Engineering entrepreneurship professor releases third edition of fabric design textbook
Oct 27, 2025
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Frank Koe, professor of engineering entrepreneurship in the Penn State College of Engineering, will release the third edition of his comprehensive textbook, “Fabric for the Designed Interior”
Publishing on Dec. 11, the updated edition features 280 full-color illustrations and includes historical and cultural background.
According to the publisher’s press release, the book offers practical tools and expert insights to help professionals and students in interior design, architecture and related fields choose the best fabrics for any interior and Includes advice on environmental and safety considerations, fabric and carpet-care issues, bid and contract navigation and strategies for working with showrooms and fabrication facilities.
This edition also includes a new chapter focused on fabric for transportation and leisure, addressing design considerations for all modes of transportation, including space travel.Koe integrates emerging technologies into the discussion as well, with expanded sections on AI applications and their impact on interior design, as well as new innovations in fabric manufacturing.
Koe’s career includes leadership and teaching roles at institutions including New York University Stern School of Business, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Fashion Institute of Technology, and Philadelphia University. He also previously served as vice president and director of restoration at Scalamandre, where he helped reproduce historic fabric furnishings for sites such as the Andrew Johnson Suite in the U.S. Department of the Treasury and rooms in The White House during the Clinton administration.
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Frank Theodore Koe, professor of engineering entrepreneurship, poses for a headshot. Credit: College of Engineering Directory/Penn State
