Barkcloth is a wonderful fabric for making curtains and pillows for midcentury homes and tropical home tiki bars too. In this update to my original 2011 story, I scanned anew for companies still making barkcloth today. Since 2011, we lost one beloved maker (Full Swing Textiles). Even so, today there seems to be more designs of barkcloth available than I can ever remember. In all, I count more than 135 different barkcloth fabrics on the market, from four companies, with both modern, tropical and even googie designs. All things tropical — including tiki — are hot in the design world, and these rooms needs their barkcloth curtains and pillows!
#1 Trendtex (Barkcloth Hawaii) — 106 barkcloth designs!
Also distributed by #2 Diamondhead Fabrics
To be sure, Trendtex Fabrics out of Hawaii is the big manufacturer of tropical design barkcloth. As I write this story, they show 106 different barkcloth designs (available in various fabric constructions/weights). That’s a mighty selection! See all the Trendtex barkcloth options on their website HawaiiBarkcloth.com here.
But wait! Diamondhead Fabrics is the U.S. mainland-based distributor for Trendtex barkcloth fabrics, and Diamondhead has some designs that Trendtex does not. And vice versa, that is: Trendtex also has many designs that Diamondhead does not.
Update: As one reader pointed out, there are different weights — some may not have the heavy barkcloth nubbly feel you want. Order samples and/or talk to the retailer first before going big.
Above: Here’s how Trendtex describes their different fabric types — but again, order samples first to ensure you know what you are getting is what you are expecting.
#3 — Island Paradise Barkcloth by Sevenberry / Robert Kaufman — 22 barkcloth designs
Updating this story I discovered this new line of Island Paradise Barkcloth by Sevenberry from Robert Kaufman Sevenberry — 22 designs in all, some available now and some coming to stores in April 2019. These look quite nice!
#4 — Cloud 9 Fabrics barkcloth — 8 designs currently
For more modern (rather than tropical) barkcloth designs, Cloud 9 Fabrics is the maker to watch. It seems like every year, one of their designers comes out with a new batch of designs. These collections are time-limited, so if you want ’em, nab ’em. Right now, it’s Homestyle by Eloise Renouf.
#5 — Buy vintage barkcloth
Margie used vintage fabric from Florida Bungalow to upholster the delicious Paul Frankl pretzel chair in her Buffalo home tiki lounge
Of course, when it comes to draperies… or for fabric for pillows… you also can put your vibes out there and wait for the retro decorating gods to send some vintage your way. Watch ebay, etsy, and of course my favorite: estate sales.
Florida Bungalow
(affiliate link) is a well-known collector of vintage barkcloth and has an amazing collection, for example.
Know, though, that vintage barkcloth is super collectible these days. Pristine sets of vintage barkcloth curtains can cost a pretty penny!
This story was updated from the original published in January 2011.
Shopping at Osgood Textiles for drapery and upholstery fabric 
15 new Marimekko flower power prints – including reissued fabric designs from the 60s and 70s 
15 retro upholstery and curtain fabrics from Waverly 
Tiki style fabric from Tommy Bahama 
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K. Tobias says
Can you use the Cloud 9 fabric as “wall paper”? I’ve never priced wallpaper so maybe fabric is too expensive as wallpaper?
Pam Kueber says
Hi K., there are methods to use fabric as wallpaper, but I would tend to think that, yes, it would/could be more expensive than just buying wallpaper. Wallpapers vary in costs, of course.
P.S. I stapled animal print fabric, a sort of heavy faux velveteen, directly to the walls in my Mahalo Lounge. The fabric was thick enough that it laide down quite nice and flat; also it required no matching of seams since it was Krazee to begin with: https://retrorenovation.com/2017/05/31/leopard-print-fabric-used-wall-covering/
Terri says
I love barkcloth and buy vintage whenever I can afford it – not as often as I like. I have even bought barkcloth on padded window boards at garage sales and taken it apart to find something salvageable. I mix the patterns too – some are just valances, some are curtains, some are pillows etc. even though the are mixed I keep them all in the same theme like tropical for instance. My daughter-in-law has made me two purses out of my found barkcloth and they draw lots of comments.
Marilyn says
Gosh, these fabrics are beautiful!..Thanks for posting…
Helen Snell says
I would recommend ordering samples of any of these fabrics first. I ordered the Diamondhead ‘Daddy-O’ and it is not Barkcloth. They describe it as ‘Cotton Crepe’ If you are hoping for the real deal you might be disappointed. The Cloud 9 is closer to the real thing but not as sturdy as good old MelinaMade (RIP).
Pam Kueber says
There are different types of fabric: crepe, kahala, kapalua and cotton twill. I took the Daddy-O off the page because it’s crepe, like you said.
Yes: Order samples first!