Josy Collins is curious — curious about the world and the cultures that inhabit it. And for this entrepreneur and her family, curiosity didn’t come close to killing the cat; instead it enriched the design awareness of the entire family.
Born in Normandy, France, to a French mother (who currently lives just down the street in their Forest Hills neighborhood) and an American father, it’s no surprise that Collins loves the world. “I can’t get enough of it,” she states, and it shows through the vast collection of tribal and modern art displayed throughout the family’s home. And even though Collins hasn’t visited every country her art represents, she has no dearth of curiosity for each culture.
Co-owner of the sleek showroom Scott + Cooner in the Dallas Design District, Collins is warm, earthy and, by her own admission, able to get along with anyone. She’s inviting and chic, and her East Dallas home is little different. It exudes a palpable warmth like that which radiates from each of its inhabitants.
But the house wasn’t always as picture perfect as it is today. In 2002, the Collinses bought the home and undertook an extensive renovation before moving in. Hoping to maintain its 1930s-era charm and keep the character of the neighborhood, the family completely gutted the home instead of knocking it down and starting fresh (which would have been a less expensive option, notes Collins). But, seven years later, Collins is still in love with the home they recreated. “It’s a place I never want to leave — when I get home, I want to stay,” says the mom of five (Penn, 29; Seth, 25; Zac, 15; Bella, 6; and Sofia — or, as she’s affectionately called, Fifi, who’s 4).
Most mothers who are constantly on the go — taking kids here and there — opt for takeout or dinner out. Not Collins, who had a dinner party for 14 at their home just last weekend. “There’s nothing better than preparing wonderful food and sharing it with friends and family,” says Collins, adding that her dinner parties occur nearly every weekend, and that’s just the way she likes it. So it goes without saying that entertaining is a very important aspect of the family’s home life and was a key element in the renovation. Collins makes no mistake that the family wants their home to be “full of life,” filled with friends and family. “That’s who we are,” she states.
The juxtaposition between the clean lines of her modern furnishings (most of which can be found in her showroom) and the earthiness of her tribal art adds a keen sense of personal style to the one-and-a-half-story house. Temperate lighting and earth-toned colors add a warmth that immediately puts guests at ease, whether it be at a laughter-filled dinner party or an easy-going interview with DallasChild.
“It’s important that [my home is] comfortable,” says Collins, “not a museum.” And with the sounds of Wilco and David Grey playing about the house, combined with son Zac practicing his guitar for an upcoming gig in the kitchen and the girls playing, it’s anything but. However, while Collins is adamant that her home not feel sterile, she does admit she likes things neat: Toys are kept upstairs in the playroom to keep the family areas free of clutter. But up there, the kids rule the roost. A tent brimming with stuffed animals paints a picture of the girls’ obsession with furry creatures — something their mom smiles and shrugs about.
Although Collins succeeds in maintaining a certain homey warmth, some of the pieces on display are definitely museum worthy — such as the Han dynasty Chinese horse that sits on the wall dividing the living room and kitchen — not to mention the slit gong from New Hebrides sitting in the corner of her living room. And in the midst of the African currency collection on exhibit in the family room hangs a modern painting by local artist Tamara White. Collins says keeping the art museum quality hasn’t been a struggle; her kids understand not to touch the art, and they don’t.
One piece at the center of the home and family is a chandelier by Ingo Maurer that hangs above the kitchen table. Collins uses it to clip up the kids’ art, photos of friends and family and notes that she changes the mementos out seasonally. “It almost becomes part of the family,” says the interior designer and mom. And it’s this piece that brings home Collins’ philosophy: It’s the perfect mingling of home crafts and traditional art. The two don’t have to exist in different worlds.
Surrounded by all her curiosities, in a home she’s distinctively left her mark on, we asked about Collins’ favorite aspect of their home: She simply says, “It feels like a retreat — a real family place.”
