Friends of Flora: In Conversation with Emily Hyatt

Friends of Flora: In Conversation with Emily Hyatt

Emily was practically born in an antiques market — it’s in her genes. Her mother, and her mother before her both shared the same reverence for beautiful, timeworn objects. You feel it the moment you step into her shop, Trove, and in the homes and spaces she designs. There’s a deep care in the way each piece is sought out, placed, and loved — as if she is simply the custodian of these treasures for a moment, before they find their next forever home.

Emily and I met over Instagram (as one does these days), and I soon found myself visiting her shop to talk about how we might bring her antiques together with my vintage pieces.

The first thing I noticed was the calm, grounding presence Emily carries — an energy that immediately puts you at ease. You feel it throughout her beautiful shop and see it reflected in her interior design work.

Along the way, we discovered another shared love — horses — a common bond that always deepens a connection.    From there, we set out on a journey to bring art, antiques, and clothing together for an evening — and the rest is history.

Can you tell me a little bit about your path and how it led you to opening Trove and starting your own interior design business?

Honestly, I think at first I wanted nothing to do with the antique and design business. Growing up so entwined with it, I spent a period of time thinking I wanted to surround myself with the opposite of everything I knew. But it crept back - the deep appreciation for quality, time worn pieces with a story to them. I worked in retail since I was a teenager - starting at Abercrombie, and working my way up to Stuart Weitzman and Gucci. I then started working for a saddlery bringing my retail experience and love of horses together. But I have always been collecting, working on my own space, and friends' spaces. Through a serendipitous interaction I came upon a space that I could call my own as my garage was bursting at the seams and I decided to go for it and opened Trove on November 1st of 2024. Since then I have been fortunate enough to meet some amazing clients, and have been able to shift the business into more of an interior design focus. It has been beyond amazing to have people trust me with their homes, and to see our shared visions come to life.

What is a core memory you have, from being in the antiques world with your family from such a young age?

I can so clearly remember setting up my own “booth” (a small table just outside of my mothers booth) at probably 6 or 7 at the Farmington antiques show where I would sell my sets of salt and pepper shakers. 

Where or who do you look for inspiration?

Everywhere! I find inspiration traveling, looking back at old design books and magazines, of course through instagram, and following along with some of the current greats. Honestly I may see a color combination in someone's outfit that triggers an idea. Inspiration is everywhere if you’re open to it.

Tell me about one of your favorite antique finds!

There is a portrait that I bought recently from another dealer that I know who shops a lot in the UK and France. It’s of a very stately French gentleman, who looks a little grumpy - but he is pictured with his dog's head laying gently in his lap. Something about it just makes me smile every time I look at it. I love portraiture, as it is so personal - and really gives you a window into the past.

Is there a place in the world that is your favorite to hunt for treasure?

I mean Brimfield is always an adventure - it’s endless, and you never know what you’ll find on those fields.

From your travels in the world, what are some memorable scents, sounds, sights and feelings that stay with you?

One of my favorite travel memories is being in the Lincoln Cathedral in England - it’s an amazingly beautiful building (and town) but as I stepped in and saw the  head stones on the ground dating back to the 13th c. a feeling took over - immediately the choir started singing what I can only describe as the most angelic sounds I’ve ever heard - and there was a weight to the moment, and the place with hundreds of years of history behind it. I think of that day often.

Do you have a piece of clothing that holds memory or is sentimental to you and why? 

I still have my favorite jeans from high school. They are thread bare, covered in patches, hand embroidery, and holes. I’ll never wear them again - but I can’t bear to part with them.

In a world that sometimes sees beauty as superficial, what does beauty mean to you?

To me beauty is a feeling. I of course love and search for beautiful things, but it's more of the feeling that that item brings me. There are a few things in my house that just bring me so much joy - it’s so important to surround yourself with items that incite a feeling in you rather than following a trend, or going by what is seen as a standard by the general public.

You can find Emily’s beautiful antique shop,Trove, in Croton Falls, NY as well as on instagram at @trovedesignstudios and online at www.trovedesignstudios.com

Emily is also featured in the Flora Vintage Autumn Winter 2025 Collection of embroidered french workwear.

