By Andra Moss

Another newer addition to North Canaan’s Main Street is Collins & Company Upholstery, at number 93. Sylvia (Dooley) Collins opened her eponymous atelier in June, after having worked for 35 years in a studio in Sheffield. 

Many in the local design world are familiar with Collins’ work and her dedication to the craft. She began with, and perhaps her deepest heart remains with the most traditional style of upholstering. “I worked with horsehair before I ever worked with foam,” she says proudly. Collins does, however, freely admit to enjoying working on “a lot of mid-century modern pieces with certain designers.”

She is continuing to work from her new location with many interior designers with whom she has partnered for years. She also encourages potential new clients to stop in anytime she is there. (“It’s just me,” she admits. “I am the ‘and Company.’”)

Collins especially welcomes the old and tired pieces that she says are too often or too hastily overlooked. “There are so many things in our lives that are thrown away,” she says, but adds that she is pleased to help break that cycle. “The older pieces are so worth doing—such better quality and often affordable to pick up. It’s a very satisfying skill, to bring something back to life.”

To contact Collins or to view samples of her craftmanship, head to her Instagram page, @CollinsandCompany93.