Paisley power
Susan M. Andrews, Fabric Editor -- Furniture Today, February 16, 2003
Fusion — whether of cultures, technologies or fibers — is an important element in home furnishings fabrics. Paisley is a good example. It was a fusion of cultures — exotic Eastern and practical European — that gave rise to the incredibly complex, but always recognizable pattern we call paisley.
In the 1400s, weavers in the Kashmir region of India began producing twill shawls decorated with an Oriental motif of patterns within patterns in a distinctive shape that in India was called "buta," which translates as flower. Through the centuries, the motif has been called variously a cone, a mango, a teardrop and a pine, among others.
By the 1700s, the shawls were popular in Europe, but imported cashmere was expensive even then, so European weavers began making more affordable versions domestically. Over time, Paisley, Scotland, became a center for production and the pattern took its name from there. Folks began using the fringed shawls as accents on furniture, draping them over tables and pianos, which made use of the pattern for upholstery application a natural evolution.
Technical advances such as the development of jacquard looms at the start of the 19th century made it possible for designers to conceive and produce even more complicated woven paisley patterns, and paisley printing advanced from block-printing to roller printing by the mid-1800s.
While traditional paisley is often seen in rich reds, oranges and golds, the pattern easily transforms when done in bright contemporary colors (think of the 1960s). Paisley is classic and always with us, but like everything, it has cycles of renewed interest. Showtime introductions in High Point last month included a wealth of beautiful paisley patterns, both woven and printed.
Highlighted at right is a sample of the latest paisley fabrics available to furniture producers.
Cone Jacquards
Warm colors meet in the elegant paisley of Bangles, part of the D2 collection. Cotton, polyester and acrylic.
Sunbury Textile Mills
Paisley Walk, from the Silk Road collection, features modern colors in its regal traditional pattern. Polyester and rayon, $15.95.
Gilman Enterprises
Rich burgundy chenille defines the lush paisley pattern of Dina. Polyester and acrylic, $13.95.
Robert Allen Home
Niksu swirls olive and garnet into an elegant paisley pattern. Viscose and polyester, $9.95.
Master Fabric
Softened shades of wine and bottle green bring avintage look to Pembroke, a chenillepaisley. Polyester and rayon, $5.95.
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Featured Company
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Wright Labels
Bill and Tom Wright founded Wright of Thomasville in 1961 on the idea that printing was a creative medium and the belief that "a promise made is a promise kept." The Wright brothers focused their attention on providing exceptional printing for the... more
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