new boards in classic oak stay very light in colour, fitting in with the atmosphere the family were hoping for.
In the master bedroom, the idea was to create a delicate little cocoon. The décor is simple, with three built-in shelves set into the wall. The soft furnishings are based around the use of linen, for the bed as well as the curtains. ‘The linen headboard goes with the bed linen we chose from Caravane,’ says Alon. The result is a very calming room where you can easily imagine finishing a good book or having a relaxing morning.
The small bedroom, intended for the daughter of the family, took the place of an old bathroom. It is adjacent to the apartment and accessible through a service door. White-stained floorboards, white walls and furniture make the small room feel large.
‘This teenager was only 14 years old, but she already had a good eye and knew what she wanted,’ says Alon. ‘She asked for a small desk, storage under her bed and a shelf running along the wall. We loved her ideas and set to work to put them into practice.’
Three drawers are integrated into the base of this custom-made bed. The mattress was also made to measure, because the architects couldn’t find one the right size. The desk, fixed to the wall, was made from one half of a larger table; the other half is in the master bedroom, so every member of the family benefits from a desk in their room.
‘This teenager was only 14 years old, but she already had a good eye and knew what she wanted,’ says Alon. ‘She asked for a small desk, storage under her bed and a shelf running along the wall. We loved her ideas and set to work to put them into practice.’
Three drawers are integrated into the base of this custom-made bed. The mattress was also made to measure, because the architects couldn’t find one the right size. The desk, fixed to the wall, was made from one half of a larger table; the other half is in the master bedroom, so every member of the family benefits from a desk in their room.
The old kitchen was transformed into a bathroom. At the end of the bathroom is the door that leads to the daughter’s room. This new configuration allows both parents and daughter to have their own access to the bathroom. As in the rest of this pied-à-terre, the bathroom is mostly white and highly functional.
‘We had the old woodwork restored and installed double glazing, but we had to keep the home’s historical elements,’ say the architects.
The front hallway was tiny, but the family still wanted a corner where they could take off their shoes and hang up their coats. The architects simply put a black stool by the wall under a black version of the famous Hang It All coat rack by Charles and Ray Eames.
The apartment was entirely restructured and is much more open that before and seems much more spacious. Only the living room has kept its original location, but now it opens onto the kitchen-diner.
TELL US…
What do you like about this Parisian apartment? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
What do you like about this Parisian apartment? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Who lives here A family of three
Location Paris, France
Date of project 2012
Size 55 sq m plus the 5 sq m of the little adjoining bedroom
Architects Alon and Betsy Kasha of A+B Kasha Designs
Budget €3000 per sq m
That’s interesting Alon says, ‘We wanted to change the passage between the bedroom and bathroom, but couldn’t because the beams of a load-bearing wall had been damaged by a tiny leak, which must have been there for a hundred years!’
‘You shouldn’t be afraid of entirely white spaces, as you can play with several shades to give depth. Here, there are three kinds of white: on the walls, the ceiling and the panelling,’ Alon says.