10 STYLISH WEEKEND PURSUITS SHARED BY OLIPHANT'S CARA HOTCHKISS IN LITCHFIELD, CT

You now have a great reason to take a weekend leaf peeping trip. Jewelry designer Cara Hotchkiss recently opened Oliphant, a fresh home store that captures the same fun, colorful spirit as her bright beaded Oliphant necklaces. The name came from her grandmother's maiden name of the Litchfield, Connecticut resident, who felt her love of home goods could be an asset to the town. It was missing a great spot that appealed to interior designers and those looking to do their own homes,  and pick up a hostess gift of two. The shop, situated in the old Talbot's space, is sure to become a destination. The result of her stylish eye is a chic and on-trend mix of great brands you know and love. She has hand - picked pieces from Lee Industries, Roberta Roller Rabbit pillows, over sized art from Natural Curiosities, colorful table lamps and graphic rugs.  This bucolic upstate Connecticut town  is the prefect place to visit come fall.  Fun activities abound, as does delicious food in restaurants from former NYC chefs. Cara shares her roundup of the best things to do in Litchfield this fall, aside from watching the leaves change.

1. Shop at the amazing home, design and jewelry store- OLIPHANT, on the Green, 29 West Street in Litchfield, CT  
2. Mountain bike, Kayak, hike or have a picnic in 4,000 acre White Memorial Foundation
3. Take a horse drawn hayride and pick your own pumpkin at Bunnels Farm…you may even want to think ahead and order a Fresh Thanksgiving Turkey! 
4. Enjoy a ride in the rolling hills and admire the beautiful foliage 
5. Wine and cheese tasting at Sunset Meadow Vineyards
6.  Take a hike up Mohawk Mountain 
7. Enjoy a delicious lunch at the West Street Grill overlooking the Village Green in Litchfield
8. Indulge in a luxurious stay at the exclusive Winvian featuring 18 individually architecturally designed cottages, spa and gourmet restaurant 
9. Go apple picking at March Farms 
10. Enjoy a fresh and local culinary treat at Community Table Restaurant

Photos courtesy of Oliphant

 Oliphant 

The shop is arranged in move-in ready vignettes

Lamps add a pop of color to a black and white area near the register

Love the turquoise and fuchsia together

Pretty jewels all in a row

Looking for easy to mix furniture basics? Yup, she's got that covered

Regency details and gourd shaped lamps add a zingy crisp look

Pattern play

A rainbow of color in accessories

A hit of zebra and a zigzag rug balance out neutral upholstery

Earrings arranged

Better off red

Go bold with zebra and red

SPARKLE APLENTY: ASHA TRUNK SHOW AT TREILLAGE

Photo courtesy of Treillage

If you are on the Upper East Side this coming Thursday September 27th, pop into Bunny Williams' Treillage to shop from 2-6pm for shiny baubles by Asha New York. Supremely talented Ashley Dodgen-McCormick's beautiful jewelry incorporates well-cut gemstones as well as mother of pearl with lustrous metals.  Taking her design inspiration from travels to Florence to Paris, architecture, art and historical references, her line is striking and unusual.  Her signature quatrefoil pattern came from a detail in Sainte Chappelle Cathedral. Settings are highly detailed, cuts include cabochon, and 14 karat vermeil finishes mix well with your existing pieces. Lets just say I covet every item, and am itching for a great pair of every-day earrings cause they look like a million dollars.

Photos courtesy of Asha

Bamboo Hoops 

Cage tear earrings in cushion cut turquoise

Quatrefoil Chandelier are a good dangly option

Carlotta earrings look great with everything from tunics to shift dresses

 

Carlotta pendant and chain

 

Lily earrings with mother of pearl cut- outs have become a signature

 

Cage onyx earrings

 

Cage crystal earrings

Coco C carnelian earrings

 

Tamsin earrings in emerald cut topaz and rock crystal

I love a puffy gold bracelet with weight.  This Crawford bracelet takes time to make, so give it 6-8 weeks.

Serena moonstone hoops can go dressy and everyday

 

Katrina ring with tiger's eye set in black enamel

Weighty and substantial, the Mykonos cut-out pendant on slide

 

Mariska chain necklace has a nice heft and texture, a perfect every day piece

Elizabeth mother of pearl earrings are total stunners. They literally glow.

Need a little party glam? These Elizabeth cz babies debut in time for holiday soirees

TOTAL TRANSPARENCY: INVISIBLE FURNITURE FROM PAGODA RED

Made in Beijing, July Zhou takes traditional Chinese Ming furniture forms and reinvents them in crystal clear lucite. The handmade, highly- detailed pieces glow with a lacquer like luster. Adding a piece to any interior brings a modernist sensibility and a dash of cool factor. The pieces have just launched at Betsy Nathan's Chicago-based Pagoda Red booth at 1st Dibs on the 10th floor of  The New York Design Center. Her Chicago store is a must-visit destination, so I am sure this will be too.

Photos courtesy Pagoda Red

Summer Palace Altar Table

Pair of Blue and White Invisible Chairs 

Summer Palace Low Table 

Summer Palace Square Table

Forever Roundback Chair

Invisible Stool

The Mirage Stool has color on the underside of the lucite that gives it a glowing red presence

BACK TO SCHOOL: CLASS PORTRAITS

School portraits are endearing for a host of reasons. Bad hair, outfits and expressions notwithstanding, the awkwardness of it all turns to charming once you can look back and laugh.  Artist Angela Rossi's Beat Up Creations Mixed Media Portraits are a laugh-out-loud riff on the theme, where instead of wily children, she has replaced smiling faces with soulful faced animals.  Dressed in era-appropriate 1970's and 80's looks of the day, turtlenecks, corduroys  and plaid shirts were standard garb. They take the lower school years to high art, printed from pigment-based inks on archival paper they are framed in gesso-painted pine frames. You can find them at Michele Varian online.

They are genius.

Photos courtesy of Michelle Varian

Rachelle 4th Grade Cockatoo

Andrea 1'st Grade Giraffe 

Billy 2nd Grade Goat 

Hunter 3rd Grade Hound Dog

Katie Kindergarten Cat 

This is the only time I will ever show a cat, I promise

Mary 3rd Grade Gazelle in the very same teal Oshkosk corduroy overalls I had

Princess Pinniped of the Caspian Sea, Sea Lion 

Tony 6th Grade Tiger Cub

PARIS ARRIVE A NEW YORK: MARCHE AUX PUCES HITS BARNEYS

If you didn't make it to Paris for Maison Objet, with a side trip to the famed La Marche Aux Puces flea market in Clignancourt, you are in luck, because it has come to you.  Barneys New York is saving you the price of a plane ticket, and the cost of shipping a container home. After mining through hundreds of decorative objects and antiques, Dennis Freedman, creative director of Barneys New York, cherry-picked his favorites to bring back to New York. Three stalls have been set up in Chelsea Passage on the 9th floor of the store, filled with unusual original pieces, ranging from a mod orange 60's chair to architectural salvage to funky metal sculptures from the 1930's. The range of styles, priced from $200 to $5000, makes the assortment worth seeing, since once its gone it's gone baby gone.  It will be there till mid-November, vite!

Photos courtesy of Tom Sibley

One of the three dramatically lit stalls

It's all in the mix

Need an arched window from a cathedral?

There is a bit of everything

The metal bird is fabulous

It's fun to see the diversity of materials

Displayed gallery style, you don't have to fight the pushy crowds here