In the wild with Dior's Cordelia de Castellane
Born and raised in Paris, Cordelia de Castellane, the creative director of Dior Maison, has found herself a sanctuary on the exuberant wildflower farm nestled in the countryside behind the French manor that she calls home. It is here, alongside her husband and four children, that she feels most like herself. Her easygoing, free-spirited nature is seamlessly woven into the joyful interiors she creates.
“‘I push myself to explore things that don’t naturally appeal to me, like attending exhibitions by artists I’m not a fan of, but whose perspective I want to understand’”
Walking up to Cordelia de Castellane's stately manor along a long path flanked by two-hundred-year-old trees, you immediately sense that you’re about to step into something extraordinary. Entering her home, with its vintage floral charm, feels like walking into Cordelia’s creative mind, offering a glimpse into her whimsical inner world. Her design influences and passions – flowers, naturally – are seamlessly woven together with her aristocratic heritage, steeped in a rich family history of fashion and design, and her laissez-faire lifestyle, signaled by the rubber wellies casually placed by the door. Every corner of the house tells a story, from the grand gestures to the tiniest details.
Cordelia splits her time between Paris and her countryside retreat just north of the city. Though a true Parisian by birth, she doesn’t particularly miss the city when she’s away. ‘Paris has its appeal, no doubt. But I’m not as attached to my apartment there as I am to my place in the French countryside or the Swiss mountains, where I also spent part of my childhood.’ Her sanctuary is here, in nature, where she begins her day at seven in the morning, spending two hours tending to her flower garden before joining her family for breakfast. ‘This is where I find my inspiration, where I feel most myself, and where I can truly create. Paris is where I go because I need to, and my home there reflects that—it’s more practical and minimalist.’ Minimalist by de Castellane’s standards, of course, for even in her city home, she embraces decorative patterns and vibrant color.
It was love at first sight when Cordelia first discovered the idyllic estate in the French town of Oise, with its roots tracing back to the fifteenth century. ‘We’ve always loved the countryside – my husband is an avid golfer, and I’m passionate about riding – but there was something about this place that felt like it was calling to me,’ she recalls. Initially, they rented a cottage on the property for weekend getaways. Over the years, as the friends who owned the estate spent more time abroad, Cordelia offered to look after the garden, which quickly became her passion project. Gradually, this place transformed into something far more meaningful.
Her father, a frequent visitor, noticed how much his daughter blossomed there and once suggested they consider buying the property. When he passed away, and the estate went up for sale just a week later, Cordelia couldn’t ignore the serendipity. It felt like a sign, and she jumped at the chance to purchase the house and make it her own.
Two years ago, she began her flower farm on the property, fulfilling a lifelong dream. ‘I’ve always gardened with my grandmother, so that’s where my love for it started. When we moved into the house, I took on the garden, redesigning and landscaping it entirely, including a vegetable garden.’ She learned from podcasts and Instagram, where she discovered the talented landscape architect Milan Hajsinek from London. They exchanged tips via DM, and she eventually enlisted his help. At the front of the house, she created what she calls a ‘French garden.’ By the entrance stands a classic French dovecote, which she uses to dry flowers and store seeds. The symmetrical, square lawn is bordered with large boxwood spheres, lending it an elegant yet simple look.
Behind the house, a quintessentially English flower garden unfolds, featuring a long grassy pathway, David Austin roses in shades of pink, cream, and apricot, interspersed with conical shapes, mounds, and a blend of neatly trimmed and wilder plants. At the centre stands a striking greenhouse in a vibrant blue-green hue, the pièce de résistance. Inside the country house, the floral theme continues with botanical wallpapers and curtains, hand-painted porcelain and ceramics adorned with various flora, landscape paintings, and botanical miniatures. In the sitting room, all the furniture is upholstered in floral print textiles by Emanuel Ungaro for Etro. Alongside her own mother, who was a painter and sculptor, the creative director cites Emanuel Ungaro’s wife, Laura, as one of her major decorative influences – especially for her fearless approach to mixing patterns without striving for conventional perfection.
As a visitor, you are constantly enchanted, yet the interior also exudes a sense of harmony, personality, and warmth. In fact, this free-spirited attitude is a hallmark of her design style: ‘I don’t want everything to appear overly styled; it should feel natural, unforced, and organic.’ She prefers to work intuitively, often leaving the final touches and placements to be decided at the last moment. ‘Recently, I was asked for a Dior presentation: which glassware do you want for this or that table? I simply replied, “Don’t worry, I’ll decide on the spot.” And that always works best.’ This spontaneous method is particularly well-suited to her charming country house. ‘I might establish a colour scheme for each room, and then it’s all about playing around and experimenting. The furniture is a blend of brocante finds, antiques, and many family heirlooms, including the exquisitely dressed lady figurines I inherited from my grandmother. In fact, it was my fascination with these figurines at the age of four that sparked my desire to enter the world of fashion! They currently reside in my living room, but who knows for how long – I’m never afraid to rearrange things.’
