🎙️ In this episode of Colivers Club, we chat with Katia Dimova, the visionary behind Chateau Coliving, a unique community space set in a 12th-century castle in Normandy.

Katia’s story is one of unexpected twists—from inheriting a family castle to transforming it into a coliving haven. She opens up about the challenges of maintaining a historical property, how she stumbled into coliving, and why the Chateau is more than just a place to stay—it’s a true community.

We explore how she blends modern technology with medieval architecture, the importance of diverse communities, and what it’s really like to run a coliving space in a castle. Whether you’re a coliving fan or just love unique places to stay, Katia’s journey is one you won’t want to miss. 🎧🏰

César: Hello, welcome everybody to Colivers Club. I’m your host, César Alberca, and today we have Katia Dimova from Chateau Coliving. Hello Katia.

Katia: Hello, nice to meet you.

César: How are you?

Katia: I’m good, we are currently closed for our annual maintenance, so it’s a very good time to record this podcast.

César: Nice, because I don’t know if you guys know, but Katia owns Chateau Coliving. What does “Chateau” mean again? Remind me, please.

Katia: Chateau means castle.

César: Oh right, because your coliving happens to be in a castle, right? From the 12th century?

Katia: Yeah, we thought a lot about the name before we started. We had so many brainstorming sessions, and then a friend of mine said, “You know what? You can name it whatever you want, but people will always call it the Chateau.” So we just went with it, and she was right.

César: I like it, yeah. It’s simple.

César: So, where can I buy a castle?

Katia: Oh, I don’t know, I’ve never looked for one. Our story is a bit different. We never actually looked for a castle. It kind of found us. It’s a complicated story, and there’s no short version of it.

Katia: This castle has been in my husband’s extended family for about 800 years. At some point, it was about to be taken over by the state, and we didn’t even know. We were totally disconnected from it in our lives.

Katia: We were probably one of the pioneer digital nomads without knowing it, 12-13 years ago. We had a small business, not tied to any location, so we were moving around. We had no idea about community or coliving back then. We were just traveling, staying in places for a while, then moving on to the next.

Katia: Then this opportunity presented itself. It’s a place where my husband spent a lot of time as a child, but it wasn’t supposed to be inherited by him. It just so happened that it was very close to being taken over by the state, and we had the chance to take it for 60% of the price. That sounds like a good deal, but it wasn’t money we had in our pockets in our late twenties.

César: Yeah, I guess castles aren’t cheap.

Katia: Exactly. With our small online business, moving around Greek islands and not having figured out life at all, it wasn’t something we had planned for. We had no clue what to do. There was a lot of pressure, like, “It’s been in the family for 800 years, do you really want to give it to the state?” So, young and inexperienced, we thought maybe we could give it a try. Maybe it could be a retirement project.

Katia: We started talking to banks in France, but they weren’t enthusiastic. Neither of us had lived in France before. My husband left when he was 13, and I’d never lived there. No bank history, nothing. Two random people trying to convince a bank to lend them money to save this castle.

Katia: After a lot of trial and error, we finally got a deal, although with very unfavorable conditions. We renegotiated a few years later, but it was tough in the beginning. Looking back, I’m not sure we would have done it again because we didn’t know what we were getting into. My husband had this nostalgic memory of the place, but when we came back, it was a total wreck.

Katia: We didn’t plan any budget for renovations or making the place livable again. There was no hot water, no heating, mold on the walls, and no wifi.

César: No wifi?

Katia: Yeah, no wifi. It was so not what we expected. A chain of events unfolded. It was difficult, but I don’t want to sound ungrateful. Just being realistic—what sounds like a fairy tale sometimes isn’t. I wish we had this romantic story of being inspired by living in colivings and dreaming of opening one. But that wasn’t the case. We started as an Airbnb, a small bed and breakfast, while trying to balance our normal lives.

Katia: We did the renovations ourselves because we couldn’t afford to hire anyone. We had family members and friends help run it at times. We even rented it out to professionals to manage it. But in our regular lives, we never talked about the place with anyone because it changed how people saw us, and we didn’t want that label. We identified as nomads, not castle owners.

