Collier West Finds a New Home in Brooklyn

There’s a new kid on the Atlantic Avenue design block. Collier West is now open after relocating to our fair hood after six years in Columbus, Ohio.

At the back of the shop you’ll find a sign that offers, “Free inspiration.” It’s something of a motto here, a driving force, along with the interior and home store’s official tagline, “Home Chic Home.”

Suzi West, who co-owns the brand with Mary Jo Collier, has dreamt of being a Brooklyn-ite for twenty years, and after a serendipitous April afternoon walk through Boerum Hill in which she found the storefront at 377 Atlantic Avenue, she, and Collier West, have found a new home.

And like many of the shops that have sprung up along this unique stretch of Atlantic Avenue in the last year, both the store Collier West and the owner Suzi West share a deep investment and enthusiasm for the community and neighborhood that they call home.

Collier West – with rich wooden floors freshly stripped and walls splashed with the brand’s signature yellow – is not an antique store, though they do specialize in unique, one-of-a-kind signature pieces.

“We use periods and pieces that are all basically aligned by design,” describes West.

The juxtaposition of different periods and of old and new - for example a Suzani footstool re-upholstered in Early American textile - is a source of fascination for West. And indeed, the effect is striking both visually and theoretically.

Match pewter from Brescia, Italy and Sabre tabletop silverware with handles of French resin are displayed in gorgeous old showcases from the Industrial period.

West speaks with a charming sense of humor, from equating the store’s curation process to the skill of “trying to achieve bedhead in the 80's” to naming her schnauzer doodle ‘Tchotchke’ because “Collier West would never sell a tchotchke.”

There is a whimsical quality to Collier West's wares. Lighting is a signature feature of the brand, and it’s no wonder why. Phenomenal chandeliers made from antlers and hickory branches (“brancheliers”) drop from the ceiling in every direction, creating an almost tree-house effect in the store.

Collier West carries familiar brands like John Darrian and Fornasetti, whose famous “Tema e Variazioni” plate series features the motif of operatic soprano Lina Cavalieri’s face, which Piero Fornasetti had seen in a 19th century magazine. Fornasetti created over 350 versions of her face for the series.

His son Barnaba now designs for the company, which is launching its first collection of home fragrances, “Fornasetti Profumi per La Casa,” this season. You will be able to save yourself a trip to Italy (for better of for worse) because Collier West will carry the candle collection.

A very cool aspect of the Collier West vision is that there is a little something for everyone. You can find men’s gifts such as a lint roller with a Stag handle (what is a man if not useful and sexy?). And if you don’t have a house that you are decorating, Collier West has a gorgeous collection of jewelry at the far end of the store.

Jewelry is, in fact, a large part of the history of the business. West herself designs a line called Pont Neuf, in which she redesigns vintage pieces (imagine a 1920’s brooch reworked with 1980’s chains). One-of-a-kind pieces from local designers are featured, as well as custom fine jewelry from designer Heather Moor, who makes pieces that are personally commemorative and significant, using elements like engraved dates or words.

There is a lot to look at in the shop, yet it feels impeccably designed and curated.

“It’s an intricate study in randomness,” explains West, who speaks about the store with enthusiasm and thoughtfulness.