I feel like I’ve been ignoring “traditional” this past while, so today we look at a tried, true and ever-lasting classic: Chintz. Also known as polished cotton, chintz is lightweight yet still has come stiffness – great “hand”. It takes prints very well and is beloved for florals like cabbage roses.
If you are handy with the sewing machine, or have some extra dough re mi, chintz makes awesome draperies (the ‘hand’ makes them hang well) as well as the best summer slipcovers that feel oh-so-nice and cool against bare skin. Slipcovers were a midcentury (and earlier) staple in a society where furniture was not so disposable. I bought, like 23 yards for a $3/yard last year at a fabulous outlet store in Springfield, Mass. My chintz is a truly outrageous 60s style print, and while I haven’t got to the slipcover for my vintage rumpus room sectional, the dream lives.
Iconic designers like Sister Parish were famous for their love of chintzes. Check out a book on her at your local library – you can learn a lot from these interiors.
xxx