Katia: After COVID, we realized we couldn’t run it as a side hustle anymore. It was too expensive and too complicated. So, my husband went back to the corporate world to give us some stability, and I decided to give coliving a shot. That was in 2021, during COVID, when half the world was still in lockdown. But with the support of friends and family, we made it work. The coliving only started three years ago.

César: Nice. How can I book a stay? Should I send an email or a pigeon?

Katia: You can send a pigeon; we have a pigeon area on the property.

César: Nice.

Katia: But you can also book a stay on our website. It’s automatic, easy, and everything is modern. The castle may be from the 12th century, but we’re using the latest technology.

César: Is it true the castle is haunted, or not?

Katia: That depends on what you’re taking.

César: Haha, nice one!

Katia: No, it’s not haunted. We sometimes joke about pranking someone, but we always feel bad about doing it.

César: Yeah, you don’t want to pull a prank in a place like that.

Katia: We’ve had a lot of ideas for pranks, but we always end up saying, “No, that’s too mean.”

César: I heard you played Among Us, the digital game where you figure out who the murderer is. Can you tell us more about that?

Katia: Yeah, we play a lot of games here. One of our previous guests designed a live version of Among Us, which is super fun. People have tasks and run around the castle trying to find the imposter. Everyone loves it. We also play murder mystery games, where everyone has a role to play. People dress and act like their character, and there’s a lot of bribery, secrets, and blackmailing. And, of course, a murder happens—but it’s all part of the game!

César: Just to remind the audience, it’s a game!

Katia: Yeah, it’s a game, and it’s a really fun one. We have a lot of different murder mystery scenarios, so we’re always playing different versions.

César: Oh, that’s so cool. But these are the fun things, right? I guess running a castle also comes with its challenges, right? What are the main problems with running a castle?

Katia: Oh, there are a lot of difficulties. When I talk to others in the coliving industry—especially here in Europe—we’re pretty close, we’re friends, and we help each other out. We exchange a lot about our problems and challenges.

Katia: Running a castle is very different from managing a regular house, even a big one. For example, we have a huge park, and in winter it fills with water and becomes an island, while in the summer it dries out completely. So, depending on when you visit, you’ll have a totally different experience.

Katia: But maintaining a park like this in Normandy, where everything grows so fast, is a big challenge. A whole building can be covered in vegetation within months if you don’t maintain it. We also have trees that are over 300 years old. Last November, there was a storm, and we had six huge trees fall and block the road. It’s the kind of thing you don’t have to manage often but when it happens, it’s a big deal.

Katia: The castle itself is an old, historical building, so dealing with repairs and upkeep is complicated.

César: Yeah, I guess you can’t just go to IKEA for that kind of stuff, right?

Katia: No, definitely not. Most things have to be custom-made because they aren’t standard sizes. For example, we’re currently replacing some windows, and it takes months for them to be produced, and of course, they’re expensive. Everything needs to be pre-approved and done by workers who are certified to work on historical buildings.

Katia: We also have more than a hundred windows on the property, and one of the reasons we’re closed this winter is that we had a structural issue in one of the towers. This kind of thing might only happen once every 200 or 300 years, but we had to deal with it. A 400-kilo piece of wood needed to be placed in the tower, and it took months to produce and a lot of effort to install. We even joked about engraving the year 2024 on it because the next time someone will change it will probably be in another 200 years.

Katia: Maintaining a castle is very different from anything else, but it’s also a challenge that adds value. It’s a unique selling point to stay in a place like this. It takes a lot, but it’s worth it.

Katia: One of the biggest challenges is that many digital nomads, like us, have never owned property before, so it’s hard for people to understand the effort behind maintaining simple things, like making sure there’s no leak in your room. These are basic things, but they require a lot of work.

César: Yeah, I imagine there’s also a lot of bureaucracy involved, right? You mentioned that the workers need special licenses to work on a historical building.

Katia: Yes, exactly. We have several buildings on the property, and some of them are listed as historical monuments. Even if a building isn’t listed, we still have to use special materials for repairs. For the listed buildings, like our chapel, which was designed by the famous architect Mansard, we face even more challenges. There are only a few people in France who are certified to work on these buildings, and getting them is difficult and expensive. Plus, we need a lot of permissions for any work to be done.

