According to Christian Louboutin, there are three parts of France where locals proudly claim their regional identity before their national one: the Basque Country, Corsica, and Brittany. The latter, a rocky peninsula on France’s northwestern coast, is where the shoe magnate’s family is from. “I love the Breton climate, which is very garden-friendly,” he says. “And the pride that the people take in their culture and traditions.”
This love led him to purchase Les Jardins de Kerdalo, a historic botanical garden in the Breton commune of Trédarzec. Cultivated by Russian prince and horticulturist Peter Wolkonsky in the second half of the 20th century, it has labyrinthine walkways leading to plant beds with signature Breton flora, like hydrangeas, as well as endangered specimens like the Wollemi pine. Waterfalls, terraces, and an Italian grotto dot the 42-acre estate.
Les Jardins de Kerdalo, in Brittany, France.
Guillaume Fandel
“At first, I was a bit afraid of keeping the gardens stuck in time,” Louboutin says, “until Wolkonsky’s daughter, Isabelle Vaughan, told me ‘the only way to keep a garden alive is for you to have fun with it.’ ”
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Since purchasing Kerdalo, Louboutin has invested in refurbishing the prince’s former home (the 8,500-square-foot stone villa is set to reopen in mid 2026) and adding a greenhouse tearoom. He also supports a team of gardeners and botanists who are experimenting with plants and trees, like Mediterranean oaks, that require less water, in response to climate change.
“Kerdalo is one of Brittany’s best-kept secrets,” says Guillaume Foucher, cofounder of French hospitality brand Fontenille Collection, which is known for transforming architectural landmarks into boutique hotels. “It’s a land of contrasts and poetry.” Fontenille’s newest property is the 25-room Les Bassans, a 1900s manor near Kerdalo that makes for a stylish home base for exploring the area.
A version of this story first appeared in the March 2026 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline “Enchanted Garden.”
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