Perfect Paisley

Paisley home furnishings add interest and work very well in layering techniques.

Greetings to you from my home here on Red Dog Ranch where the snow is blowing in the bitter cold wind.  I’m glad to be inside sipping hazelnut coffee while writing about something I love:  Paisley!  If you aren’t familiar with the name of the ornamental design that we know today as paisley, you will quickly recognize this elongated organic shape. After you learn more about this wonderfully curvy artform, I hope you will have confidence about including this pattern in your home decor.

Paisley worked in brocade

Meaning of the Shape

Worldwide Appeal

Known in Persia as buta or boteh, this teardrop-shape narrows to a curved upper end. Some compare paisley to a natural fig- or almond-like form.  Other design scholars describe the buta as a combination of a stylized floral spray and a cypress tree.  In the Zoroastrian religion, cypress symbolizes life and eternity. Another camp sees a "bent" cedar in the paisley.  To them, paisley conveys strength, resistance and modesty. Yet others observe a likeness to a mango, which carries the meanings of health, peace and prosperity.  One popular idea holds that It took its inspiration from the growing shoot of the date palm, also regarded as the "tree of life", since it provides food, drink and shelter.  The paisley shape could also be an adaptation of the yin-yang symbol used in ancient Chinese medicine and philosophy. Regardless of the exact historical symbolism or the authoritative interpretations, part of the beauty of paisley is that it brings different meanings to each person, and as you just read, all are positive.

Paisley on Indian silk sari

Personal Meaning

When I look at a paisley pattern, I see life and motion.  It seems to me that a swatch of paisley fabric is a slide viewed under a microscope.  Each paisley is a basic life form, an amoeba, gently swirling and floating peacefully along on water.  It’s as though they change shape, elongating and stretching…cells gracefully dividing and multiplying lazily upon a warm and gentle stream.  The oblong designs also bring to mind, not a teardrop, but rather a raindrop.  As a farmer’s wife, I know that (in opposition to the idiotic weathermen on TV) precipitation is a source of joy because it is the source of life itself.  Rain makes our crops thrive.  It regenerates drought-stricken pasture.  Rain determines our ability to do our part to feed the world.  It gives us hope to plant again next year.  Water is good. Water is life.

Individual Preference

Inevitably, if I look for home linens, shop for furniture, browse the fabric store or even hunt for PowerPoint backgrounds, I connect with paisley patterns first.  Though not intentional, this happens time and time again. I can flip through a sample book, let’s say of fabric swatches for a new chair, and end up with different paisley choices paperclipped as the viable “possibilities”. 

See if you can relate to my reaction.  Imagine that I am participating in a brain neuroscience study in a laboratory. When they show me stripes, nothing.  Fleur de Lis, nothing.  With polka dots, some parts of my brain glimmer on a screen.  Then a lab tech flashes a card with paisley and instantaneously, unconsciously, a deeply recessed service bell sounds a ting and the entire happy part of my brain lights up.

An Ancient and Well-Traveled History

Uncertain Genesis

I must not be alone in my preference for this form.  After all, it has been around for a very long time, in many different places.  Although some early examples have been found from pre-Roman ancient Celtic metal objects at archaeological sites, the paisley pattern traces its roots back to the Babylonian empire (located in present day Iraq).  Sam Willis, in the 2016 BBC TV series The Silk Road, posits that the symbol originated from the city of Yazd in Iran. His bases this claim on the fact that the traditional fabric called a termeh, a cloth made of woven silk and wool which often included the paisley form, began there. Dates of the motif’s origin vary, but 1700 BC is generally accepted.  Another commonly held theory is that it originated in Persia 200-650 AD during the rule of the Sassanians, according to www.paisleypower.com. Most authorities agree with Willis that Persia (present day Iran) is the place where paisley became most fully developed as an artform. 

Indian Development

The motif spread from Babylon and Iran to India where it was incorporated into all types of design.

Indian princes wore expensive pashmina cashmere shawls with intricate paisley designs that required both tapestry and weaving techniques to produce them.  To create a single shawl, the painstaking work could have taken up to eighteen months to complete.

Example of cashmere shawl imported to western Europe

European Imports

Paisley designs became very popular in Western Europe when soldiers stationed in India began to send cashmere shawls back home.  Thanks to the East India Company, cashmere shawls which featured the design made their way to the European elite.  According to Wikipedia, cashmere was popular in the Baltic states where people thought the motif could be used as a protective charm to ward off evil demons.  Paisley experienced huge popularity in France and especially in England, in the 18th and 19th centuries. In Britain in the 19th century the paisley shawl was the ‘must-have’ accessory of its day, a status symbol worn for important occasions and recorded in numerous portrait paintings. Because of their rarity and high cost, demand could not be met through importation. 

Mass Production in Western Europe

Enterprising European textile weavers jumped on the bandwagon and produced cashmere shawls domestically. In France, Napoleon and Empress Josephine visited Lyon and viewed Jacquard’s new loom and granted the patent for his new invention.  Josephine reputedly owned hundreds of cashmere shawls, thought to be the epitome of fashion in her time.

Goats which produce cashmere wool

Wool and silk blended yarns were substituted for the fine cashmere to produce more affordable paisley patterned fabric.  Soon Holland and most importantly, England joined in. Therefore, although this form hails from Persia, its English name derives from the town of Paisley, in the West of Scotland.  Paisley became the hub of paisley textile production; originally on shawls, but eventually on all manner of fabrics for clothing and household use. 