César: Wow, yeah, when you think about a castle, you see it’s beautiful and grand, but the reality of managing it is a lot tougher.

Katia: Little by little, we’re getting the hang of it. It’s been 12 years, so we’re finally starting to figure it out. I’m not sure if we’re just slow or if it’s because we don’t have a big budget, but we have to manage things the best we can.

Katia: We’re also starting to look more into European funding. One of the challenges with getting state or European support is that our property isn’t visible from the street. It’s secluded in a private park, so if it were a building in the city center, we’d probably get more help from the municipality or the state. But since it’s hidden, getting any assistance is hard.

César: Do people visit the castle?

Katia: For now, we open it to the public only one day a year, on the French Heritage Day. But other than that, we don’t have regular visits. We’re considering future projects, but for now, our main concern is the safety of the colivers. We worry that opening the property to the public could create safety issues, so we haven’t found the best solution yet.

César: I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You mentioned there are several buildings on the property, and I know you also host families, which is something unusual for coliving. Can you tell us more about that?

Katia: Yes, for me, one of the most valuable things about coliving is spending time with people who are different from you and outside your usual environment. I know in many colivings, people tend to come from similar backgrounds, have similar jobs, and it’s often the same type of community. While we do have that sometimes, we try to expand the circle as much as we can. We aim to have people of different ages, professions, and backgrounds.

Katia: The real magic happens when people who think they have nothing in common end up becoming best friends. That’s why I’m against places that have age limits. We’ve hosted colivers as young as 2 years old and as old as 78, and it works incredibly well. This diversity enriches the experience.

Katia: We host families in a very mindful way. We have two separate buildings: the main castle and a 17th-century manor house with apartments. Each apartment has its own kitchen, which is perfect for families. They don’t have to share the kitchen with other colivers.

Katia: They don’t have to worry if the kids are a little messy or noisy. They have their own kitchen, but at the same time, the two buildings are just a minute’s walk from each other. So, the parents can spend time with the other colivers, join the community events, and the kids can join too, especially for activities like bonfires or other events that are kid-friendly.

Katia: Right now, that’s how we manage it. In the second building, we have families, and it’s also the pet-friendly building. More people are traveling with their pets these days, and we used to do that ourselves, so we understand the challenges. This way, they have their privacy, but they’re still part of the community.

César: And the kids aren’t allowed to join the human sacrifices you do every Sunday, right?

Katia: Haha, we do have some events that are adults only, but it’s not what you think!

César: I also interviewed Katya from Burgas Coliving on this podcast, and it was such a surprise to find out that you two know each other from childhood! You come from the same city, right? How did that happen?

Katia: Yes, we’ve known each other since we were about 13 or 14. Life took us in different directions—we studied different things, lived in different places, and had completely different career paths. But we always stayed in touch. Then, during the first COVID lockdown in 2020, we had a lot of time to catch up, so we had one of those long Zoom calls.

Katia: She was curious about coliving and wanted to know more about it, especially since they already had this very old building. At that time, I was in Tenerife, locked down at Naenko Living with 15 strangers from around the world. I started explaining to her how coliving works, how we lived together, how we managed things. I even showed her the house on camera.

Katia: She got inspired and thought, “Hey, maybe our place could work for something like that.” Their place needed a lot of work back then. The fun fact is they started Burgas Coliving before we had the idea for the Chateau. We opened before them because of the pressure from COVID, but they began renovations and projects first. It’s a project very close to my heart.

César: You’ve also helped other colivings, and you’ve been doing consultancy, right? You’re going to focus more on that area now?

Katia: Yes, I started getting contacted regularly by people wanting to open their own colivings, which is very flattering. I want to help shape the industry with the values that I believe in—community values, the way some of the initial coliving founders like Nine Coliving, Swiss Escape, and others envisioned. It’s about keeping coliving focused on community and shared experiences, not just branding hostels or guesthouses as colivings.

Katia: If I can contribute to future colivings and help prevent some mistakes, that’s something I’d love to do. That’s why I’m starting my consultancy practice. The inspiration came from working with Burgas Coliving. I’m honored to have been involved with them from the beginning, and I’m so proud of what they’ve accomplished. They’re now one of the main colivings in Europe, and I feel like I’ve contributed a bit to that.

