10 Easy Ways to Incorporate This Old-Guard Style Into Your Space
When we say the phrase “chintz,” what comes to mind? Sunday suppers at Aunt Marge's house? A retro hotel that's seen better days? A crinkly, plastic couch at Nana's place? While chintz design may echo an aesthetic that feels old-school and musty, the reality couldn't be further from the truth. These days, a love of chintz design ideas is—like many trends—back en vogue, with designers and homeowners unabashedly embracing the frilly, over-the-top charm of it all.
It's hard to determine when exactly chintz got a bad rap. Somewhere between its emergence in the 17th century (when Europeans fell hard for the traditional Indian block-printed fabric), the saturation of the 1960s (thanks to a Jackie Kennedy–designed White House), and the re-emergence in the '80s, the beloved fabric garnered a reputation as a signal of the old guard and was passed over in lieu of more cutting-edge design elements and modern fabrics. Still, chintz boasts a storied past, and as any good design fan knows, what goes around in design almost always comes back around.
These days, you can find chintz in homes worldwide, from the gritty streets of New York to the verdant countryside of England (boy, do Brits love their chintz). The reason? It's as palatable as ever before, with plenty of colorways, textures, and moods to suit any style. You can still find classic prints from iconic names like Colefax & Fowler, Jean Monro, or Lee Jofa, but there are more modern interpreters, too—think Flora Soames and House of Hackney. Below, we're bringing you 10 chintz design ideas that feel both modern and classic, helping you toe the line with this perennially chic fabric in a way that will stand the test of time.
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Choose Complementary Accessories
Chintz is known for its colorful palettes, often invoking a veritable rainbow of hues, from pastels to punchy jewel tones. To tie the statement-making print into the rest of your space, use the palette as a jumping-off point for your accessories. Here, designer Lisa Gilmore echoed a soft robin's egg blue from the nearby chintz drapery on the bedside lamp.
From the Archive: An Ode to Chintz Circa 1984
Pair Masculine and Feminine
Florals can feel inherently feminine, so it's no surprise that a surplus of them—as often seen in chintz—can skew too saccharine. To tone down the ladylike aesthetic, pair the print with a fabric that boasts a more masculine edge. In this Nashville home, designer Liz Bonesio brought some edge to a Rose Tarlow chintz print with a mustard and blue striped duvet.
Layer Southern Elements
Chintz fabrics forever have a stronghold in the South, where they play into the formality inherent in Lowcountry design. For an easy way to build a room around a stunning print, look to other Southern-inspired design elements to flesh out the space. In this charming attic bedroom, designer Cara Fox matched a sweet floral Schumacher wallpaper with a throw pillow and sconce shade to make this bed between the dormers feel like a secret garden.
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Lean Into Bold
There's no quieting a room with chintz on the walls or couch, so you might as well lean into a more-is-more attitude. Case in point? This maximalist Isabel Ladd–designed bedroom from the 2023 House Beautiful Whole Home, which teams a chintz-inspired Morris & Co. wallpaper with other over-the-top accents, like layered rugs, funky art, and a sculptural mirror.
Rinse and Repeat
Pattern drenching—aka the act of using prints (often the same print) in spots all over a room—is especially popular with chintz fabrics. Instead of opting for just a set of drapes or just a chaise lounge, why not blanket the entire room in your favorite print? Here, designer Katie Rosenfeld chose a buttery chintz fabric (a collab between Blithfield and Lee Jofa) to reinforce the home's classic New England farmhouse vibes.
Dial Up the Drama
While chintz fabrics are typically seen in shades of pastel or muted jewel tones, that doesn't mean you don't have a rainbow of options at your disposal. For a room with moodier appeal, choose a chintz design with a saturated background or rich hue. For this speakeasy-inspired bourbon room, designer Kate Haynes of Nobel Studio turned to a classic Jasper Fabrics print on the club chairs to dial up the drama.
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Team Up Two Icons
What's better than one iconic print? Two, of course! Just because you're going bold with chintz doesn't mean you have to forgo pattern in the rest of your space. The trick to mixing and matching is choosing patterns that match in palette but vary in scale. Designer Roxy Owens led by example in the 2023 House Beautiful Whole Home, where she paired Lee Jofa's Chinese Peony wallpaper with the equally iconic Brunschwig & Fils Les Touches fabric on a nearby slipper chair.
Go One-Note
There are plenty of ways to modernize chintz prints, one of our favorite being by pairing them with a color-drenched room. In this historical Georgian home, designer Charlotte Lucas made a classic Schumacher fabric feel of-the-moment enough for a little girl's bedroom by complementing it with various applications of pink, including a pop art painting and midcentury modern–inspired desk.
Mix In Modern Elements
These days, chintz is such a part of the design vernacular that it's not difficult to make it feel current. The foolproof formula? One part chintz to two parts modern. Take this room in the home of designer Mark D. Sikes, for example. A chintz-covered armchair and nearby pillow blend seamlessly with other eras, including graphic ikat curtains and a regency-inspired glass coffee table.
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Spotlight a Single Shade
Chintz design elements were born to stand out, so feel free to give them the spotlight. If you're not an all-over-pattern lover, keep in mind that one hit of chintz can often be enough to lift the personality of an entire room. Here, a simple and classic bath gets a wink from custom Roman shades made from a vintage buttery yellow chintz.
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