All About Chintz Fabric

Chintz is a brightly patterned fabric which originated in India. It became very popular in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries, and numerous European producers created their own versions of chintz to fill consumer demand. This bright, assertive fabric can be seen in museums around the world focusing on this period in European history, and chintz fabrics continue to be produced today in India and other countries. In the sense of cheap or common, "chintzy" was first used in 1851, in a reference to the then-abundant fabric.

Indian textiles have a long and colorful history. Chintz fabrics were traditionally produced from cotton with bright patterns like flowers, figures, and abstract geometrics. In India, these fabrics were known as cint in Hindi, a word derived from the Sanskrit word citra, which means "variegated." One major center of production for these fabrics was Calicut, which loans its name to "calico," a colorful fabric produced on cheap and often imperfectly finished cotton.

Europeans used chintz for drapes, bed curtains, wall coverings, tablecloths, clothing and an assortment of other purposes. When England banned imports of Indian textiles in 1700 to prop up the British textile industry, several European textile producers started making their own versions of chintz to meet the demand for this popular fabric. Although the ban on Indian fabrics was repealed in 1774, these companies continue to produce chintz, calico, and other popular Indian textiles.

Modern chintz is available in many fabric stores, and chintz patterns can be found on an assortment of textile products in department stores. Many people probably own chintz fabric and are unaware of it; textiles with light backgrounds and bright, bold patterns are all considered forms of chintz. The finish on chintz varies; some chintzes are very coarse and rough, while others are smoothed and almost glossy. These patterns are also replicated by some dinnerware companies on their porcelain.

This fabric also does not have to be cheap, although some people may associate chintz with cheapness due to the use of the word in slang. Some textile companies produce very fine examples of chintz on high quality, durable cotton; while others use chintz patterns on materials like silk for a distinctive look and feel. Chintz patterns are used by many interior designers, though usually as accent pieces rather than central themes.

Luminous fabric, unlike neon and glow-in-the-dark lights, provides a subtle, multicolored light making it much better suited to various design schemes. Luminous fabric is interesting because while it has recently become available, it is up for the customers to come up with creative uses for it, which could in turn determine how popular it ultimately becomes.