Ask any designer to name their greatest sources of inspiration, and travel will almost always make the list. Exploring architecture, colors, and culture can create new points of view and references that you wouldn’t otherwise find. And, while I can see how a trip to Marrakech or Milan would do a lot to open up one’s aesthetic perspective, ‘travel’ doesn’t necessarily have to mean visiting the other side of the world, or even getting on a plane. One of my favorite places to go for design inspiration is actually just an hour’s drive away from where I live, in Litchfield, Connecticut.
Litchfield always provides me with inspiration, and is just an hour’s drive from my home – ideal for bringing back plenty of ‘souvenirs’.
(Image credit: Kaitlin Madden)
Litchfield and the surrounding towns like Morris, New Preston, Woodbury, Washington, Kent, and Falls Village have long been a hamlet for artists, antique dealers, curators, and the design-minded. It’s also one of the most charming, historic parts of the state. Hence, the area has always drawn a certain sophisticated, yet low-key crowd of New Englanders and New Yorkers out to its idyllic downtowns, where you’ll find a shop selling local dairy next to one selling fine art and Persian rugs.
In the last 10 years (and maybe even more so since the COVID pandemic), the interest in the Litchfield Hills has grown even more, and has brought with it new designers and developers who have added, in my opinion, even more of a reason to visit. The Mayflower Inn & Spa opened in 2018, designer Bunny Williams opened her store in Falls Village in 2019, and textile house Sister Parish added a showroom in Litchfield in 2022, just to name a few.
The entry of Belden House and the hotel’s lobby made me want to add a banquette to my own home.
(Image credit: Kaitlin Madden)
One of my favorite new additions is right in the heart of downtown Litchfield: Belden House Inn & Mews. The boutique hotel opened in the spring of 2025 and won a Michelin Key just a few months later. It sits in an 1888 building a block from the town’s center, and aside from being convenient, it’s one of the most beautiful properties I’ve ever stayed at. The bones are Victorian, and the interiors preserve that character in a way that feels fresh and cheeky: confident color choices, a mix of modern and vintage, and so much detail that you want to stop and really take in every space.
The hotel is a study in bold color: The sitting room in the hotel is painted the prettiest shade of pink, while the bar area is a high-gloss green.
(Image credit: Kaitlin Madden)
One of the things I find most inspiring about travel, near or far, is hotel design. Spending time in a well-designed boutique hotel, where intention and thoughtfulness show up in every detail, is like language immersion for interior design. Most of us don’t have access to homes decorated by top designers, but a chic hotel is open to anyone. Belden House, designed by New York-based firm Champalimaud Design, is the kind of hotel that demonstrates firsthand the power of a color combination or how a textured wallpaper can transform a space.
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The coffee bar subtly pulls the pink and green from the public spaces into the guest rooms.
(Image credit: Kaitlin Madden)
Outside of the hotel, the shops are where I find inspiration in the Litchfield area, and not just for what they sell. A well-curated boutique can also function like a mini decorating lesson, with insight about how to put things together, how to style a surface, and how to make disparate objects feel like a collection.
The exterior of The Fabric Studio and Jeffrey Tillou Antiques.
(Image credit: Kaitlin Madden)
There aren’t a ton of boutiques in downtown Litchfield, maybe twelve to fifteen at most, but they cover a nice range, from high-end clothing to home decor to fine art and antiques. You can cover it in an afternoon, which is all I had on this trip. If you have more time, the neighboring towns are worth the short drive, because almost every village in the Litchfield Hills has at least one shop that people make the trip specifically for.
A table at Milton Market and a Pierre Frey fabric I bought at The Fabric Studio, both in Litchfield.
(Image credit: Kaitlin Madden)
If you happen to find yourself in the area, these are the ones that are most renowned:
Litchfield Milton Market: Curated home, table and apothecary finds, both vintage and newHTC Home: A weekends-only antique and vintage shop just outside of the downtown areaSister Parish: The renowned textile house’s showroom and retail storeJeffrey Tillou Antiques: Fine antique furniture, folk art and rugsThe Fabric Studio: Designer fabrics and remnants curated by a knowledgeable shop ownerNew PrestonPlain Goods: Often on lists of the best home decor shops in the countryEleish Van Breems: Scandinavian antiques and home furnishingsJ Seitz & Co: Artisan-made home decor overlooking a waterfallPergola: Garden accessories and planters by local artisansRo by Frecha Design: Vintage furniture, art and lighting, designer-curatedWashington DepotFalls VillageMarché: European antiques and local art in a 19th-century bank100 Main: Bunny Williams’ cooperative for regional artisansJohn Robshaw: Colorful, India-inspired textiles and home accessories
There are plenty of others, but even this list is probably more than you can absorb in one trip.
Shop the Litchfield Look Online
GreenRow
Faye Scallop Edged Lamp Shade
The patterned lampshades at Belden House were one of my favorite details.
I also added a classic poster bed with spindle details to my wishlist.
Pottery Barn
Lucia Stoneware Appetizer Plates – Set of 4
A new idea I saw on my visit: transferware and vintage dishes propped up on small art easels.
GreenRow
Hadley Upholstered Sofa
Fringe trim elevates a pretty sofa into one that makes the whole room feel special.
Rejuvenation
Gretna Hand-Knotted Rug
Vintage rugs are one of my favorite antique store buys. This Rejuvenation version is new, but has a vintage feel.
Wayfair
Allmodern Lavande 2 Piece Tray Set
I’m thinking of putting my coffee maker on a lacquered tray will instantly make it feel more intentional on my countertop.
While not every area has a ‘Litchfield’ an hour away, there is plenty that can spark an idea in any day trip; the way a drink is served or a meal is presented, the spine of a book in an old bookstore, a thrift shop in a church basement. You just need to get out and look around.
I have spent more than a decade writing about homes and interiors, but My So-Connecticut Life is personal. I live in a 1937 Colonial in the small town of Easton, Connecticut, with my husband, three children, and our dog. Seven years in this house have taught me which farm stands and vintage markets are worth the detour, how to set a table without stress, and the small routines that make a home feel like home. Every other Saturday, I’ll share a glimpse into life in Connecticut – where I’m shopping, how I’m hosting, and the seasonal rituals that shape the year.
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