Article: Bring chintz-bedecked rooms into new era

A English country-house look took America by storm in the early '80s.

Cabbage roses burst into bloom all over the house: on elephantine sofas and skirted tables, on needlepoint rugs and overstuffed chairs, on puddled draperies and bouffant balloon shades. Tasseled pillows and painted lamps did not escape the floral fever.

For many people, the love affair with flowery chintz prints endures. The fabric has classic appeal - it's warm, charming and just plain pretty.

But what looked fresh in the '80s might seem overblown today. Even Mario Buatta, the New York designer known as the Prince of Chintz, says enough already: "People who piled it on all over the place are chintz abusers," he says. "A ...

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