“I think we need a bigger table,” says Brad Pitt with a proud grin. It’s a rare rainy day in Provence, France, and for the first time, the superstar is about to sit down to a family-style lunch at the newly rebuilt Miraval Studios. An elevated-rustic assortment of tarts, salads, fresh cheese and bread spread out before him. He just needs to find a chair.
Tucked away within Château Miraval’s 2,200 acres — grounds so vast and lush that getting lost driving through them would be easy, but not so bad — Miraval Studios is as private and exquisite a place as any music (or music history) buff could imagine. And yet, it has sat dormant for nearly two decades.
Today, Pitt relays how eager he has been to reopen the space since he started spending time at the property in 2008. (He and ex-wife Angelina Jolie later purchased it for a reported $60 million in 2012.) All it took was being introduced to renowned French producer-engineer Damien Quintard, whom Pitt calls a “wunderkind,” to finally make his dream of creating the ultimate artist escape a reality. Come this month, just over a year since the two first met, Miraval Studios will formally reopen.
Built atop Miraval’s winery — itself constructed in the 1850s by the estate’s original owner, Joseph-Louis Lambot, and today known for its rosé — the building contains three editing booths for video and sound, production offices, a room housing Quintard’s collection of 170-plus microphones, a recording studio and a live room known together as Studio One, a reverb room, a kitchen, an artist salon, two guest suites, a 115-foot saltwater pool and a rooftop that offers a 360-degree view of the estate.
Read the full Billboard cover story here.
-
Damien Quintard & Brad Pitt
Damien Quintard (left) and Brad Pitt photographed on September 14, 2022 at Miraval Studios in the town of Correns, France. The co-founders are pictured in front of the control room’s centerpiece, known as “the Spaceship.”
-
The Spaceship
Interior view of the control room at Miraval Studio.
-
Control Room
The control room from another angle.
-
Damien Quintard
Damien Quintard in the control room, where the 25 speakers create a surround sound effect.
-
Studio One
Interior view of Studio One’s reverb room featuring a vintage restored Broadwood & Sons from the 1860s.
-
Studio One
An interior view of the back wall of Studio One’s reverb room.
-
Damien Quintard & Brad Pitt
Damien Quintard (left) and Brad Pitt photographed on September 14, 2022 at Miraval Studios in the town of Correns, France.
-
Damien Quintard
Damien Quintard with his collection of over 170 vintage and modern microphones.
-
Studio Tower
The studio’s rebuilt tower, housing a salon, two guest suites that Pitt designed and a rooftop with a 360-degree view
-
Kitchen Entrance
Exterior view of the tower and side entrance to the kitchen at Miraval studio.
-
Kitchen
The studio’s kitchen.
-
Lunch
Lunch prepared by Miraval’s private chef using ingredients farmed on-site.
-
Tosca
Tosca, a Lagotto Romagnolo truffle-hunting puppy who lives on the grounds.
-
Kitchen
Lunch prepared by Miraval’s private chef using ingredients farmed on-site.
-
Tower Stairs
Exterior view of the stairs and elevator that lead up to the tower’s guest suites and roof top lounge offering 360-degree views of the grounds.
-
Tower Stairs
View from the stairs leading up to the tower’s guest suite.
-
Tower Guest Suite
The tower’s top-floor guest suite that’s adjacent to the studio.
-
Bath & Shower
The bath & shower in the the tower’s top floor guest suite, adjacent to the studio.
-
Amphitheater
The amphitheater as seen from the tower’s rooftop lounge.
-
Studio
Back entrance to the studio.
-
Wine Cellar
Château Miraval’s wine cellar, directly below Miraval Studios.
-
Saltwater Pool
The 115-foot saltwater pool just behind Miraval Studios.
-
Guest Villa
The entrance to the guest villa.
-
Living Room
The living space in the guest villa, a five-minute drive from the studio.
-
Damien Quintard
Damien Quintard photographed on September 14, 2022 at Miraval Studios in the town of Correns, France.
-
Guest Villa Bedroom
Interior of one of the three bedrooms in the guest villa, a five-minute drive from the studio.
-
Saltwater Pool
View from the 35-meter saltwater pool is situated just behind Miraval Studios for artists and guests to enjoy during their stay.