Global INFLUENCE

Much of what we consider to be an integral part of the way we decorate our homes has origins from around the world. Whilst some decorating decisions are a conscious attempt to include an eclectic mix of pattern, others have become so intrinsic to British style we have forgotten they were not ours to begin with. Chintz, for example, is a mainstay of the classic country house, yet we owe a debt of gratitude to original Indian printed cottons for its pervasion into our homes. Indeed, India was one of the world’s greatest exporters of textiles in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and many of which, including calico, gingham and seersucker, are now part of our lexicon. The Silk Route from China brought influences from Asia, Persia