Lost Fox Inn Finds Its Footing in Litchfield County

When Lost Fox Inn opened its doors in Litchfield County earlier this summer, the community welcomed a longtime staple back to the local scene.

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“Someone always knows somebody who either got married there previously, or stayed there for a party, or worked there,” says Eliza Clark, who co-owns and redesigned the property with husband Tim Trojian. “It’s just a fixture of the community, and I think everybody’s so excited that it’s coming back.”

Lost Fox Inn joins the couple’s flagship property, Foxfire Mountain House, a popular event venue and boutique hotel in the Catskills. Litchfield, which is around a two-and-half-hour drive  from both New York and Boston, is becoming an increasingly attractive area for new hospitality projects. “The food scene is really good,” says Clark. “You get a lot of people around this area who love food. And that’s really important to us.”

While the Catskills and Hudson Valley have seen an influx of boutique properties in recent years, Litchfield is less saturated — but has plenty to offer in the way of natural beauty, with pastoral hills and lakes, and cultural attractions. Fifteen miles away, the town of Washington — notable for inspiring “Gilmore Girls” — has the high-end Mayflower Inn and Spa, and quirky Relais & Chateau property Winivan Farm is also nearby. Visitors heading up from New York can stop by the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum in Ridgefield, Conn., en route.

The property is less than a five-minute drive from the town center, but cultivates a sense of retreat. Visitors arrive at the property past two stone pillars topped with fox statues, a nod to the brand’s central motif. Lost Fox Inn is comprised of three buildings: a main inn with 10 guest rooms; a restaurant and tavern, housed in a building that was originally established in 1745; and a former schoolhouse, which has been converted into a private cottage.

“We’re really smitten with that simplicity of New England colonial style,” says Clark, adding that their design approach was to add old-world charm, informed by the “good bones” of the property. “What we wanted to do was add soul to it, create an old-world charm that was united through the three buildings.”

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Clark reimagined the property alongside her daughter through their Byrd Studio design company, established after publishing their coffee-table design book “Foxfire Living.” The pair focused on adding antique decor and incorporating natural materials that would age well, like the lobby’s handmade clay brick floor. “Natural materials that feel antique,” adds Clark. “Bringing all of those things in, but with comforts that people expect, like a smart television, fast Wi-Fi, good heating and cooling,” she continues. “We’ve made sure that we kept a lot of the beautiful historic detail: the wood beams, the way they finished the ceiling in the tavern, the big wood floor planks.”

Lost Fox Inn is romantic, a little bohemian and old-world luxe. Portrait paintings hang throughout the property, and guest rooms are outfitted with vintage-inspired furnishings; several feature stone fireplaces and soaking tubs. Their overall aesthetic approach was inspired by The Rolling Stones’ residence at Villa Nellcôte in the South of France: a gorgeous mansion filled with antiques and the presence of rock ‘n’ roll legends. “Obviously we didn’t create a gorgeous French chateau,” adds Clark. “But it was that idea of mixing a little bit of cheeky rock and roll vibe with some of the portrait paintings that we have around.”

The Lost Fox Inn Tavern and Restaurant is led by chef CJ Barroso, who created a menu of New England-inspired dishes, with an inventive angle. The opening menu includes Cornish game hen, olive oil poached halibut, Vadouvian roasted eggplant, and lobster and crab salad.

Clark has documented the renovation process on Instagram, creating plenty of intrigue for locals and fans of the Foxfire aesthetic. An early visitor offered high praise for the new venue: that the photos don’t do it proper justice.

“As someone who loves Instagram, that made me really happy, because there’s so much you can do with photos,” says Clark. “But for someone to come in and say, oh, it’s even better in person — that was the biggest compliment.”

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