Color reigns supreme for Sylvie Johnson. The Parisian textile designer and Merida Studio artistic director pores over antique yarn pigment charts when crafting tints for her bespoke pieces. “Color is a world in itself,” she tells Business of Home. “Every hue I choose is the result of a deep reflection and involves time and artistry.”
Born in Dakar, Senegal, Johnson was enamored with art and poetry from a young age. As a young adult, she studied economics and international development at the prestigious Sciences Po university in Paris, and ultimately earned a master’s degree before a chance visit to La Tisserie museum in Brandérion inspired a whole new career trajectory. “There was an exhibition about royal Ghanaian textiles that showcased the impact they have had throughout history,” she says. “I had always been interested in art and weaving, but was [now] motivated to make my own pieces.”
She spent the next year learning how to hand-dye and weave textiles, which led to an apprenticeship for a Paris-based couturier that had worked for Christian Lacroix and Chanel. In 2003, she launched her namesake atelier with a selection of handcrafted upholsteries woven from lush, organic fibers like silk and horsehair. “I brought a scholarly rigor into my practice,” says Johnson. “Yarns are like alphabets that can create complex sentences or ideas, where the notion of time—the time to make, the time to reflect, the time to research and experiment, and the time surrounding history and culture—becomes the center of focus.”
Johnson’s designs begin with color charts that she analyzes for weeks before deciding on a particular hue. “Then, with all of my references in mind, I hand-sketch a pattern, and work with my team to figure out which yarns work best together—and more importantly, how they will help to reveal the spirit of the initial sketch,” she says.
In 2017, she was named artistic director of Merida Studio—a high-end rug brand with a mill in Fall River, Massachusetts—while continuing to run her own company. The following year, she unveiled the Atelier series, the first of seven annually released Merida collections featuring an assortment of limited-edition floorcoverings designed by Johnson. “Throughout the history of decorative arts, rugs and tapestries have long been prized by collectors due to their unique nature,” she says. “By creating collectible handmade rugs, my work [with Merida Studio] naturally aligns with that legacy.”
Johnson creates six new colors for each yearly launch, and uses at least a dozen different natural yarn types to weave any given rug. “From the initial test weave to the final piece, roughly nine designers and artisans are involved in creating a single piece—and each maker’s hands are intimately involved at every stage: plying the yarn, weaving the inserts, applying the leather piping or embroidering.”
For the latest Merida Studio Atelier release, Yarn Unveiled, she used a strategic combination of natural colors and organic fibers to mimic the appearance of raw materials such as chrome, glass, shagreen and stone. Standouts from the line include the crimped and twisted wool Shades in rich green Ivy and the architectural Prism in icy Silver. “I’m inspired by the process of making,” she says. “I draw inspiration from centuries of meticulous craftsmanship, and my work reflects my desire to contribute to the history of fine textile-making.”
If you want to learn more about Sylvie Johnson, visit her website or the Merida Studio website.
