Watercress & vodka: designer reinvents french farm into luxurious retreat
Jean-Louis Deniot has transformed a dilapidated French watercress farm into a stunning retreat, blending historical charm with a surprising vodka enterprise – all while battling a notoriously short shelf life and a determined aversion to picnicking guests.
A forgotten past, a bold new future
Once a struggling operation with only four of its 42 beds in use, the 19th-century estate near Chantilly was slated for a museum conversion. But Deniot, alongside William Holloway, saw potential beyond the historical – and a craving for a connection with nature far from his bustling design projects.
“We’d heard there was a plan to turn it into a museum and didn’t fancy having people picnicking at the end of our garden,” Holloway recalled, highlighting the couple’s initial motivation. Their initial attempts to sell the watercress proved futile, hampered by its rapid perishability.
The turning point? A chance encounter with Joan Rivers’ niece, Caroline Waxler, who suggested harnessing the watercress for vodka production. This sparked the creation of Vodkress, a small-batch spirit now found in exclusive venues like Miami’s Surf Club and Bruno Verjus’ Parisian restaurant.
A symphony of rustic revival
Deniot’s renovation is a masterclass in layered design. The original stone building was resurrected with extensions of wood, stained a striking bluish-green. A 165-foot pontoon bridge connects the various structures, culminating in a 30-foot folly inspired by Charles de Beistegui’s creations at the Château de Groussay – topped with a clover-shaped ornament. It’s a deliberate ode to a bygone era, softened with a contemporary feminine touch.
The interior is a carefully curated collection of antiques and bespoke pieces. The tasting pavilion boasts a Louis XVI carved wood canopy bed, a window overlooking the watercress fields, and a trumeau mirror replaced with a vibrant window. The distillery room, with its 17th-century cupboard and custom counter, exudes a vintage industrial vibe.
“It’s called corridor design,” Deniot quipped, referring to the shop’s elongated, Empire-period interior, awash in confetti-floral wallpaper and fabrics that transition from watercress green to a refreshing aqua. The space is a deliberate statement, a refusal to be just a shop.
But the farm’s history runs deeper than vodka. Joseph Marie Étienne Cardon, an administrator in Napoleon’s army, established the watercress farm in 1811, recognizing its medicinal properties and drawing on its origins – Hippocrates himself built his first hospital around it. A testament to the enduring power of nature’s remedies
Today, Vodkress remains a limited-edition craft spirit—only 7,000 liters produced annually—a testament to Deniot and Holloway's vision. As Kakanias aptly put it, “It is, a microcosm of beauty, nature, history, and friendship.”