Design History Lesson: The Real McCoy

Hello! I should introduce myself- my name is Alyssa and I'm happy to be the newest member of the henhouse team! I love working here; I'm learning a lot about furniture, design, home decor, and much, much more. I thought it might be interesting to share some of my newfound knowledge with all of you.

Today's lesson is the real deal, or you might say it's the real McCoy!


McCoy pottery has a history that goes back to Ohio in 1848. W. Nelson McCoy was a farmer then, and was producing a very limited amount of primitive stoneware out of his small shed during the summer months. His son James W. McCoy was born that same year, and would be the one to really establish the family's pottery business.

In 1866 James entered into the pottery business through a partership he established with the Kudlow, Williams and McCoy Pottery Co. This company was known for its assortment of stoneware and cullinary utensils. In 1899 the J.W. McCoy Pottery Co. was formed and around 1902 they began to make more artistic pottery and decorative pieces. These are the McCoy that we all recognize and love, and that are considered valuable collector's pieces.

The Floraline collection pictured above was started in 1960 as an economical solution for decorative pottery that could be sold directly to florists. They were designed with simple, classic lines in mind and in beautiful colours.

I just love the shapes and colours of these pieces, the muted green is lovely and would work well in almost any decor. Their forms are timeless, organic, classic. What do you think?

Henhouse has these McCoy peices available at the shop starting at $35.00. They'd look great as planters, or for cut flowers in your home!