Classic Southern Chintz Fabric Patterns

The rhododendron, West Virginia’s state flower, was Dorothy Draper’s inspiration for the renovation of The Greenbrier Resort. Known for her love of big flowers and vibrant colors, Dorothy specially created this bold chintz pattern and used it enthusiastically throughout the halls of the hotel—15,000 rolls just in wallpaper! Today, Dorothy’s protégé, Carleton Varney, works as The Greenbrier’s designer/curator.

Decorating tip: Channel Dorothy’s dramatic style by using this large-scale floral to create a statement-making headboard.

Further reading:
In the Pink: Dorothy Draper—America’s Most Fabulous Decorator
Houses in My Heart: Carleton Varney: An International Decorator’s Colorful Journey

Get the fabric: Rhododendron Fabric by Carleton Varney by the Yard (carletonvarney.com), available through The Greenbrier Resort’s Carleton Varney Gift Gallery; store.greenbrier.com.

• See chintz through the ages with our chintz timeline

In 1962, Tennessee-born designer Albert Hadley of Parish-Hadley Associates used Schumacher’s Hollyhock chintz throughout the living room of socialite Nancy “Princess” Pyne’s New Jersey estate. Schumacher recently reintroduced the pattern with the help of Mrs. Pyne’s own fabric. Now it’s available in Indigo and Tobacco in addition to the original Charcoal colorway.

Decorating tip: An arrangement of blue-and-white patterns always looks timeless. Add this classic chintz into your blue-and-white mix as a bolster or throw pillow.

Get the fabric: Pyne Hollyhock Print in Indigo (174452) by Schumacher (fschumacher.com), available through DCOTA; 954/921-7575.

Two of our favorite design motifs—chinoiserie and chintz-—meet on Quadrille’s branchy pattern printed on a sky blue ground.

Decorating tip: Bring the outdoors in by using this pattern prominently in your living room on an English roll-arm chair.

Get the fabric: New Hampton Peony Multi on Soft Blue (300785F) by Quadrille (quadrillefabrics.com), available through DCOTA; 954/921-7575.

Born in Rome, designer Alessandra Branca is known for her fresh take on the classics, and her debut fabric line for Schumacher lives up to her pitch-perfect take on timeless design. With its unexpected color combinations, the Elizabeth pattern is definitely not your grandmother’s chintz, but it could be!

Decorating tip: This vibrant, youthful chintz plays well with modern decor. Fabricate throw pillows for either a clean-lined sofa or armchair.

Further reading: New Classic Interiors by Alessandra Branca

Get the fabric: Elizabeth in Rouge/Grey (175500) by Schumacher (fschumacher.com), available through DCOTA; 954/921-7575.

This bright mix of flowers, foliage, and feathered friends livens up even the dreariest of days.

Decorating tip: This fresh floral would make a cheerful bed canopy. Just imagine waking up under it each morning!

Get the fabric: Avondale Floral in Meadow (175220) by Schumacher (fschumacher.com), available through DCOTA; 954/921-7575.

Decorator and textile collector John Fowler of Colefax and Fowler is known for popularizing English country house style. Bowood, one of Colefax and Fowler’s most enduring patterns, is based on an early 19th-century design found inside England’s famous Bowood House.

Decorating tip: Capture Colefax and Fowler’s humble elegance by fashioning a few Bowood slipcovers for the dining chairs around your farm table.

Get the fabric: Bowood in Red/Blue (1020-02) by Colefax and Fowler (cowtan.com), available through DCOTA; 954/921-7575.

Eccentric 20th-century decorator Rose Cumming’s legacy lives on through her colorful textile designs. This Carisbrook chintz was sold in Rose’s original New York shop and remains in production today.

Decorating tip: One of the more masculine chintzes available today, this would be stately on wing chair in a study.

Further reading: Rose Cumming: Design Inspiration

Get the fabric: Carisbrook in Brown (5527/01) by Rose Cumming (dessinfournir.com), available through DCOTA; 954/921-7575.

Fashion designer Bill Blass took Rose Cumming’s fabrics from the windows to the runway, designing a skirt with Cabbage Rose for his spring 1983 collection.

Decorating tip: Try this classic cabbage rose on a skirted chair at a black-lacquered vanity.

Further reading: Rose Cumming: Design Inspiration

Get the fabric: Cabbage Rose in Pink/Crème (1001/01) by Rose Cumming (dessinfournir.com), available through DCOTA; 954/921-7575.

Rose Cumming loved color, so she designed her mother’s bedroom with a lively mix of lavenders, purples, and blues. This pattern, Delphinium, played a starring role in the interiors as window treatments. Today, it’s synonymous with Rose Cumming’s design work.

Decorating tip: Delphinium would make the perfect pop of color as a bench or ottoman in an airy white space.

Further reading: Rose Cumming: Design Inspiration

Get the fabric: Delphinium (0110) by Rose Cumming (dessinfournir.com), available through DCOTA; 954/921-7575.

The carnation, the flower of love, is a personal favorite of designer Charlotte Moss. The Lucie pattern is inspired by an early 20th-century cotton dress from Charlotte’s own textile collection.

Decorating tip: This sweet floral is smaller in scale and less overwhelming than many other chintzes. Try it as a bed skirt in a girl’s room.

Get the fabric: Lucie in Carnation (298675) by Charlotte Moss Fabrics, available through calicocorners.com.

We can’t get enough of these over-the-top, exaggerated peony blooms bursting with vibrant color.

Decorating tip: This dramatic floral would make impactful floor-to-ceiling drapery panels.

Get the fabric: Charlottenberg in Chartreuse (F1800/01) by Designers Guild (designersguild.com), available through DCOTA; 954/921-7575.

In celebration of their 150th anniversary, Sanderson released 11 Vintage Fabrics from their extensive design archive, including the romantic, painterly floral Eglantine from the prim 1950s.

Decorating tip: Accessorize your powder room with a Roman shade made from Eglantine.

Get the fabric: Eglantine in Slate/Blue (DVIWEG102) by Sanderson (sanderson-uk.com), available through Zoffany; zoffany.com.