How One Designer Breathes New Life into an Old House

Designer Catherine Ireland was born in Great Britain, lives in Los Angeles, but spends her holidays in France. One summer she received a call from clients in Texas asking her to find a local designer willing to work on the interior of an old house in Normandy, which was beautiful but somewhat neglected.

Catherine quickly convinced them to entrust this order to her instead of some unknown Frenchman. Indeed, who could better balance French casualness and charm with American comfort than an American who a few years earlier also bought a house on the continent and made it as convenient for modern life as possible?

The new owners fully trusted Catherine and hoped that she would update the house while preserving its rural, unpretentious atmosphere. But to make the house feel comfortable and welcoming, many things had to change.

First of all, there was a catastrophic shortage of bathrooms, and the kitchen was in a deplorable state. The attic could easily be converted into another bedroom. Catherine received carte blanche on all changes she deemed necessary, and soon the house acquired its current appearance.

In the living room, it was only necessary to slightly restore the beautiful oak paneling, arrange a few antique items purchased at local flea markets, bring chairs and a deep sofa from across the ocean.

Catherine redecorated the bedrooms using fabrics custom-made according to her sketches. The brand new room, appearing under the roof beam in the attic, received its own bathroom, which added charm to the high ceiling with an exposed beam and a bathtub "on paws." As Catherine admits, the hardest part was finding bathroom vanities that matched the style. But now no American guest doubts that everything in this house has been like this for a hundred years.