What is Smashing Chintz?
chintz: calico cloth, often glazed, printed with flowers, originally from India;
chintz: also pottery decorated with a dense all-over pattern.
Chintzy fabric and china have suffered from a poor image in recent years but designer maker Janine Nelson is on a quest to bring chintz into the 21st century in a new, slightly quirky way.
Smashing Chintz mosaics are all individually made from recycled china plates. The technique of using broken china plates to mosaic with is called 'pique assiette' and the Victorians used to do it (including Janine's great grandmother).
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