Chintz Happens

There's an old saying that everything old is new again, an apt description for the bright, patterned, glazed, fabric known as chintz. First introduced by artisans in India over 5,000 years ago, chintz went on to enjoy massive popularity in Europe and America in the 1900s, and again after World War I and World War II.

Chintz fabric, used on curtains, furniture, wallpaper and even clothing, saw a resurgence in the 1960s with Jackie Kennedy’s renovation of the White House boasting an orange blossom chintz bedroom. In the 1980s, it was in the spotlight once again with the popularity of Laura Ashley, an international retail chain known for selling floral chintz fashions and housewares.

Today, chintz is enjoying newfound popularity as part of “grandmillennial style,” an interior decorating trend that combines modern design elements with the vintage and antique decor of past eras. The trend describes millennials who love design and decor and embrace interior designs including chintz fabric and floral wallpaper mixed with sustainability and heirloom furniture.

A 2023 Designer Trends Survey conducted by the online design marketplace, 1stDibs, found that 28% of interior designers surveyed predicted pastels and chintz would be a big design trend in 2023 replacing minimalism.

An Interior Designer Brings Chintz To South Florida And Beyond

Interior decorator Mario Buatta, who died in 2018 at the age of 83, was known as the “Prince of Chintz” for his style of using chintz fabrics to cover furniture and blending it with other textures and patterns.

Buatta decorated many homes in Palm Beach using cheerful chintz patterns, a signature component of his English-country style rooms. He gained a reputation for creating English country style abodes for the rich and famous and counted Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Barbara Walters, Mariah Carey and Billy Joel among his clients.

In an interview with the Palm Beach Daily News in 2014, Buatta said he didn’t believe in using chintz in every room, creating instead “a living garden” inside his clients’ homes.

“I love the feeling of a modern, up-to-date flowered fabric,” Buatta said in the interview. “I don’t start out to do an English Country look. I like it more citified, sophisticated and polished. I like making a room for living today — hopefully cozy, comfortable, colorful, personable.”

Scott Salvator, (scottsalvator.com) who once served as a design associate to Buatta and is now recognized as one of the country’s premier interior designers, believes the grandmillennial style is inspired in part, by a sense of nostalgia.

“Many people grew up with chintz and are drawn to the English country look,” says Salvator, who is based in New York City.

Although Buatta was Salvator’s first employer, Salvator says his own decorating style is defined by each of his clients’ personal preferences.

“Chintz never went out of print, but rather remained a regional trend,” Salvator says. “The South has always embraced florals and chintz.”

Over the years chintz has evolved beyond floral patterns and grown to include bold patterned wallpaper and upholstery, as well as more subtle themes and solid colors. Modern chintz, says Salvator, features vibrant colors and patterns, motifs and pictorial scenes.

Danica Jones, senior director of marketing for Fabricut Inc., a Tulsa, Oklahoma-based company that serves as a single source of fabric, wallcoverings, furniture, rugs and more to interior designers, agrees that today’s chintz isn’t the same chintz found in our grandmothers’ homes.

“The millennial generation is discovering traditional designs, like chintz, with fresh eyes,” Jones says. “While the chintz patterns are reminiscent of Waverly fabrics, the designs are more contemporary, and the sizes of the designs have also changed.”

Jones has seen projects where chintz has been used to reupholster family heirlooms, giving antique furniture a new updated look.

“Sustainability is also a big part of grandmillennial style,” Jones says. “Rather than throwing away a piece of furniture, it’s given a new life with contemporary upholstery.”

Jones says it’s exciting to see new interpretations of chintz fabric being introduced and to see how interior designers are using the new fabrics in home decor to create a sense of comfort and nostalgia.

“Another popular way of incorporating chintz into your home is using the fabric as wallpaper and then repeating the same design on drapes or select pieces of furniture,” Jones says.

Many of the newer chintz fabrics are botanically inspired and feature palm trees, fern leaves and more, allowing homeowners to bring a bit of the outdoors into their homes. In the past, chintz floral patterns were primarily printed on cream backgrounds, but today’s fabrics often feature patterns on darker backgrounds.

“The Veil is one example of a sustainable fabric that features a beautiful modern serpent scale chintz design in several different colors,” Jones says.

In addition, the global marketplace, Spoonflower offers many modern chintz fabric designs with bold color schemes and innovative patterns made by independent artists worldwide.

Using Chintz Designs In Your Home

Despite the fabric’s popularity over the years, Buatta admitted in an interview with Vogue that many people weren’t sure how to decorate with chintz.

“It’s not just big floral chintz. It’s little prints on chintz fabric — you know, chintz is only cotton that’s glazed, polished cotton,” Buatta said. “I’m used to using three or four patterns in one room. I do it by scale. Start with tiny things like a seaweed print, then you jump it up to a single little flower stripe and so forth.”

For those who are chintz-curious but aren’t ready to commit, Salvator recommends using the fabric sparingly when decorating. A little bit of chintz can go a long way.

“Too much chintz can make a room look less sophisticated,” he says and suggests using the fabric in moderation. Start small with throw pillows or by reupholstering an accent chair and think of chintz as a way of adding texture and color to a room.

“For families that have children, chintz is a very forgiving fabric that is easy to clean with a damp cloth,” Salvator says.

In an interview with Elle Decor, New York City-based interior designer Miles Redd attributes the return of chintz to the fabric’s timeless beauty and durability.

“A pretty print fabric will always be a pretty print fabric. It’s lovely, it’s romantic and it goes a long way toward enlivening a simple background," Redd said in the interview. “The great secret of chintz is that it’s very practical — floral prints don’t show a lot of dirt, and they wear so well.”

Some retailers, including The Inside by Havenly sell custom furniture covered in chintz fabric for those seeking ready-made designs. Choose from options such as headboards, sofas or storage benches that can add a pop of color to your home.

Helen Ashmore, Head of Design at Laura Ashley told the lifestyle website, Country and Townhouse, that chintz has returned in a big way as interior design trends shift from clean, minimal interior decor.

“Still considered a classic, especially for Laura Ashley, chintz prints have a true vintage feel to them. It’s all about the layering and mixing of patterns across your walls, curtains and bedding, reminiscent of the English countryside,” she says.

Looking For More Chintz-piration?

If you’re new to chintz and looking for inspiration for your home, search #chintz on Pinterest or #chintz and #grandmillennialdecor on TikTok.

The book, “Colefax & Fowler: The Best in English Interior Decoration,” showcases the largest interior decorating firm in England and illustrates how to create your own English country home style using chintz.

“Perfect English Style: Creating rooms that are Comfortable, Pleasing and Timeless,” by Ros Byam Shaw, offers tips on incorporating chintz into your interior design whether you live in an apartment or a spacious home.

If you like the look of chintz wallpaper but aren’t sure if you want a lasting relationship, consider removable wallpaper. Vendors including hyggeandwest.com sell a number of removable chintz wallpaper designs and also feature easy-to-follow guides and videos on their website.