Château de la Colle Noire, the summer estate of the late French fashion designer Christian Dior, has been restored to its former glory.

In September 2015, the House of Chanel proudly announced that it had re-acquired “La Pausa”, the beautiful villa overlooking Cap Martin that “mademoiselle” had specially designed, built and decorated for her. Now, less than a year later, it is the House of Dior’s turn to celebrate the purchase and restoration of the Château de la Colle Noire, the summer estate its creator owned in Montauroux.

Located near Grasse, the splendid property set on several hundred hectares, is where the French couturier found the inspiration to craft some of his most famous fragrances (miss Dior, Diorssimo, Eau Sauvage).

It is in 1951, while at the height of his career, that Christian Dior began restoring the 12,900 square foot château, creating his “haven of peace”. There, he wrote his autobiography, Dior by Dior, entertained famous friends such as March Chagall, and planted olive trees, vines and a large array of fragrant flowers, from roses and jasmine, to lily-of-the-valley and lavender in the grandiose garden he designed.

Sadly, the place was sold shortly after the fashion legend’s death in 1957 and changed hands many times in the following decades. It even hosted rock band Oasis as they recorded their album “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants” in 1999, and was purchased back by Christian Dior Parfums in 2013.

After nearly three years of works conducted with the aid of landscape designers, Dior’s cherished residence and garden have been given a new lease of life, and have even inspired the latest fragrance launched by the fashion house, “La Colle Noire”, last May.

Bearing the name of the 19th century Provençal château and created by perfumer François Demachy, a Cannes native whose laboratory is located nearby at the Fontaines Parfumées, La Colle Noire scent is a contemporary rose perfume which, according to the “nez” himself  “conveys all the raw and sun-drenched beauty of this region in the south of France”.

Interestingly enough, La Colle Noire is the second fragrance inspired by the stunning estate, following on from Eau Noire which was created by perfumer Francis Kurkdjian, and released in 2004.

CONTACT DETAILS
Château de la Colle Noire
220 Route de Draguignan
83440 Montauroux

Lead image of Château de la Colle Noire by Dandine — Travail personnel, CC BY-SA 3.0; other images courtesy Dior