British Vogue: HOME FREE

Deep in the Luberon, novelist ALICE NELSON is writing the next chapter in LA GONETTE’s storied visitors’ book, reimagining Robert Kime’s CHATEAU in creative new ways

Novelist Alice Nelson first met Robert Kime in 2021, when she approached the antiques connoisseur’s studio about redecorating her home in the Vaucluse in France – although “decorating”, she reflects now, is “an insufficient word” to describe Kime’s masterly approach to interior design. Rather, she says, he told “stories through objects” at addresses ranging from King Charles III’s Highgrove to Daphne Guinness’s various English properties, the Duke of Beaufort’s Badminton Estate to – most pertinently – La Gonette, his own summer house among the medieval castles and lavender fields of the Luberon. When Kime bought the latter, a 17th century chateau nicknamed the “sleeping princess”, in the ’90s, it was in a state of disrepair after a fire decades earlier and he promptly set about restoring its burnt-out shell with the help of architect Mary-Lou Arscott. Their shared goal: to honour the architectural vernacular of Haute-Provence at every turn, from the entryway’s cantilevered staircase to the scullery’s ancient stone sink, with Kime filling the finished rooms with an eclectic mix of Mughal panels and Uzbek cushions, Iznik pottery and Ushak carpets. “It was an absolute feeling of enchantment,” Nelson recalls of the first time she crossed its threshold, “as if I had stepped into some extraordinary realm.”

And so, when Kime passed away in 2022, she made the “mad decision” to purchase La Gonette herself and turn it into a guest house where the rooms give out onto beds of wild irises and tree peonies, the breakfasts revolve around brown-butter madeleines and Provençal peaches, and the décor includes Arts & Crafts furniture and Murano chandeliers. In the interests of keeping La Gonette as much of a shrine to Kime’s aesthetic as possible, Nelson even bought back many of his treasures at auction, before importing further textiles and trinkets from his archives and warehouses in Newbury.

Those keen to while away their time at the chateau reading among the Ottoman tapestries and taking steams in the pink granite hammam can reserve either one of the eight bedrooms or the entire villa, but to truly fall under La Gonette’s spell make a pilgrimage during one of its salons or retreats, which range in length from a day to a month. Back in June, Pulitzer Prizewinning author Michael Cunningham gave a talk among the ground’s centuries-old oaks, with The Hours author already confirmed to return in 2025 to give a workshop in fiction writing. And this autumn, local textile artist Aurore Pélisson offered natural silk dyeing workshops and ceramicist Yariv Yanira gave pottery classesvcwith foraged clays. “I would really love to see this as a place that’s recognised for creativity – as a place of connection,” says Nelson. “It’s a testament to Robert’s vision; we want La Gonette to be a place where people can come and be a part of his legacy.”