A True Love Story Never Ends…

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There is a place tucked away in the South of France on a plateau hidden between the Pyrenees mountains that has captivated my imagination… it is called Chateau de Gudanes. The past two years I have run through her echoed halls, wondered her wild grounds and fallen asleep to dreams by candlelight. It was with great pleasure to create this video with Kevin Burg for the Waters family to bring to life the arrival of a new book about the Chateau so that we may all remember what it is like to believe in fairytales… 

See a behind the scenes of how we created and edited this here

Château de Gudanes

Château de Gudanes is an 18th-century neoclassical Château built on the ruins of a medieval castle nestled amongst the pyrenees in the Southwest of France and currently under restoration by the Waters family. Each summer they open the Château doors to a series of workshops from cooking in the cuisine, to floral design, restoration, and the art of the brocante (French antiquing). For two years now I have spent a a week each summer at the cooking workshops, first run by Julie Marr and most recently by Craig Likefelt where I learned my now go-to salad dressing, a very fruity take on gazpacho, and a seriously mind-blowing good omelette among so much more. 

Karina Waters, the visionary behind saving this abandoned chateau is the Alice in Wonderland guide to your stay and one of the most fascinating women to talk to. You can imagine, she being Australian and not completely fluent in French, how many endless stories she has facing the French bureaucracy, learning the rules of restoration on an historic chateau, the time the chateau caught on fire, surviving winter alone without modern heating, when she set off fireworks for Bastille Day and the police showed up, and on and on… and then in the most effortless mad hatter whim she puts together these magical dinner parties with over flowing champagne coups, classical music echoing throughout the chateau walls, the glow from the candles illuminating out of the open french windows into the night sky to the distant sound of laughter and cheers.

I’ll never forget seeing her drag a dead plum tree through the chateau into the music room to prop up on a table as a “tree of gratitude” where each dinner guest wrote what they were thankful for from the experience at the chateau and hung it on the beautifully bare branches for each of us to read. Or the time we had dinner in what once was the library and she pointed out that the mounted goat head set as decor on the banquet was the actual goat we were eating for dinner, killed and prepared by the local French women from the village below who beamed with pride from sharing their regional mountain traditional food.

Though France offers many exquisite Château experiences, this one is quite different. It’s raw.

I like to describe it as the outside is in and the inside is out. The chateau breathes with the mountains it is surrounded by, the cats and dog come and go as they please, as do the vines, and the wind and the rain, and the guests who are lucky enough to stay here for a brief untouchable moment in time. But what makes this place truly unique is that ninety percent of the chateau is without electricity. This means candle-lit dinners, candle-lit walks to your bedroom at night, falling asleep to the sounds of the old chateau shutters and trout steam below. It was in the purest sense of the word, magical. How does that work practically? The main chateau kitchen and its two adjoining rooms have both electricity set up with charging stations and wifi and a fourth room across the hall with electricity is a communal bathroom with 5 toilet rooms and three showrooms, not unlike an adult summer camp. The rest of the chateau is unwired. The rest of the chateau is candle lit romance.

What I love about this place is the layers of history caked on top of each other. Built on the ruins of a castle from the middle ages you can still run your hands over the natural stone from the earth they carved the original foundation from. No room in the castle is off limits giving you free range to explore and let your imagination ponder different ways of life throughout time. The center of the chateau is home to a petite chapel with a vaulted ceiling decorated by hand-painted gold stars shining on a midnight blue sky. Below the main floor is the medieval kitchen, torture chamber, jail, and slaughter rooms for the animals among other things. I even found a once functioning darkroom for photography. There was a library room, a music room for ballroom dancing, a champagne room they used to bring ice down from the mountain to put in the marble bowl for parties, and endless bedrooms, sitting rooms, terraces, and more. The attic is home to the bats which in my first year there liked to pay me nightly visits through my open bedroom window (I like to let in the cool, fresh mountain air) and circle around my room for a few minutes while I stayed motionless in bed with the antique monogrammed French linen sheets pulled up to my nose watching before swooping back out into the night sky. I LOVED it….

It was, and remains in my memories, a true fairytale.

Chateau wardrobe include designs by Brock CollectionKalita Official, Needle and Thread London, Three Graces London, Luxe Provence, Thierry ColsonSamuel Snider, Behida Dolic, Jacquemus, Rawson, Molly Goddard and Zimmerman with these French beauty products all carried to the Chateau in the Sweetheart collection by Steamline Luggage

Domaine des Hauts de Loire

Nestled quietly between the vineyards of the lush Loire Valley just two hours outside Paris is Domaine des Hauts de Loire. Once upon a time this historic Chateau functioned as a prestigious hunting lodge but has since been turned into a true tranquil escape made for a princess. From the swans to the sweeping forest surrounding the chateau it is the perfect place to be charmed by nature in the comfort of French luxury. The property has two restaurants on site, a formal gastronomic with one of the most spectacular meals I have had in France, and a modern day bistro serving updated twists on classic comfort food. Many of the vegetables come from the garden on the property or from local artisan purveyors. 