From a young age, De Castellane was surrounded by art and beauty, leaving a lasting imprint on her. The daughter of a French-Spanish father and a Greek mother, she was encouraged by her mother and grandmother to observe, to truly see the spectacular world unfolding around her, absorbing everything like a sponge and training her eye. 'As a child, I didn’t watch TV. As a little girl, I accompanied my grandmother to museums, operas, dance performances, and flea markets. That has never changed. I’m very curious, which helps as well. I push myself to look, even at things that don’t naturally appeal to me. For example, I’ll attend exhibitions by artists I’m not necessarily a fan of, but whose perspective and work I want to understand. For me, it’s like history: you can read a few chapters, but you need to read the whole book to truly understand it.' She firmly adds, 'I want to learn something new every day,' and her extensive research is indeed the largest part of her design process.
At the age of thirteen, she was already spending time in the ateliers of Chanel, where her uncle, Gilles Dufour, was Karl Lagerfeld’s right-hand man. By sixteen, she had started working herself, learning all the tricks of the trade with fashion legends Emanuel Ungaro and Giambattista Valli. She then launched her own highly successful children's clothing line before being invited by Dior to design for their children's collection, eventually leading to her prestigious role as artistic director for Dior Maison.
While designing the garden, the desire to have an abundance of flowers at hand also blossomed. Flowers she could cut herself for photography and inspiration, as well as for flower arranging and decorating during dinner parties and picnics in her own backyard. When it comes to the art of hosting, for De Castellane, the key lies in prioritizing your guests and leaving them happy. ‘It’s not about outdoing yourself with the most extravagant tablescape. It’s about the gesture, the care that goes into it. And considering each guest you invite, knowing what they like to eat, see, or smell, and catering to that.’
Additionally, she expands her knowledge of local biodiversity through her flower cultivation. ‘I started collecting rare flower bulbs – countless varieties of tulips, irises, dahlias.’ Under her loving care, the plants flourished, and she gifted the surplus flowers to the villagers.
Then she thought, why not open a flower shop in Paris? Bringing a piece of her countryside life, a part of herself, to the city. This idea gave birth to Cordelia Coffee flower shop on Rue du Bac in the 7th arrondissement, with a café nook on the upper floor. ‘I love having coffee here, surrounded by my flowers and my collection of books from the library and Musée des Archives.’
She holds up a book by Mr. Dior, her great muse. 'I’ve been working for Dior for thirteen years, so I know his story inside and out. Over the weekend, I pruned all the roses, and the entire air filled with that sweet, floral rose scent. Mr. Dior’s youngest sister, Ginette (nickname: Catherine) Dior, would have absolutely loved that. She also grew her own roses, and she even had a few unique varieties that I would love to get my hands on.' When Cordelia talks about the Dior family, it’s as if she’s speaking about her own relatives, and that personal connection also fuels her work for the legendary French fashion house.
Mr. Dior is like a dear friend who supports her in both creativity and business. Both Madame De Castellane and Monsieur Dior are independent spirits with Aquarius as their sun sign, spiritual – 'I trust my gut feeling' – yet they keep both feet firmly planted on the ground. 'It’s all about balance, and about safeguarding your creativity because it’s very fragile.' She elaborates: 'I believe you can train your creativity, like a muscle, just like in tennis. But it also comes from above, from the mind, and you can’t keep going endlessly and relentlessly. As a creative, you need to take breaks so you don’t burn out. And you shouldn’t worry too much about what others think of you because that’s merely draining.’
How does she view the future of creativity and artificial intelligence? She approaches it boldly. 'I’ve been working with it for a few years now,' she elaborates. 'It’s quite interesting and can spark ideas – just like Pinterest can inspire you. It’s here, so we might as well collaborate with it. Catch the first train so you’re in first class, instead of missing the train entirely. But ultimately, AI remixes what already exists, and to truly create something new, you need people.'
The main house, spread over three floors, features six bedrooms and six bathrooms. De Castellane’s favourite room is her bedroom – 'in every house I live in, really; I love sitting on the edge of the bed sketching' – featuring a 19th-century Italian bed dressed with a blanket from the French brand Simrane, known for its traditional, handcrafted block print textiles. And the kitchen, with its cosy, slightly cluttered breakfast corner, where the family gathers for dinner every evening. Very ‘un-French of us,’ according to Cordelia, but the official dining room is rarely used.
When she first received the keys to the house, she decided on a renovation. However, the focus was primarily on restoring the original, historical elements with the help of skilled craftsmen. 'Beautiful floors, beautiful doors, it was all already here. We just want to keep the house, a former church where priests once lived, in good shape. Plus, we’re taking it one step at a time. The garden has small, centuries-old towers, and we’re only now restoring all the roofs.' During this renovation, she accidentally discovered more about the flamboyant former owner of the house. Cordelia explains: 'One day, my son – who, yes, has to climb on everything in sight – climbed to the top of an arcade and found all these letters with initials. We did some research and found out that Primrose Bordier, a well-known textile and furniture designer, once lived here. She designed and created everything in this house, mostly with floral prints. It’s funny because our styles have a lot in common. I’ve delved into her archives, and she was really big in the 1970s.'
It almost seems as if the two designers, separated by generations, were destined to find each other. Perhaps this is one of the many reasons Cordelia feels so perfectly in her element in her pastoral abode.
