Local designer and Parsons School of Design graduate Megan Coyan is launching a line of high-end woven fabric for home interiors that’s made in the good ol’ USA.
Coyan Décor’s debut collection, called Ironwork, is lightweight cotton upholstery fabric featuring bold colors that pop against a rich ebony warp yarn.
“The patterns were influenced by ironwork in fencing, gates, churches, etc.,” said Coyan. “I’ve been photographing ironwork on my travels since I was a teenager. I have always loved the strong lines and curves created by such a dark, hard metal, and I’ve translated that strength into a far warmer, softer medium.”
The Ironwork fabric, along with pillows and throws made from that fabric, will be available for purchase in late summer or early fall.
Coyan is involved in the production process from start to finish.
“It took some years to do, but through colleagues in the weaving community, I found a small mill in North Carolina which produces high quality fabric,” she said. “I began to travel there to work about three years ago, doing my research and development, sampling, and, finally, the first run of the final designs.
“Starting with sketches, I draw the patterns digitally, put them into repeat and then build a computer file which contains all of the details and specifications that the looms at the mill will need to be able to weave the fabric properly. I am present in the mill for the sampling of the designs, making corrections where needed, and once I have given the final OK for the design, the mill can weave my fabrics without me being present.”
It’s important to Coyan that she offer well-made, high quality interior fabrics that are woven domestically.
“The American textile industry, which was once so great, has been dying,” she said. “Mills all over the country, especially the Southeast, have shut their doors and the work has been outsourced to other countries. This exodus left designers, as well as mill workers, out of work. And while my company is small, and by no means can bring back the industry, I’d like to hold onto some vestige of this country’s textile tradition.”
Coyan’s aesthetic has been influenced by nature, especially plant life.
“I’m the daughter of a landscaper and grew up running barefoot through fields and building magical kingdoms in the woods in southern Delaware County,” she said.
Coyan is also inspired by a wide range of artists, especially designers and architects associated with the Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, and Mid-century Modern movements.
She called Charles Rennie Mackintosh −a Scottish architect, designer, sculptor, and watercolorist− her “No. 1 design crush.”
Coyan took a circuitous route back to the Buckeye State. In 1993, she earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from Parson School of Design (now Parsons The New School of Design) and worked in the textile industry on a freelance basis post graduation, but it didn’t suit her personality.
“Honestly, I don’t have the temperament to design for someone else, who will then take all the credit for my work,” she said.
She returned to Ohio and in 2005 she began working toward starting her own textile design company.
Although Coyan dons several hats at the moment, serving as head designer, sample sewer, bookkeeper, customer service representative and custodian, she identifies as a weaver “first and foremost.”
“I understand the physical structure of fabric and the qualities of fibers,” she continued. “I design fabric that is pleasing in both aesthetics and tactility. There are so many home décor fabrics on the market that look wonderful, but they don’t feel good in your hand when you touch them. I want my customers to enjoy the feel of my fabrics.
“And my fabrics aren’t just for show. I want them to be used. Nothing would make me happier than to know that a customer used my pillow and throw when they curled up to take a nap.”
Ultimately, Coyan wants to create wholesale fabrics, as well as artisanal quality home décor items.
“I intentionally left the word ‘textile’ out of my line’s name, as I would like to someday expand the company to include non-fabric home décor items.”
To learn more about Coyan Décor, visit its Facebook page.
Photos by Dianne Hummel of Photo I.D.