In these photographs, Emily wears three looks:

-Sequined black and blue evening dress from the 1980's

-Cashmere Paul Stewart pin striped sport coat, wide wale Giorgio Armani single pleat corduroys and a Lee window pane plaid button down shirt

-1960's short sleeve brooks brothers oxford paired with wool 1940's sailor pants with silk lined pockets (that Emily now owns)

all styles can be found on www.floravintage,co

Styled and shot by Brooke Savona in Emily’s shop, Trove.

Friends of Flora: In Conversation with Christen Yates

Friends of Flora: In Conversation with Christen Yates

I first discovered Christen Yates’ work at a show on the North Shore of Massachusetts and was immediately captivated by her landscapes — the way she captures light and emotion feels both grounded and transcendent. Christen is a painter based in Virginia whose work renders the emotional experience of the landscape and the natural world, through the use of layered oil paints, creating compositions that hover between representation and abstraction.

Her process is deeply intentional — she works with non-toxic pigments and, at times, even forages her own materials locally. That connection to the land is present in every brushstroke, honoring the very places she celebrates.

Christen grew up on Cape Ann, Massachusetts, a place that holds a special meaning for both of us. It’s where rocky coastlines meet wild light — a landscape that feels alive.  Through our shared love of this place, we began talking and quickly knew we wanted to collaborate in some way.

For our Flora collaboration, Christen painted directly on vintage French workwear — wearable canvases layered with oil paint.   Her brushwork brings an entirely new dimension to these garments, transforming them into living landscapes that move with the body. Each piece is a conversation between fabric, paint, and time.

Her work reminds me to slow down and look closer — to notice the quiet beauty that’s always been there. I’m lucky enough to have some of her beautiful work hanging on my walls and I’m so happy to call her both a friend and a Friend of Flora.

As we sat down to talk, we wandered through her artistic path, the landscapes that inspire her, and the ways clothing can hold memory.

Can you tell me a little bit about your journey to becoming an artist?  Is this something you always knew you had inside of you?

I was always drawing and painting with watercolors as a young kid. Growing up in Cape Ann, Massachusetts, the beautiful landscapes as well as a community of artists and poets who had flocked to our area since the 1800’s were a constant backdrop. Examples of people living the creative life were all around me and I always knew this was inside me, but I put it aside in college as not ‘practical enough’. After graduating, I began to take courses here and there and then in graduate school in Vancouver, British Columbia, I more fully embraced being an artist and haven’t stopped since. The necessity of beauty in my life and in our world can’t be denied – I love Dostoyevsky’s quote that the world will be saved by beauty. Yes.Yes.

Where or who do you look to for inspiration?

Nature is my first love and what makes my heart break on a daily basis. In Virginia, I live with an almost 360 degree view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We’re surrounded by farms and vineyards and Shenandoah National Forest is just down the road. No matter the season, I find so much that sparks joy and works its way into my art. I’ve also found that reading poetry helps give conceptual strength to my work - poets like Mary Oliver (of course!), Denise Levertov and Louise Gluck or writers like Annie Dillard and Wendell Berry. 

For the past decade, I’ve been inspired by the abstract expressionists, especially the stained color fields of Helen Frankenthaler and energetic brush work of Joan Mitchell (I highly recommend the book, Ninth Street Women, which I’ve now read twice!). The watercolors of John Singer Sargent have such an abstract quality to them and were my first major inspiration when I was in my early 20’s. And of course so many phenomenal contemporary landscape painters who are creating beautiful work today like Claudia Rilling and David Abbot to mention just a couple.

Other than your studio, do you have a particular place that you love to paint?

Yes! Each summer I spend a month with my parents in Rockport, MA and whichever of my kids can come in and out. I set up my watercolors on their dining room table or porch - it’s one of those ‘thin places’ in my life as the Celts talk about. Their home is  tucked in a little wood with the ocean peeking through the trees and it’s just a 5 minute walk down to a little beach when I need to cool off.

Where are your favorite places in the world to take in and experience art?

Raising four kids on a budget I’ve had little opportunity to travel the world as much as I would like! I have beautiful memories of being in Italy with my husband Chris as well as the Pacific Northwest where we were in grad school for several years. But, each summer I do have the privilege to soak up the rugged shoreline of Cape Ann, MA and visit the studios, galleries and museums of that area to explore how others are interpreting that incredible landscape.

