The Fox Group has earned acclaim—and a loyal fanbase—for their charming designs rooted in European and American tradition. The husband-and-wife team of Tom and Cara Fox have brought their formal but unfussy style to homes across Utah and nationwide, and now they are embarking on a new adventure: their own custom shop. “It’s been a 10-year dream, to be honest,” Cara says. While growing their construction and interior design business, Cara and Tom hoped to open their own shop featuring favorite products and curated finds used in their own designs. They officially began preparations in 2019, and after two years of development, The Fox Shop is open online and at a Salt Lake City retail location.
Fans of The Fox Group will not be surprised to see that the store’s products skew traditional. “I would say our number one inspiration is timelessness,” Cara explains. While she says her design often fits in with the in vogue “grandmillenial” aesthetic, all of her designs maintain a classical grounding. “We try really hard to stay away from big trends,” she says. The Fox Group, who recently completed a historic home in Vermont, often evokes old-school New England design in their own work. “We take a lot of our inspiration from classic American design from the mid-1800s,” Cara says. That means every element of the room fits together just so. “We focus on the matching wallpapers and window treatments that go along with the matching fabrics on the chairs and pillows.”
Even the design of the store itself reflects Cara’s timeless inspirations. For the exterior, the team initially considered a baby blue palette that has become The Fox Group’s signature, but they ultimately craved something more eye-catching from a distance. Using the Park City Post Office as an inspiration, they chose molding that is “bold while sticking with classic colors.” The final result pops while still reflecting the shop’s tried-and-true aesthetic. “You know, how does it get more classic than navy stripes?” Cara asks.
From heirloom dining tables to fine linens, The Fox Shop sells goods for every room of the home, allowing customers to craft their own style. Cara’s goal was to create an experience that mirrored her own work with design clients. “Someone that isn’t a designer can come into our shop and it works as a tool for them,” she says. Cara also wanted the shop to be a reflection of The Fox Group’s own designs, which meant selling her favorite brands. The store features bespoke pieces from local and national creators, and The Fox Shop is one of the few Utah retailers to carry Schumacher and Visual Comfort.
Cara’s love of Schumacher fabrics inspires one of the shop’s signature features: the Design Your Room tool. The Fox Shop curated 12 complimentary textile collections, and, after a customer picks their favorite, the website recommends matching furniture, lighting and accessories for individual rooms. “This tool alone took about a year to build,” Cara says, who hopes the feature aids customers looking to implement The Fox Group’s design expertise in their own homes. “It’s a unique tool that not a lot of furniture stores offer,” she says. The collections create a custom experience with expert guidance—customers receive their own box of fabric samples, so they can explore how the colors and textures will function in different spaces, and The Fox Shop team oversees the details of each order.
While the product line includes many of the designers’ familiar favorites, Cara also decided to explore a new field: fashion. Applying Cara’s love of fabrics to custom garments, The Fox Shop Co. sells dresses for women and girls, aprons and lederhosen, using Cara’s own designs from Schumacher fabrics. “I wanted to enjoy the fabrics on more than just a pillow,” she says. “We drew inspiration from The Sound of Music: why not take the curtains and make a dress with it?” Appropriately enough, the pieces recall the 1940s with small waistlines, Peter Pan collars and loose-fitting necklines. The clothing is already one of the shop’s bestsellers, and Cara is planning on releasing more vintage-inspired garments.
The Fox Shop also sells original artworks for the home, which Cara admits is one of her favorite parts of the store. “My mom was an oil painter, and art has always been near and dear to my heart,” she says. She has also cultivated relationships with artists, both based in Utah and elsewhere across the country, as a designer. Cara wanted The Fox Shop to act as an online gallery, promoting favorite artists while giving customers a guide for how each work can enliven a space. The Design Your Room tool recommends specific pieces for different rooms, and Cara plans to frequently update offerings from artists across the world. “The art is my favorite because it’s so varied and so personal,” she says.
Cara plans to continue expanding the store with an evolving line of products. She will offer new fabrics every spring and fall and wants to highlight a new artist each month. She also hopes to sell products at different price points. (The store already carries both original artworks and giclees, and the custom dresses are supplemented by a line of curated pieces by Cara.) For Cara, the shop’s long-awaited opening reflects years of hard work, and now customers can be a part of her vision. “I almost don’t even have words to express how it feels,” she says.
4969 S. Holladay Blvd., SLC
Open by appointment only
The featured image is by Lindsay Salazar.
Read more places and faces here.
