Chintz can be tricky. Its daring, old-fashioned flower prints may so easily tip into fusty English bed-and-breakfast if you’re not careful. But if you’re careful, it can add colour, texture and a touch of timeless elegance to your decor.
Perhaps it’s chintz’s recent unpopularity that makes it an superb antidote to too trendy, high-minded design. It pops up most frequently these days in Shabby Chic–fashion rooms, but even there it seems to have been pushed aside in favor of grain sofa.
I particularly love a sudden dose of chintz in contemporary decor. It warms up things, and a little goes a long way. But the best thing about chintz may be the sense that it does not take itself overly seriously. With chintz you can definitely get comfy.
Here are 14 examples of chintz done right.
The Lettered Cottage
I am a sucker for all kinds of multifabric upholstery, but this bit of chintz with this staid and elegant settee really makes the room. It adds the perfect touch of colour and character.
Karen Schaefer Louw
A subtle chintz about these two plush chairs gives what might have been a boring beige room a feminine elegance.
Shannon Malone
Shabby Chic–inspired style meets boho diverse in this bare, pink area using a very simple chintz curtain.
Annalea Hart
More contemporary boho with a splash of chintz. In this setting there is nothing Grandma about it.
Sears Architects
Chintz does not have to be girly-girl. Simply put in a stag head and the room will go somewhat 19th-century English hunting house.
Dewson Construction Company
I love the mix of all of these designs: preppy stripes with classic chintz, Oriental rugs and a bit of chinoiserie thrown in for good measure. Bring it on.
Polly
A contemporary white and black chintz pattern. It adds a little warmth to this contemporary room. But not too far.
Tamar Schechner/Nest Pretty Things Inc
Chintz with the absence of accompanying frills. It is feminine but still uncluttered and modern.
You know that it’s the quintessential utilization of chintz when it appears like it goes perfectly with a wonderful cup of tea.
Tamar Schechner/Nest Pretty Things Inc
Another place of chintz in a cozy corner.
Chronicle Books
Pow! A bold, contemporary take on a chintz pattern enlivens this tiny kitchen.
Hoskins Interior Design
Here the chintz-pattern background is the best equilibrium for the white and black symmetry of this floor.
Darci Goodman Design
A modern chintz-like layout makes all of the difference in this room. Imagine the space with no spec-house beige.
This tiny ruffle of chintz material below the sink is perfect in this ’50s-inspired kitchen.