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WRITTEN AND PRODUCED BY
CLINTON SMITH Ç PHOTOGRAPHED BY
ERICA GEORGE DINES
THE DINING ROOM OF MARIELAURE COSTE DUJOLS AND THIBAUT DEVILLARD IS BOTH RUSTIC AND CHIC. OPPOSITE: COSTE DUJOLS, AT HOME, IN A GARDEN OF HER OWN DESIGN WITH HER WEIMARANERS CHLOE AND EMMA. THE BISTRO TABLE, PEA GRAVEL PATHS AND CLIPPED BOXWOOD EVOKE THE LANDSCAPE OF THE SOUTH OF FRANCE.
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DESIGN DOSSIER
MARIE-LAURE COSTE DUJOLS This French-born, Atlanta-based floral designer and events planner brings a European sensibility to work and life
For Marie-Laure Coste Dujols, flowers are all in a day’s work. One day she can be called upon to conceptualize the design scheme for a wedding while the next has her finalizing details for a rustic kitchen garden or selecting plants for a more formal boxwood parterre. But when she’s not on site with one of her projects, Coste Dujols can be found at her bucolic Riverside compound along the city’s western edge that she shares with her husband, Thibaut Devillard. There, she and Devillard—with whom she also works—raise exotic chickens and quail. And, during summer months, they tend to their organic vegetable gardens, bursting at the seams with more than 30 varieties of heirloom tomatoes. In between working on her own projects around the house as well as those that are work-related (her atelier is located on the property), Coste Dujols is also readying a new retail venture—think Parisian-style floral shop—that’s slated to open later this summer in one of Atlanta’s hottest shopping areas. (Complete details can be found later this month at blog.atlantahomesmag.com). Meanwhile, Coste Dujols and her team continue to create the striking floral designs—both contemporary and traditional— for which her firm is known,
filling some of Buckhead’s most gracious homes and the city’s top businesses (like The Four Seasons Hotel). For Coste Dujols, it’s all in a day’s work. WHEN I GET AN UNEXPECTED DAY TO MYSELF…if I don’t have enough time to go to the mountains, I hike with the dogs along the river at Cochran’s Mill near Palmetto, where Thibaut and I got married the first time around! MY FAVORITE MUSEUMS ARE…the Rodin Museum in Paris, the Dali Museum in Barcelona, the gardens of the Getty in Los Angeles—and many, many gardens. MY HOME REFLECTS…who I am and the way I live. I’ve brought a bit of the French countryside to a Georgia bungalow! MY FAVORITE PLACE FOR QUIET CONTEMPLATION IS…my chicken
coop and my vegetable garden. THE PERSON I LOOK UP TO MOST IS…my husband, my mother and
my good friend Hardy. MY FAVORITE WAY TO ENTERTAIN AT HOME IS…to cook for friends—
large pool parties or intimate dinners in our garden. THE ONE PLACE IN ATLANTA I ALWAYS TAKE GUESTS IS…for a quick lunch at Star Provisions and casual dinners at JCT Kitchen. If we have time, we head to Serenbe. MY SIGNATURE COLOR IS…white, white, white and blue-gray.
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STYLE (profile) this page, clockwise from left Coste Dujols likens the Sebright chicken’s white feathers, outlined in chocolate brown, to a Chanel suit. Coste Dujols in her organic garden. She and her husband, Thibaut, cultivate shiitake mushrooms. The quail eggs are collected from birds kept on the property. opposite Chickens in their swanky coop. Floral designs by Coste Dujols. Returning from the garden with her two sidekicks and a basket full of organic goodies. Coste Dujols is the South’s exclusive distributor of cocoa shell mulch, which retains moisture better than other mulches. Plus, it lasts longer and smells better (yes, like chocolate). The shells come off of the beans during the roasting process.
MY FAVORI∏ES throughout the seasons and from my travels to beautiful old places.
FAVORITE TABLE LINENS:
MY PROUDEST PROFESSIONAL
Chanel and Dior, because some of my chickens wear Chanel’s suits and Dior’s coiΩe! FAVORITE DINNERWARE: Anything very old and simple FAVORITE FLOWER: Hellebores FAVORITE MUSIC: Right now I’m going through an MIG phase. I listen to a lot more French artists since I moved to Atlanta; I guess it’s nostalgia—and my husband is not happy about it! FAVORITE WINE: I really love red Burgundies for their finesse, enjoy the South African Sauvignon Blancs and I buy a lot of organic wines.
MOMENT CAME WHEN…
MY FAVORITE SHOPPING SPOTS
THE ONE BEAUTY PRODUCT I
FOR CLOTHING ARE…in Parisian
CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT IS…my Dr.
The Four Seasons Hotel asked me for Le Jardin Francais’ services exclusively.
boutiques and thrift stores.
Hauschka Rose face cream.
THE PLACE I LOVE TO TRAVEL IS…
WHAT MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW
MY SUNDAY ROUTINE…is to read
ABOUT ME IS…I hate anything
on the sofa, with the windows open, while my husband makes crêpes for breakfast. Then I go down to the garden to visit my chickens.
the South of France; I have to go, religiously, once a year to resource myself. And 10 years ago we discovered the unspoiled beauty of North Captiva Island, Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico. There is something magical about this place—no cars, no restaurants, no shopping, just beautiful private homes on an almost-deserted island, where nature is still very untouched and wild.
new. I love to knit, I have chickens and quail, and I grow shitake mushrooms. THE CAR I DRIVE IS…a Ford 150 pickup that everyone says is too big for me.
I GET MY BEST INSPIRATION FROM…observing nature
THE FIRST THING I SEE WHEN I WAKE UP…are my dogs and cats
who sneaked on the bed during the night, then my husband—if he’s not already gone—and then the birds and trees that surround our bedroom windows.
Linen and burlap FAVORITE FASHION DESIGNERS:
FAVORITE ARTISANAL FOOD:
Saucisson—it’s like a countrystyle dry sausage—as well as sheep’s and goat cheeses FAVORITE ARTIST: I’m drawn to artwork from many diΩerent periods. I love nudes, too many to list—from Ingres and Rodin to Man Ray—but I also like the work of several small unknown artists. Locally, I think Todd Murphy’s work is brilliant. FAVORITE FURNITURE STYLE:
Country French antiques MARIE-LAURE COSTE DUJOLS LE JARDIN FRANCAIS, (404) 792-1680; LEJARDINFRANCAIS.COM
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