Vintage Pieces at Macaire + Kristoph Bring Homes to Life and Life to Homes
By Cynthia Hochswender
Photographs by Rana Faure

Knowing Liz Macaire and Simon Kristoph is, comfortingly yet unexpectedly, a little like “knowing someone” in the furniture business. The sleek graphics for their multi-hyphenate business (Macaire + Kristoph Studio), and the perfectly coordinated interiors of their two Litchfield County retail locations, might feel a little intimidating—but one only has to step over the threshold into their shops to realize that Liz and Simon are, in fact, your two Furniture Best Friends.

Last year, Macaire began doing estate sales and interior design work for friends and then friends of friends in Litchfield County and New York City. She was selling select furniture pieces on consignment, and quickly realized that she needed a retail space.

A friend introduced her to Daniel and Ivy Kramp, who had purchased a property on Route 7 in Sharon and named it Ivy’s Collective. It is home to a garden center; the Blue Gate bakery; and what is now the original home of Macaire + Kristoph. Their larger and newer second location is in the center of West Cornwall, four miles away.

Macaire’s business grew so quickly that she soon needed a partner to help with every phase of what she was doing. When she met Kristoph, who’d moved here after years working in visual merchandising in New York, she knew she’d met her perfect match. Together they formed Macaire + Kristoph Studio, curating eclectic furnishings from diverse eras and somehow making it all look yummy.

The magic that happens when Macaire and Kristoph get together extends beyond the enticing way that they arrange small and large items. Although they have very different personalities, they bring a high level of fun and intimacy to the process of acquiring and then selling items from their consignors (who keep 50% of all furniture sales). 

Although the furnishings tend toward the understated and modern, the two shops feel rich and layered—without feeling cluttered.

“We try to create vignettes or rooms within the shops,” Kristoph says. “There might be a living room, a dining area, a reading nook.” It’s all meant to help shoppers imagine themselves at home with the items they’re looking at. 

Prices are unexpectedly attainable. Part of the reason for that, Macaire explains, is that sales are not the only component of the business. The duo also earn commissions on estate sales, interior design work, and staging of real estate. The lower prices also help them move merchandise through the stores more quickly.

“We want to keep it fresh,” Macaire says. “Everything is priced to sell quickly.”

Macaire and Kristoph are excellent listeners: If you tell them you’re looking for something specific, count on them to call you as soon as that piece crosses their path. And you can also count on them to listen to the backstory of any beloved piece you bring in.

“Sellers want to know their furnishings are going to a home where they’ll be loved,” Macaire says. And buyers want to hear those stories; that’s what separates vintage from factory fresh. —macairekristoph.com