Ruth De Jong’s Weekend of Art Installations and Outdoor Adventures in the Berkshires

Welcome to Design Detours, a series where creative people whose tastes we trust share their well-curated, design-minded travel itineraries. 

After a decade of working in art departments in the film and TV industry, Ruth De Jong hasn’t had much time for vacations. The seasoned production designer has devoted much of those years crafting intricate settings for movies and TV series like There Will be Blood, Manchester by the Sea, Twin Peaks, and most recently, Jordan Peele’s "neo-Western science fiction horror" film, Nope. (Earlier this year, she also wrapped on the upcoming Christopher Nolan production, Oppenheimer.)  

So when De Jong—who lives with her husband and daughter in Livingston, Montana, and has a loft in downtown Los Angeles—was invited by her friend Currie Person, owner of Spartan Shop in Portland, Oregon, on a multi-destination trip along the East Coast with their respective children, she jumped at the opportunity. "Currie is always putting together amazing trips," says De Jong. The getaway, which included stops in Virginia, Maine, New York, and Massachusetts, offered the production designer a chance to take a break from work, spend a few days with her child, and visit the Berkshires—an area she’d been to for professional reasons but hadn’t really explored. "The only time I’ve spent in Massachusetts was on Cape Ann while designing Manchester By The Sea," says De Jong. "I’ve heard so many wonderful stories about the Berkshires, but have never gotten close—it always felt like a dreamland until now." De Jong and Person had also long promised to visit their mutual friend Julie Pearson, who designed the interiors of the local boutique hotel, Tourists.

Here, De Jong shares some of her favorite spots from her trip, including a museum ice cream shop with a slew of unique gourmet flavors and a woodland hike with outdoor sculptures scattered throughout the landscape. 

Day 1: Visit farm stands and dine at a farmhouse-turned-restaurant 

"We departed Maine and took the scenic route along the Mohawk Trail. It was breathtaking, with the lush forests hugging the Deerfield River. Along the way we hit up some farm stands. There was a spirit and soul that was alive through these parts; I wanted to soak it all up.

We arrived at Tourists early in the evening, and I was mesmerized. It’s an incredibly special property that sits serenely along Route 2, kissing the Hoosic River, a 76-mile long tributary of the Hudson fed by streams from Vermont’s Green Mountains, New York’s Taconics, and nearby Mount Greylock. (If only my husband, an avid fly fisherman, had been with us; the mile-long stretch through the Tourists property is one of the best wild brown trout habitats in Massachusetts). The sun was streaming through the windows, lighting the warm wood tones and vintage furniture throughout the most inviting lobby/bar I’ve ever seen. I loved the mix of vintage Mario Bellini tan leather sofas with the cinder block fireplace and exposed plywood walls. There was a general warmth and rawness that drew me in instantly. (Had we not had little ones with us, I’d have climbed on one of comfy bench seats next to the fireplace with a cocktail and book.) 

Upon checking in, we grabbed frozen strawberry basil lemonades for the kiddos (not too sweet, and tasted of fresh summer ingredients) and margaritas for us mamas to take to the pool before dinner. The convenience of having the check-in counter as a bar is genius! Why doesn’t every hotel have this?  

We dropped our bags in our rooms, which were perfect and impeccably considered, full of unfinished materials and vintage rugs in warm tans, browns, and beiges with pops of deep blue and army green. The space had a grounding feel to it—a calm, peaceful vibe. Our back porch overlooked the Hoosic River at treetop level.