César: That’s great. We’ll put a link in the description so people can check it out. One thing I love about this industry is the collaboration instead of competition. It’s amazing how connected the communities are.

Katia: Yes, absolutely. Coliving is still in its early stages. Even though pioneers like Sande have been around for 10 years, and others for 6-7 years, it’s only in the last couple of years that coliving has grown rapidly. If we don’t stay connected and support each other, there’s a risk that the industry could go in a direction we don’t want.

Katia: We sometimes hear negative experiences from people who stayed in places branded as colivings, but they weren’t really focused on community or added value. Some guesthouses or hostels try to ride the wave by calling themselves colivings, but they don’t understand what it really means to build a community. Coliving is not just about accommodation—it’s about the community, the sharing, and the value you get from that.

César: Yeah, if you want to see real colivings, you can check out Mapmelon.

Katia: Yes, absolutely! It’s one of our favorite platforms, and we recommend it to everyone.

César: Perfect. I also wanted to go back to the castle, the Chateau. You mentioned it’s secluded, but not completely remote, right? How does that affect your day-to-day planning?

Katia: Yes, that’s a question we get often before people book. It feels remote because it’s in a private park, and you can walk very far while still being on the property, which is great. But the nearest town is only five minutes away by car.

Katia: Civilization is just five minutes by car. You’ve got a big supermarket, a bar, and little shops. If you go a bit further, like 10-12 minutes by car, there’s a train station and a proper little town with restaurants and everything. So, it’s secluded and not secluded at the same time.

Katia: In terms of logistics, we’ve come up with a good system to make everyone comfortable, whether they arrive by car or not. We pick people up from the train station if needed.

César: Do clients ever come by horse?

Katia: They could come by horse if they wanted! This region is famous for horses. Back when it was a bed and breakfast, we had people coming here to buy horses, and we had the stables for them.

Katia: We’re not doing that anymore, but we still have horses on the property. Our neighbors’ horses use our land, which creates a beautiful landscape with running horses in the morning. The colivers love it.

Katia: Back to logistics, if you don’t come by horse or car, we’ll pick you up from the station. Some people even come by bicycle—it’s a challenge, but we respect that. For shopping, we organize trips twice a week to the supermarket. Colivers can either come with us or place an online order that we pick up for them.

Katia: We also organize a few meals per week. On Sundays, the supermarkets are closed in France, so we have a big community brunch with crepes, a traditional dish from this region. It’s a way to ensure that no one feels left out if they couldn’t shop before Sunday.

Katia: In terms of trips, we encourage carpooling. People who have cars always post in the group when they go shopping or on trips, so others can join. We also have a few cars at the chateau that colivers can rent for day trips.

Katia: Recently, we installed a fast-charging station for electric cars, so we’re a bit closer to sustainability!

César: That’s a very modern castle! Since you’re close to civilization, do you have any interaction with the local community?

Katia: We do, and we want to increase that. We take trips to local farmers’ markets and have just hired a local person as a full-time property manager, who will help us build more connections with the community. We also invite local friends for big dinners or bonfires.

Katia: Next week, I have a meeting with the mayor to discuss how we can get more involved in local life. In the beginning, it was hard for them to understand what we were doing. We often had to close the gates for safety, which made it seem mysterious to the locals. Sometimes people thought the castle was a museum and would show up unannounced!

Katia: We’ve also done some projects with the municipality, like cleaning the marshes. We want to get more involved with the local animal shelter, too. That will be part of the new property manager’s job, as well as our upcoming discussions with the mayor.

César: Sounds like great plans! I can understand why the village might have been a bit unsure at first. It’s not every day that a group of foreigners shows up in a small town like that!

Katia: Yes, exactly. It’s a concept that’s new to the locals. But with time, they’ve realized it’s actually good for the local community, bringing income and people who care.

César: We’ll put your socials in the description so people can follow these cool projects you have planned. It’s been an immense pleasure having you here.

Katia: Thank you! It’s been a pleasure for me as well.

César: This podcast has been powered by Mapmelon. If you want to check out colivings, you should check it out. See you soon!

Katia: Bye, see you!