When you are not in the studio painting, what is something you do that brings you joy?

Besides eating a meal or enjoying nature with the people I love, the creative life to me is endless and I find delight in nearly anything that is tactile: primarily cooking, gardening, consignment shopping for clothing and home goods (yay, Flora Vintage!) and occasionally pulling out my guitar and singing some Patty Griffin or Indigo Girls.

Do you have a piece of clothing that holds memory or is sentimental to you and why?

I cherish a gold chain with two pendants I put on: one from each grandmother. From my paternal grandmother, Ama, I received a tiny mustard seed in a glass tear drop to symbolize the generative power that can come from such a small, seemingly dead thing. From my maternal grandmother, Nana, I received a gilded leaf which to me symbolizes the transcendent beauty of the natural world. When worn together, I invoke the spirit and love of both grandmothers and I receive great strength.

In these photographs taken in her studio , by her son Tobin (https://www.instagram.com/tobinphotos/), Christen wears 1940s French Workwear — the same pieces she painted in.  I am so happy to be able to share them with you for purchase on https://www.floravintage.co/category/french-workwear

Christen with her paintings and her dog were shot by Ashley Fan. You can find her work at https://www.instagram.com/photosbyafan/

Discover more of Christen’s work at www.christenyates.com, on Instagram @christenbyates, or in person at The Brick Cellar Gallery in Charlottesville, Virginia, where her paintings are on view through December 31, 2025.

Thank you, Christen for the beauty you add to the world and for being a Friend of Flora.

Vintage 1940's French Chore Coat with Oil Paint by Artist, Christen Yates

Vintage 1940's French Workwear Trousers with Oil Paint by Artist, Christen Yates

Friends of Flora: In Conversation with Alexandra Kohl

Alexandra Kohl is the first artist and friend to be featured on Friends of Flora.

Alexandra and I became fast friends this year over a shared love of art, culture, travel, good food, vintage clothes and of course horses.

Alexandra's work is informed by minimalism, organic architecture, and the natural qualities of plant and animal. Her work transmits a meditative, healing essence through the stillness of simple design and equine spirit.

We sat down to talk about her artistic path, the spaces and places that inspire her and the role that clothing can play in our memories.

How and when did horses become such an important part of your life?

I was mesmerized by horses when I was a little kid and started taking pony lessons when I was 5. 

Can you walk us through your journey as an artist? When did you realize this was your path?

I grew up with parents who are artists and encouraged me to be creative in so many different ways. 

We had an art room where I spent time painting, sewing, playing with stamps, pressing flowers, making all kinds of crafts. 

As I got older I knew that I wanted to continue to make this part of my life. 

What or who inspires you?

That's a big question !! So many things -  there is inspiration everywhere you look. From plants/animals to artists of all mediums. I could be walking down the street and see a beautiful pattern on the concrete and want to incorporate it into my work. 

Do you have a uniform that you wear when you work or particular clothes that you prefer to put on when working?

I'm usually in jeans and an oversized button down. 

Favorite places in the world to take in art?

I love to visit historic architectural sites. I am always so impressed by the methods and tools used hundred of years ago to create such impressive structures. 

Where do you want to travel to next?

I'm headed to Argentina next month! I'm excited to backpack and ride through Patagonia and experience a culture with a deep appreciation for craft in both leather work and textiles. 

Do you have a piece of clothing that holds memory or is sentimental to you and why?

My grandmother’s Hermes scarves. She wore scarves almost every day and I love to think of her when I wear them.

Check out Alexandra's work on her website at https://www.alexandrakohl.com/ as well as in the windows of Lafayette 148 throughout New York City this Fall!

For our shoot together, Alexandra wore a 1920’s monogrammed cotton dress shirt, Levi’s 501’s from the 80’s, her own horsehair belt, a white cotton and lace shirt-dress from the 1950’s, turquoise and silver necklace by Robert Savona and a hat that Georgia O’Keefe would approve of.

Thank you Alexandra Kohl for spending the day with me playing and dreaming!

Styling by Brooke Savona

Photography by Jess Paul