a hotel worth its weight in art
At Château La Coste, guests aren't just checking in—they're stepping into a visceral experience of buildings, food, wines and pioneering installations.
When you arrive, Luberon National Park's lavender perfumes the plot, and you’ll soon find a chilled glass of Château La Coste in hand. Unlike the usual formalities of French five-star hotels, provocative artworks and bespoke architectural buildings give this hotel avant-garde flair. Guests are encouraged to wander the exhibition landscape; every corner offers a new delight and art takes centre stage.
On the surface, a wine estate in the Provençal countryside may not seem the obvious choice for contemporary statements. But then, Château La Coste is no ordinary estate. For starters, it's the size of Monaco. In lieu of superyachts, you have super-pleasures: artful dishes, bespoke art galleries, an aeons-old vineyard and a storied landscape. Across the estate's 500 acres, you'll find Frank Gehry's Jenga-esque Serpentine Pavilion; Oscar Niemeyer's curved, glass-walled gallery; Richard Rogers' gravity-defying cantilever; Renzo Piano's semi-sunken, sail-topped hall; and several Tadao Ando-designed spaces. You’ll stumble across the all-concrete Art Centre and a 16th-century structure turned Modernist chapel. Even the wine cellar was crafted by French architect Jean Nouvel.
Founder Patrick McKillen's dream for Château La Coste began in 2002. "The day my sister Mara brought me to Château La Coste for the first time, I was overwhelmed by its beauty," Patrick recalls. This fleeting visit stoked his vision to create a place where art, wine, food and landscape meld seamlessly. Today, the state-of-the-art Roman winery, Tadao Ando Art Centre, 1682 Manor House and Villa La Coste hotel stand as a testament to the years-long collaboration.
The Villa La Coste is perched within the forest overlooking the historic Luberon Valley. The intimate hotel, arranged around a charming cobblestone pathway, features twenty-eight suites with white-washed walls, curated art and wine libraries. The Gallery Dining Room features works by Damien Hirst and Tom Shannon, and the Tadao Ando Art Centre, managed by Daniel Kennedy and conceived in 2011, houses works by blockbuster artists from around the world.
Château La Coste has always been "a personal, family project that stems from a love of the landscape and Provence. Each project has resulted from a deep friendship and exchange of ideas and often repeated visits to Château La Coste by the artists and architects," remarks Kennedy. Artists like Andy Goldsworthy, who "spent many weeks over a year to select the materials and oversee the installation of the Oak Room himself," and Prune Noury, who collaborated with the team and specialists "to make hand-made bricks from local earth, which provided the central element to her Mater Earth sculpture."
For the Founder and Kennedy, the 10 to 15 exhibitions each year further foster those relationships. Artists meticulously choose the spots for their work, and the programming feels jointly built, a reflection of all involved. It’s immersive for both the artists and curators and those who’ve come to view it—from the imposing steel plates of Richard Serra's AIX to Michael Stripe’s playful Foxes. Other notable "must-sees", Tom Shannon's Drop and Alexander Calder's Mobile, capture the idea of delicate balance, while Andy Goldsworthy's underground Oak Room invites introspection. The nearly 40-piece collection evolves continuously.
"The range is eclectic," Kennedy notes. "We have had historical exhibitions by Andy Warhol, Jean Michel Basquiat and Alberto Giacometti; design shows by Paul Mathieu, Jean Prouvé and Pierre Paulin; photography exhibitions by Don McCullin, Anton Corbijn, Mary McCartney and Cy Twombly; and major international artists like Tracey Emin, Sophie Calle, Lee Ufan and Yoshitomo Nara."
Château La Coste invites guests to engage with art personally and meaningfully; the same goes for food and wine. The estate offers guided tours so guests can delve deeper into the vineyard's history, art collection and chefs’ sustainable processes. Patrick McKillen does all he can to ensure guests visits are beautiful, exciting and full of colour; he believes they “deserve the best experience. If we do not wish to smile and make our guests feel welcome and happy, then we are in the wrong profession."
Every element at Château La Coste is curated. From the lavender-scented air to the world-class art and architecture to the stellar restaurants, it transcends the ordinary. Explore, engage and immerse yourself in all that defines it.
Emma Becque
There’s nothing Emma loves to explore more than richly adorned spaces, destinations pulsing with history or cities where art reigns supreme. This freelance interiors editor knows what looks good, and she knows where to find it. Wherever she is—whether it’s rereading Stoner at Loch Lomond’s Cameron House, sipping tea and channeling Rudyard Kipling at Raffles Singapor or uncovering unmatched craftsmanship in Florence—Emma is always on the go and always on the hunt for something magical.