According to the Paisley Museum and Art Galleries, technological breakthroughs soon meant that the paisley pattern was printed onto other less extravagant textiles, including cotton.  Mass-produced printed paisley was cheaper than the costly woven paisley and affordability added to its popularity.

Vintage 1950's smoking jacket in the style of the Rat Pack

A Perpetual Style-Setter

With less expensive fibers, advanced technology weaving machines, and the ability to print on fabric cranked out bolts of fabric at a time, Paisley began its journey on the perpetual ebb and flow of trends in fashion and home goods.  After its initial popularity, it enjoyed a brief stint during the 1920s.  Then, the curvy shape made a comeback on smoking jackets and suits for the crooners of the 50s Las Vegas and Hollywood scenes (think "Rat Pack", Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr.).  In the 60’s, paisley made its presence felt through the psychedelic haze in the years surrounding the Summer of Love.  The Beatles’ fascination with all things Eastern reinforced the renewed interest in paisley.  Since that time, the wheels of change have accelerated to the point of nearly everything being in style at the same time.  I think the key to being in style doesn’t have much to do with trends at all.  To me, being in style means finding and embracing and implementing your OWN style.  And, paisley is part of my style. 

Someone who shares my passion for a well-done paisley is Veronica Etro.  Her father started the Etro company of luxury textiles in 1968.  Paisley soon became the “symbol” of the brand, she says. “He travelled a lot around the world, and these exotic travels greatly influenced the original designs, bold colour and rich embellishments of the Etro fabrics.” In a BBC.com culture story called “Paisley, Behind Rock’s Favorite Fashion”, Etro summarizes, “It symbolizes the tree of life, the seed palm, thus fertility.”

Although you might think of paisley use in its original niche, which was clothing and accessories, it has been and continues to be a mainstay of interesting enhancements in a wide array of product categories.  Paisley and floral/paisley combinations showcase master woodworkers' and leather artisans' skills.  Intricate patterns appear in Western themed products such as boots, purses, but especially saddles.  Examine the sample of saddle embellishment from American craftsmen at www.caldwellsaddle.com.  The level of detail is both amazing and impressive.

Make Your Home Paisley Perfect

Paisley prints for use in interior and home decorating have achieved a rare balance.  Much like the Ying-Yang symbol, the curvy swirls impart both halves of a whole.  For example, paisley appears both elegant, yet casual.  Traditional, yet fresh. Artistic, yet natural.  Exotic, yet familiar.  Perhaps this is why incorporating paisley can be a bit daunting for some. 

Banarsi Designs, an upscale interior design house, encourages those who hesitate to implement paisley into their decorating.  “Mixing and matching prints and patterns may have been a decorating no-no in decades past, layered looks in contemporary decor are not only acceptable, but fabulous fun. The trick to working with pattern? Willingness to experiment with scale and color, along with incorporating a mix of both solid and textured fabrics.”

Pick Your Particular Paisley

Not ready to jump into the deep end?  Then dip a toe into the paisley pond with a few, or even just one, of these ideas: 

Monochromatic.  

Choose a small piece like a decorative pillow or a throw that has the paisley worked as a texture only.  The same color will be used on the background as well as the paisley.

Two-tone. 

The duality comes from using just one color, but in different intensities.  Sheet sets are readily available in this pattern.  Either the background will be light and the swirls will be dark or vice-versa.  A set of solid colored pillow shams would work well with this type of bed linens.

Neutrals. 

If you discover that you and paisley are comfortable with each other, working in a neutral palette could be your next step.  Gray with white.  Tan with ivory.  Sage green and brown.

Two-color paisley sheet set

Two-color.  

Now that you’ve fallen in love with paisley, try a true two-color design.  Red and white, Navy and light gray, Too conservative?  Try a bright combo if that’s your zone:  Tangerine and Magenta, Purple and gold.

Rolled arm chair upholstered in paisley print

Multi-color. 

Jump on in, the paisley’s fine!  The combinations are up to you.  Are you a trend follower?  Choose products that you will change out over time with those colors.  Throw rugs, towels, a table cloth, chair cushions, and accents of all kinds.  Do you prefer more classic colors or neutral tones?  These will never go out of style.  If you love it, invest in a chair, loveseat, comforter, area rug or even carpet.

Multi-pattern paisley comforter set includes coordinating
coverlet, pillows and shams.

Multi-Pattern.  

Use your creativity to mix scales, patterns and solids.  I like a small paisley paired with wide, bold stripes in certain applications.  Alternatively, I use a large paisley with a solid or a textured monochrome stripe. 

Observe & Share

Notice well done paisley combinations in magazines, one the web and as you are out and about in places like cafes and hotels.  You’ll soon develop your unique style.  I’d love to see the ways you embrace paisley in decorating your home.  Post a comment to this blog so we can all learn from each other or email me a shot.  Let’s keep the discussion going!

Wishing you all the best through the coming year,

Kay
email: GreatDecorIdeas@gmail.com
website: www.GreatDecorIdeas.com

References:

https://www.paisley.org.uk/2013/01/roots-of-the-paisley-pattern/A design that is many hundreds of years old

http://katrinshine.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-history-of-paisley-pattern-and-its.html

https://www.britannica.com/art/paisley-textile-pattern

https://nickgraham.com/blogs/everywhere/116080452-a-long-and-winding-history-of-paisley

https://www.paisleypower.com/history-of-paisley

http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20151021-paisley-behind-rocks-favourite-fashion

https://www.banarsidesigns.com/blog/history-of-the-paisley-pattern/

https://www.caldwellsaddle.com