If you choose to venture outside the property you will find it is perfectly situated between some of the highlights of the Loire Valley such as the beautiful river crossing Chateau de Chenonceau and the world renowned modern art and sculpture collection of the The Chateau de Chaumont-sur-Loire

Perhaps though, the highlight for me was taking private French cooking lessons at the property with two Michelin star chef, Rémy Giraud, who runs both kitchens at the domaine. It was such a treat, such a special moment and I took away with me recipes I will create forever! You can see and learn the recipes I shared here

An easy escape from Paris by car or train for those seeking some nature and rest in France’s Garden of Eden. 

Villa La Coste

When I think of Provence I typically think of gorgeous old Chateaus framed at the end of arching tree lined entrances so you can imagine how curious I was when I heard about Villa La Coste, a brand new 28 suite luxury hotel developed by Patrick McKillen. The new resort sits on top of a hill overlooking the surrounding 600-acre estate, Chateau La Coste, which is a pubic destination with an esteemed art and architecture park set amongst organic vineyards, olive orchards, wine production and amazing new restaurants. 

I honestly did not know what to expect driving up. This was not the Provence I had envisioned… and what a wonderful surprise it became to discover. Winding through the vineyards up to the top of the hill, the sleek resort set into the surrounding landscape with its minimal design made from the natural materials of the region reminded me more of an Aman than a Provencal hotel. The room, OMG the room, was one of the top hotel rooms I’ve ever experienced. First, it feels like you have your very own petite house. You enter through your private fount yard (where I shot this) with an olive tree and wall of roses catching the first glimpses inside through the wall of windows. The interior is bathed in airy white furniture and linens, so chic and effortless looking that I feel as if they are redefining a new French look for the modern world. It was so beautiful I never wanted to leave… though I’ve been saying that a lot though recently. However, the main piece of art in this luxury art destination is not something created by man but the incredible panoramic view off your private terrace of the Luberon Natural Park. Watching the sunrise from bed through the floor to ceiling windows of this view was one of my greatest pleasures to date living in the South of France. 

I awoke with the light, took a walk through the vineyard below, spent the day photographing, drinking rosé and toasting to the new vision for Provence that is Villa La Coste

Practical information- This is a perfect destination for a honeymoon or special occasion especially considering the nightly rate. They have a pool, built in USB chargers throughout the room, and is an easy walk to all the restaurants, art, and activities of Chateau La Coste which the staff is more than happy to drive you to and from as well. However, if you can not stay overnight at the Villa La Coste, you can still enjoy the day at Chateau La Coste. They have a wine making tour and tasting (their sparkling rosé has since become our favorite drink of the summer!), an  art and architecture tour, musical performances as well as multiple restaurants to dine in. Most recently the South American chef Francis Mallmann opened his restaurant on the property bringing his signature Asado style of cooking over an open flame to the South of France. It was incredible… everything at La Coste is incredible. 

In post wearing a white linen dress by Reformation, cream handkerchief dress by DÔEN, and black button up dress by Mara Hoffman.

Chateau des Alpilles

Chateau des Alpilles is a historic chateau in the heart of Provence in the south of France. A family run property by three generations of women fills your soul with warmth as you drive up the tree lined entrance. It’s insanely beautiful. It’s perfectly French. It’s the kind of spot where you sit with a glass of rosé and listen to the sound of the birds, touch your fingers into the soft stream of water gliding into the beautiful stone pond, and watch the light dance through the ancient trees. It feels as if time stopped here. As if nothing bad could ever happen or has happened. The world is still a magical place, the roses are in bloom… this is the Provence I dreamed of. 

Practical information: It’s a boutique hotel with only a handful of rooms which I love because it keeps the place intimate, however, best to book in advance. You can choose from the main Chateau or there are multiple other historic buildings around the property they have converted into rooms. You can stay in the old Chapel or the building once used to bake the bread and do the laundry.  Even if you are not staying at the hotel consider coming for a meal. You can dine in one of their formal dining rooms under chandeliers or my favorite, outside with the beautiful light and view of the Chateau. You must make a reservation as they only seat around 75 persons for service but I highly recommend it. The food is incredible, especially their signature shrimp salad! Below wearing a chambray dress by Sea New York.

Click any image to see it full size! 

A Chateau in France

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I can’t say much about this place… it was a private residence and a bit of a mystery. We were invited to a dinner at a chateau in France to celebrate CHANEL’s new interpretation of their classic No. 5 perfume. A short drive from the rose fields of Grasse, we turned up a long winding old road, climbing up the side of a hill until we emerged on a plateau of walled gardens and ivy covered archways. It was magnificent. I was never able to find out who lived here or what the history was of this estate but perhaps I enjoy it more for what remains a mystery. It is in the not knowing that my imagination can run free… and you can guess, that’s a wonderful place to be.

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Ralph Lauren silk dress and heels, Maiyet blazer, Hourglass lips

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