What is Chintz & is it Making a Comeback?
Chintz, glazed cotton prints, were the rage in over-the-top interiors in the 1980s and an excess associated with interior designer Mario Buatta, among others. This pattern-upon-pattern riot eventually died out, giving way to the minimalist and ubiquitous mid-century modern aesthetic –first in beige, and then in all white- we have been living with since. Polychrome woodblock printed chintz was introduced to Europe in the 1600s when they were imported by the East India company. The word chintz comes from...