Photograph by Oleg Covian

“Autumn tables are truly laden in our house. I love to decorate tables with elements of nature and the forest. I set out pumpkins and squash, flowers from the garden, walnuts and pine cones and layer wickerwork placemats over printed or plain tablecloths. I break with convention by freely mixing different styles and colours. I love shades of ochre, faded greens, rust, and gingerbread.”

“Autumn is my favourite season. I enter a bubble that suits me more than anything else. I gather the last of my figs and gradually match the colours of the house to nature’s beautiful palette. The golden colour of the leaves fascinates me every year, as it never really is the same shade twice. Pumpkins take over the vegetable garden, and the first log fires are set in the living room.”

“Most of the work in my garden is done in the autumn. If we want the garden to look pretty in spring, it depends on our efforts in October. I don’t miss a weekend here during this period. This is when I plant my tulips, and many other seeds and bulbs either in the vegetable garden or in pots in the greenhouse.”

“I trim the hedges and give them a neat line for the winter. I finish planting in February, and I can’t wait to see the results. Gardening reconciled me – as someone who only wanted to live up in the air – with the earth. Putting my hands in the soil brings me a certain comfort.”

“I don’t think I could live without printed walls. There is nothing more reassuring to me than walls papered in patterns. The entrance hall walls are covered with men’s shirt fabric, one of the bathrooms in toile de Jouy, and other rooms in ones I designed myself. I draw my own tablecloths and curtains, and I have closets piled up with patterns.”

“I draw a lot of flowers on dark backgrounds because I think they add character to a table. I can also spend hours at flea markets, hunting for antique prints or in India where, I have to say, I can get a little bit carried away.”

“I frequently work on my bed, as made evident by the many books and magazines on it, about which my husband repeatedly grumbles! I spend a lot of time in my own bedroom and see bedrooms as refuges, havens of peace and softness. Because I don’t like new things, I chose antique fabrics. I follow my instinct and the principle that if I do things with love, my friends will feel at home here in my home, even if deep down they prefer white walls. I pay particular attention to the bedrooms, where comfortable beds are decorated with several cushions and warm bedspreads and the walls have an enveloping feel.”

Photographs and captions from Life in a French Country House, Entertaining for all Seasons, by Cordelia de Castellane, published by Rizzoli. Photography by Matthieu Salvaing.