ON LOCATION:  SHEFFIELD/GREAT BARRINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS
By Susanna Salk for 1stdibs

It’s a place that makes its residents feel like tourists all year round. With its plethora of fabulous shopping, dining, and culture -- not to mention gorgeous views of surrounding hills that beckon you to hike or simply admire, this corner of southwestern Massachusetts has also become the ideal place in which many of our dealers sell the things they love and live the way they want.

“For many of us, this is our second career.” says Edith Gibson, proprietress of Cupboards and Roses, in Sheffield. “We came from Manhattan and eventually made our weekend homes full time. And even though we are less than 2 ½ hours from New York and Boston, there is so much to do in the area, I hardly ever go back to the city.” Rare is the place where you could hike part of the Appalachian Trail, knock back a homemade saki, and catch a performance of Chekhov all in the same day but here in the Berkshires, it is commonplace. Top of the laundry list of course, is antiquing! From finding that perfect Art Deco vintage wicker set to a Louis the XVI tapestry, to Swedish painted furniture, the inventory here is as varied as the dealers are accessible. Within just a few yards or miles of one another, one only needs energy and a car to see them all in an afternoon. Of course, there are wonderful places to stay, if you’d like to make a weekend out of it. And if the dizzying array of choices is making you feel frenetic, dealer Paul Kleinwald recommends a detour to “tone up mind and body” at the legendary Canyon Ranch in nearby Lenox, Massachusetts. Or maybe it’s just a restorative drink in a romantic setting you crave. If so, Painter Porch owner Larry Solomon loves the Old Inn on the Green because, “ Like so much around here, you can enjoy a candlelight dinner in blue jeans.”  Need we say more?