Beaune · Burgundy
Kwame & Camilla
« We are not hoteliers. We are the owners of a house that welcomes. »
Camilla: A Norwegian Captivated by France
In high school in Oslo, Camilla chooses to learn French — not out of obligation, but out of desire.
Her first trip to France changes everything. She falls in love.
She returns to study, but one of her childhood friends decides to stay in France. Camilla goes back to Norway... but with France tattooed in her mind. The images don't disappear.
She comes back. Sciences Po in Paris. Then a large energy company. And in 2015, a certainty: she wants to create a guesthouse.
She doesn't imagine where or how. She's just waiting for the right moment, the right partner.
Kwame: A Breton Who Discovers Burgundy
Kwame was born in Brest. No winemaking tradition in his family. No vineyard heritage.
But around the same time he meets Camilla, he discovers Burgundy wines and falls in love.
For 15 years, with his two best friends, he travels from the Côte de Nuit to the Côte Chalonnaise. Vineyard after vineyard. Glass after glass. He secretly wonders: « One day, could I really become a winemaker? »
It's a dream that grows slowly. Not a fixed destination, but a direction.
2016: The House
Kwame and Camilla start searching for where to settle.
Beaune imposes itself quickly. Its charm, its ramparts, its central position in Burgundy.
And then there's this house: an 18th-century townhouse in dressed stone. Beautiful, but asleep. Uninhabited for decades. Shutters closed for a long time.
The condition? Deplorable. Roofs are collapsing. The footbridge is destroyed. The courtyard is overgrown with plants reaching the gutters.
But they fall immediately in love.
Kwame opens the door for the first time.
An old woman watches him from the street. She approaches.
« What are you doing here, young man? »
« I'm coming into my new house. »
She looks at him, surprised. Then:
« You know, I was born in Beaune 80 years ago. I've lived on this street ever since. »
She pauses.
« I have never seen this door open. »
It's a moment you don't plan. But it says everything: awakening a sleeping house. Continuing a story. Respecting the stone, the time, the street.
2016–2021: Five Years of Waiting
The purchase is made. But life has other plans.
Kwame is sent to the United States for his career. Palo Alto, then Berkeley. Five years away from the house.
The house waits. The dreams wait too.
2021: Return and Transformation
Kwame and Camilla return to Beaune. The renovation begins.
Not cosmetic work. Serious restoration. The house must reclaim its dignity.
In parallel, Kwame enrolls at Viti Beaune to earn a winemaker's diploma. He's not a hobbyist learning on YouTube. This is serious, regulated training.
And then, an exceptional opportunity opens: a chance to acquire Domaine d'Aubigny.
Kwame and his friends become owners. The 15-year dream becomes reality.
2024: Finally
January: the house finally becomes habitable. Eight years after that first visit.
September: the first rooms are available for rent.
Now
You are not staying at a hotel chain.
You are staying with a Norwegian woman who dreamed of France, and with a Breton man who discovered Burgundy through love.
Domaine wines are available for tasting and direct purchase. Discover the complementary services we offer.
And if you're wondering how we went from a corporate career to a guesthouse... it's because you've never truly loved something enough to change your life for it.