The Cottage Diary: A Chintz Aesthetic.
How a weakness for archival fine fabrics and wallpapers has progressed into a nostalgic chintz interior throughout our newly gut renovated home...
A very good Sunday morning to you all!
It’s been a brilliant welcoming first few days on board this shiny new ship. Fuelling me with a renewed sense of purpose as we battle through the anticyclonic gloom of winter in Bronte Country - ahead of what I hope to be another successful growing season.
But first, can we please start off the Honour Farm Cottage Diary Substack series with a little clarity that chintz isn’t a 2024 trend. It’s sincerely an interior style you simply wish to embrace or avoid…
To some it probably evokes the same uneasy feeling I get when I see a ‘live laugh love’ sign hung in a kitchen, it’s not for everyone and that’s probably why I like it. So climb aboard or jump ship, we’re about to get unashamedly chintzy.
While in recent years chintz patterns have developed demand again due to the nostalgic movement of the cosy country aesthetic Cottagecore (which i’m clearly all for), as an art form it’s been around since the 1600-1800’s, originating from incredible Indian woodblock chintz fabrics. This was then later adopted in Europe with larger imports of fabrics landing in England & France. Influencing many English and French surface pattern and textile designers who then began producing some of the most incredible fine fabrics and wallpapers in the world, some brands continuing so to this day.
I’ve been scouring for fabrics for as long as I can remember, one more vivid memory during summer of 2009. It’d just turned 19 and was invited to create a dozen or so garments for a fundraising fashion show. At the time I was a BA Fashion Design student at Leeds College of Art and wholly brassic, so trawled through charity shops and local markets hunting for Chintz curtains and remnants to create looks with.
You become incredibly resourceful when the purse strings are tight, which now more than ever we’ve become in order to complete the renovation of our cottage. Thankfully working a seasonal job allows for the time over winter to return sole focus on decorating and sourcing *opens all trusted auctioning apps*.
Key Chintz design characteristics to look out for:
Unique colour palette.
Often a vertical element.
Intricacy within the design.
Whimsical animals and characters.
Something entirely unexpected.
All of these elements or better still combined, are products of craftsmanship which embody true design integrity. Something that plays great importance in the majority of our decision making as a family. Many designer friends find an appreciation for detail in other craft movements and I do understand some of the ignorance towards chintz, it’s wrongly developed a reputation for being distasteful, blowsy and a bit ‘grannyish’.
For me it’s the delicate dot work and lines, non-apologetic use of florals and exquisite craftsmanship that has sparked a zeal for sourcing fabrics and papers. It has become my out of season hobby. When there’s no seeds left to sow, or plants to tend to i’m straight back in the antique shops (i’ll share all my favourite Northern treasure troves soon), rummaging through salvage fairs or losing countless hours to eBay and FB Marketplace.
Being the hunter gatherer of floral prints in the family isn’t the most heroic legacy, but unfortunately (for those who live with me) this passion has been embroidered into the fabric of my being.
Some of my favourite brands:
Colefax & Fowler, Pierre Frey, Soane Britain, GP & J Baker, Flora Soames, Penny Morrison, Schumacher, Charlotte Gaisford, Sanderson, Lewis & Wood, Manuel Canovas, Brunschwig & Fils, Guy Goodfellow, Jane Churchill, Thibaut, Titley & Marr, Warner House, Lee Jofa, Osborne & Little, Linwood, Cowtan & Tout, Clarence House, Molly Mahon.
In the coming months i’ll also share more of how my chintz findings have spilled into each room of our home as we continue to decorate our newly renovated cottage. Including a very Bowood dining room, if you know, you know. I can’t wait.
Next Sunday i’ll be posting an overview of our renovation journey to date, it’ll be a substantial read that’ll bring you right up to speed before we delve into plans for each room of the cottage. Until then we have a stories highlight on Instagram - ‘Cottage’ which is worth a nosey if you can’t wait.
But i’ll end with this. We have experienced a truly chintz travesty…
Above is a headboard that returned from our upholsterer this week who has applied an incredibly rare 1992 archival Colefax & Fowler sweet pea print ‘Surrenden’ UPSIDE DOWN. But, i’ll save this mishap for another time because I’m not ready to talk about it. And no, i’m not being at all dramatic for shedding a tear.
Nothing’s ever straight forward is it?
Hattie x
Yayyyy for Chintz!! I’ve gone through a full circle of 90s Chintz to bland and back to Chintz!! My Mum was a definite chintzer and it’s in the blood I think. I’m loving a frill right now, and ochre, bit obsessed with that colour! In a small cottage it’s hard to get the balance of colour and pattern right I think ? To use colour but to get it right with the right lighting is harder than you think ? Gutted for you about the headboard but as you’re not ready to talk about it I won’t! (It still looks stunning) x