Chintz can be such a controversial subject. What? You didn't know that? Oh yes, the fur can and oftentimes does fly when discussion turns towards chintz. And why? It's nothing more than glazed cotton. How can you disparage good old cotton? And I for one love glazing (especially on doughnuts). I think chintz has unfortunately gotten a bum rap, much like linoleum and shoulder pads.
We had a mini chintz revival recently, although the chintz that seemed to garner the most publicity was of the floral variety. Florals are all well and good, but the chintz that strikes my fancy are solids. I love the sheen of solid chintz fabrics, but this is where the quality factor comes into play. Cheap chintz looks, well, cheap. It's all about the luster, and well-made solid chintz fabrics have got that in spades. It's a humble, toned down kind of glamour.
I found this early 1980s ad above for Zumsteg fabrics. Look at the yummy colors, the shiny finish, and the subtle, tonal print. Can't you see fabric like this used for some glam curtains in one's bedroom? Or what about seat cushions? If I owned a Frances Elkins' Loop chair, I'd use a chintz like this.
Of course, who doesn't associate floral chintz with Mario Buatta. But another prince of chintz- albeit solid chintz- was David Hicks. He used glazed cotton fabric for pillows, bedspreads, curtains, and all kinds of upholstery. And you know, it looked really great. My only advice would be to use solid chintz sparingly. Otherwise, your rooms might end up looking slippery!
(PS- Does anyone know anything about Ashley Hicks' forthcoming book David Hicks: A Life of Design
David Hicks designed all of the rooms above. His use of gutsy, colorful glazed cotton made chintz hip and sexy.
(Images of David Hicks' work from David Hicks: Designer
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
The Fabric That Dare Not Speak Its Name
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I admit that I like chintz. :-)
ReplyDeleteJennifer, I love the look of solid chintz. Great designers have certainly validated the use of it.It is such a wonderful sheen and glow added to a rooom.
ReplyDeleteToo bad Zumsteg is out of business.
ReplyDeleteI think a chintz is great and a great posting.- Have seen some good looking solids with a high glaze on them- One a chocolate brown. Nothing looks better to me-in fact have a high high glazed slate gray tucked back to make a suit-maybe it is time to get it done. G.
ReplyDelete10 years ago you could go into the D&D and find any color of solid chintz you wanted. Then about 6 years ago only a few showrooms had a few colors. It has become financially impossible for showrooms to keep anything but the best sellers in stock or even in production. The same thing for furniture. It is difficult now for designers to find something "quirky" to put in a clients room. Maybe, we should just all go to the Pottery Barn.
ReplyDeletedavid hicks is my hero, and in the hands of a master, anything can look good, but i just can't do solid chintz. it was so badly (and eye-searingly) overused in the 80's/early 90's, that like shoulder pads, i just can't forgive and forget- it will forever remind me of cheap pillows from pier one. floral chintz however, i can see rediscovering in maybe another 10 years, when the pain begins begins to fade a little. just not quite yet for moi...
ReplyDeleteI cracked up with your fabric that dare not speak it's name. No I do not like it and yes he did a wonderful job.
ReplyDeleteSandra and Karena- Glad to meet fellow chintz fans. Can't tell if we're in the majority or minority!
ReplyDeleteAesthete- I had never heard of Zumsteg until I saw this old ad.
ReplyDeleteLittle Augury- That sounds divine! You should go for it!
ReplyDeleteAnon- You make a very interesting point. And I agree- trying to find decent solid chintzes now is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
ReplyDeleteM21 and Yoli- I can see where solid chintz is not for everybody. And yes, it was used and abused back in the 1980s!
ReplyDeleteThis post is really funny! Yes, even the word Chintz can make me cringe a bit. However, Rose Cumming's has some great solids and some really "over the top" florals" -- for the right client, a comfy upolstered chair in one of these florals can be fun -- and tie in all the colors in the room. She also makes some killer chintz stripes! It all depends on what the client likes!
ReplyDeleteI knew ithout getting to the bottom of your post that these were Hicks designed rooms. Still my favourite designer! I have say though, that the solid chintz has dated a bit, for me. I can cope with the floral prints....!
ReplyDeleteI had forgotten about chintz - actually it is very lovely and so definitive of English country style. Let's bring it back, xv.
ReplyDeleteWhat encouragement to read a post on chintz......I love the crisp look of it in solids and florals. The only place I see much of it anymore is at The Greenbrier Resort.
ReplyDeleteI love colorful chintz
ReplyDeleteActually, I like chintz as pictured here better as shiny solids than as shiny prints. And chintz curtains are better than glazing on anything I have to sit on. Its too slippery, and doesn't wear well on seats or pillows.
ReplyDeleteJennifer -- I love the Hicks examples you selected. Few people ever talk about the solids when chintz is the topic. I love the glossy quality in Hicks' hands.
ReplyDeleteJust as I was surprised to find decorators in NYC sending out chintz in the early 80s to be additionally glazed to become even more shiny, I saw lengths of washed and unironed chintz displayed as the samples in the London showroom of Colefax & Fowler on my first visit in 1985. Chintz, like many other fabrics, does not have to be used as originally intended, but it is the manner of use that often effects my appreciation.
ReplyDelete