Talk Shop: Hattie Collins // Hattie Sparks
ABOUT HATTIE
Originally hailing from Texas, Hattie Collins spent most of her childhood in the mountains outside of Aspen, CO. That formative childhood experience, mixed with over ten years spent living in New Orleans, inspires Collins’s design and taste. After studying architectural history and going to graduate school for art history, Hattie began her career as the owner of a brick-and-mortar boutique. These experiences all helped her hone her eye and craft, as she creates relaxed yet refined interiors for her clients via her interior design studio, Hattie Sparks. She absolutely loves family heirlooms—both in their meaning and history—and welcomes the challenge of incorporating them into homes with ease. Enjoy this fun Talk Shop with Hattie!
Describe your style in three words or less:
Collected, layered, expressive
What have been the three biggest influences on your aesthetic in your life:
Travel, studying art history, both sets of grandparents–they all had fantastic, unique taste!
How did you start your company, and/or what is your favorite thing about what you do:
After graduate school, I opened a retail shop in New Orleans that focused on emerging local and Southern designers. This eventually grew to two locations, and we represented some incredible brands. The hunt for what was new and interesting captivated me, and I always gravitated the most toward our home decor pieces. The process of curating, merchandising, and collecting in my retail businesses helped prepare me for a lot of what I do now with my design business. My absolute favorite thing about what I get to do is knowing that something I created is being used, enjoyed, and loved by families.
Do you have a mentor in your career, and if so, how have they helped to shape your trajectory:
I’ve had so many insightful, creative women inspire and motivate me throughout the arc of my career. Even a simple word of encouragement can really help keep the momentum going. It’s hard to name everyone, but Julie Neill, Jensen Killen & Katie Logan (of Logan Killen Interiors), Melissa Rufty, Alex Kahler, Molly Solich, Johnice Katz, and Rebecca Atwood have all been so wonderful and generous with their affirmations and advice!
What does your home say about you:
I’m a collector of art, I appreciate color & pattern, I have 3 young children, and I love to host!
Where do you find inspiration:
Hotels (The White Barn Inn is a recent favorite), design magazines and books, Instagram, restaurants with great design
Who are your style icons:
I really love seeing what Lizzi Meadow (so polished and classic) and Amanda Jones Vaughan (colorful and whimsical) are wearing. And Bailey McCarthy has such a fun aesthetic that inspires me to be a bit more daring.
What are your key ingredients for entertaining:
Assorted Estelle colored wine glasses (helps everyone remember which glass is theirs!), a good candle burning (Boy Smells “Slow Burn” is my favorite), a festive menu (for NYE we cooked an entire Israeli meal using only Alon Shaya’s cookbook), a good playlist on low volume (Ethiopiques, Vol. 4 is a fav)
Do you collect anything:
Matchbooks from hotels, restaurants, & bars. I have bowls of them all over the house.
Favorite Instagram accounts to follow for inspiration:
Heidi Caillier (@heidicaillierdesign), Liz MacPhail Interiors (@lizmacphailinteriors), Mary Ball (@maryball_), The Maximalist Dreamer (@themaximalistdreamer), Kit Kemp (@kitkempdesignthread)
What design “rule” do you always follow, and which is made to be broken:
Are there rules anymore? Other than mounting your drapes high enough? I think if you love it, and it works within the room then just go for it!
What are you working on right now:
The restoration of a historic 1846 home, an 8 bedroom new build beach house, furnishing a stately Uptown family home, a Garden District full renovation, two condos in the Four Seasons Residences, a second home in Denver, and redecorating the house I just moved out of for its new owners! Plus a smattering of smaller projects, and our newly launched Concept Studio which allows us to work with clients who might not be ready for full-service.
Wardrobe staples:
Floral cotton dresses & Birkenstock Arizonas
Favorite fabric/wallpaper:
Probably House of Hackney “Artemis”...it never gets old
Best interior advice you ever received:
Melissa Rufty gave me some very encouraging advice once–focus on what you’re gifted in, and outsource what you can. I think in this business people can try and be everything all at once, and it dilutes the strength of your true talents. I’m thankful to have built a really wonderful team that all have different strengths.
Best career advice you ever received:
Never feel ashamed to ask questions, and always keep learning. We can gain so much information from others–if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room!
Types of home purchases you invest in, and save on:
Invest–upholstered pieces, vintage wool rugs, overhead light fixtures, custom drapery. Save–table lamps, sisal/jute rugs for layering under wool rugs, mirrors, accent tables.
Your greatest extravagance:
Travel
Favorite places to shop for home:
Sunday Shop, Chairish, 1stDibs, Etsy, Instagram vendors–Lily’s Vintage Finds, SideHaul NOLA, Estately NOLA, Thyme to Acquire, Found for the Home, Merchant House, Atchison Home
Most prized possession and why:
A tiny framed Charles Schultz comic featuring Frieda saying “People always expect more of you when you have naturally curly hair!” It was my grandmother’s, and it was passed along to me since she and I shared the curly hair gene. It always makes me smile, and I love that I have a little piece of her humor with me.
Your interiors motto:
Ours are lived-in lives–your home should reflect the authenticity of your life and the people in it!
Your life motto:
Why not me?
Advice for someone looking to define their own interior style:
It’s ok not to love what everyone else is doing–just because it’s all over design editorials doesn’t mean it’s meant for you. Travel, visit the homes of people whose style you admire, take lots of photos of beautiful rooms, tear out pages of magazines and start to notice the themes that repeat themselves. Then go for it! If you hate it…nothing is permanent.
Take Ten: My Favorite…
Food: New York Strip with lots of butter
Drink: A Chilled Cote du Py Beaujolais, or a very cold, very dirty Ketel One martini
Film: You’ve Got Mail
Hotel: I can’t pick one–The Dewberry, Ham Yard, Blackberry Mountain, One and Only Mandarina
City: London
Bedding: Biscuit Home
Tea or Coffee (and how do you take it): Coffee–iced with a splash of almond milk
Playlist: I usually listen to the same album for months at a time, so right now it’s Taylor Swift “Midnights (3am version)”
Weekend Activity: Spending time with my daughters & my partner.
Design Book: S is for Style: The Schumacher Book of Decoration