When Rémy Graillot, a visionary French entrepreneur, acquired Château de L’Estang, an impressive estate built in 1573 in the Loire region and bordered by the vineyards of Sancerre, it was seen as likely that he would develop an unconventional project. In 2012 Graillot launched a series of important interventions lasting three years, and he assigned the artistic direction of the space to Joséphine Fossey and her team.
For the winery, the epicenter of the Château – a place of sharing and creation – Joséphine Fossey has created a unique décor, guided by a principle of total art that mixes vintage and contemporary styles, focusing on noble materials, natural wood varieties and fine craftsmanship. One emblematic item for an understanding of the nature of the interior design is the screen in flax fiber created by Pauline Esparon. The young designer has investigated the potential of raw flax fibers, focusing on the process of transformation of the material and utilizing it in tandem with local materials, fostering local production to generate new synergies with the territory. The same explorative approach, in line with the identity of Lestang 1573, can be seen in many of the selected furnishings: the Pigreco chairs by Tobia Scarpa for Tacchini, the rope suspension lamps of Audoux & Minet in dialogue with furnishings in sculpted plaster by the designer Pierre Castanier, and the custom carpet by Mathias Kiss.
In tune with the natural context surrounding the property, the décor develops in relation to a site-specific installation by the artist Mathias Kiss, constituting the first piece of what is to be an ambitious art collection. A lasting work that forms a contrast with the setting while completing it at the same time. Both inside and outside, Mathias Kiss offers a free, personal interpretation of the vineyards, utilizing mirrors to reflect and transform the space and to capture the light. An installation that blurs the boundaries between art and crafts, reality and illusion, altering and challenging the traditional function of the mirror.
Other artists will be invited to intervene in the context, making it evolve through the choice of the bottles, the design of the labels, the visual identity of the brand, the decoration of the cellars. Artistic collaborations and events are among the elements chosen to create a perfect balance between historical roots and contemporary aesthetics, for Lestang 1573.
