A European dream of the East

Chinoiserie, from the French word for Chinese, is the decorative style Europe invented in the 17th and 18th centuries as it fell in love with the porcelain, silk and lacquer arriving from China. European artists who had never traveled there painted their own imagined version: pagodas on misty hills, cranes and peacocks, flowering branches full of birds, tiny figures crossing arched bridges. It was a fantasy rather than a faithful picture, but it produced some of the most charming patterns in Western decorating, and it has never really gone out of style.

A chinoiserie rug brings that elegance onto the floor: blue and white porcelain patterns, a willow-pattern landscape, a garden of birds and peonies or black lacquer with gold. Ours are printed edge to edge on soft velvet, so fine brushwork and delicate branches come out crisp, and every rug goes in the washing machine.

Chinoiserie designs

Design	The look	Best in
Blue and white porcelain	Cobalt florals and scrolls on white	Living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens
Ginger jars	Rows of round lidded jars in blue and white	Entryways, breakfast nooks
Willow pattern	A landscape with a bridge, willow and two birds	Dining rooms, cottages
Garden birds	Birds on flowering branches, like painted wallpaper	Bedrooms, sitting rooms
Pagodas and cranes	Tiered pavilions, cranes and pine trees	Living rooms, studies
Black lacquer	Gold scenes on glossy black	Dramatic dining rooms, entryways

Blue and white porcelain

Chinese potters at Jingdezhen perfected blue and white porcelain, cobalt blue painted under a clear glaze, by the 14th century, and over the following centuries it was shipped to Europe by the boatload. It was so prized that Dutch potters in Delft spent the 17th century trying to imitate it, creating Delftware along the way. A blue and white rug, with flowing scrolls, peonies and lotus flowers, is the most versatile chinoiserie design of all, crisp and fresh in a living room, dining room or kitchen.

Ginger jars

Round, lidded ginger jars were once used in China to store spices, oils and salt, and today they're a favorite of traditional and grandmillennial decorators, lined up on mantels and bookshelves. A rug with ginger jars in blue and white, or a pattern of jars with flowering branches, is a cheerful, collected-looking design for an entryway or a breakfast nook.

The willow pattern

Despite its look, the famous willow pattern was invented in England around 1790, when potteries in Staffordshire began printing a Chinese-style landscape on their dinnerware. A love story was created to sell it: two young lovers who flee across a bridge and are turned into a pair of doves. A willow-pattern rug, with its arched bridge, weeping willow, pagoda and two birds in the sky, is a nostalgic design for a dining room, a country kitchen or a cottage.

Birds on flowering branches

In the 18th century, hand-painted Chinese wallpapers showing birds perched on blossoming branches were exported to Europe, where they covered the walls of grand houses. A garden-bird rug, with soft green, coral and cream branches full of birds and peonies, brings that delicate, airy look to a bedroom or a sitting room. For more leafy designs, see our botanical rugs, and for blooms, our flower rugs.

Pagodas, cranes and pavilions

Tiered pagodas on misty hills, cranes standing among pine trees and little garden pavilions are the classic chinoiserie landscape. A rug with a pagoda scene in blue and white or green and gold is a calm, elegant design for a living room or a study. Cranes, a symbol of long life, make a graceful design on their own.

Black lacquer and gold

Lacquerware from China and Japan, glossy black painted with gold landscapes, inspired European cabinetmakers to invent their own imitation, known as japanning. A black and gold chinoiserie rug is the most dramatic version of the style, striking in a dining room with dark walls or an entryway with a brass lamp. Gabrielle Chanel filled her Paris apartment with Coromandel lacquer screens; see our Chanel-inspired rugs.

Royal chinoiserie

The style reached its most extravagant in the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, England, remodeled for the Prince Regent, later King George IV, between 1815 and 1823. Its rooms are filled with dragons, lotus chandeliers, bamboo-style staircases and painted Chinese scenes. A rug inspired by that opulence, in red, gold and green, is a bold choice for a maximalist living room.

Chinese fretwork

In his 1754 pattern book, the English furniture maker Thomas Chippendale included chairs and railings in a "Chinese" taste, with geometric lattice fretwork. A fretwork rug, a lattice of interlocking lines in white on navy, green or coral, is a clean, graphic take on chinoiserie that suits a more modern room.

Grandmillennial style

Around 2019, decorators began calling a revival of traditional looks grandmillennial: chinoiserie, ginger jars, chintz, pleated lampshades and skirted tables, mixed in a fresh, young way. A blue and white chinoiserie rug is one of the easiest ways to start. Pair it with a rattan chair, a pleated lamp and a few framed botanical prints. For another classic pattern, see our toile rugs.

Living rooms

In a living room, a 5×7 ft blue and white rug in front of the sofa, with the front legs resting on the edge, makes the room feel collected and elegant. Pair it with white or blue upholstery, ginger jars on a console and a few brass accents. Our living room rugs page has more layouts.

Dining rooms and kitchens

Blue and white has been the classic dining room palette for centuries, and a chinoiserie rug under a small dining table or in a breakfast nook is a natural fit. In a kitchen, a runner in front of the sink or the stove catches crumbs and goes in the washing machine. Choose Standard, 5 mm crushed velvet on a non-slip faux leather back, about 500 g/m², for its grip. Our kitchen rugs page has more ideas.

Bedrooms

In a bedroom, a garden-bird rug in soft green and coral, or a pale blue and white design, brings a calm, airy feel. Pair it with a lacquered nightstand and a pleated lamp. Choose Premium, 7 mm plush velvet on a bamboo and cotton back, about 700 g/m², for the softest feel underfoot. Our bedroom rugs page has more layouts.

Entryways and hallways

A blue and white rug just inside the front door gives guests an elegant welcome; keep it indoors, out of the weather. A custom runner up to 10 ft long, with a pagoda landscape unrolling along its length, turns a hallway into a garden walk.

Mixing patterns

Chinoiserie loves company. Blue and white pairs beautifully with simple stripes, gingham, small checks and plain linen, and a garden-bird rug works under a floral or striped sofa. The trick is to keep one color running through everything, usually blue, and to vary the scale: a large-scale rug with small-scale cushions, or the reverse.

Pairing with furniture

Chinoiserie looks at home with rattan and bamboo-style chairs, lacquered side tables, brass lamps and white-painted wood. Ginger jars on a console, a few blue and white plates on the wall and a pleated lampshade complete the look. For a modern twist, pair a black and gold chinoiserie rug with a sleek velvet sofa and a glass coffee table.

Gifts

A chinoiserie rug makes a thoughtful housewarming or wedding gift for anyone who loves traditional decor, especially a blue and white design, which suits almost any room.

Colors

The classic palette is cobalt blue and white. Beyond it, chinoiserie looks lovely in celadon green and cream, coral and white, emerald and gold, and black and gold. Blue and white is the most versatile; black and gold is the most dramatic.

Printed, not antique

Our chinoiserie rugs are printed velvet, not hand-knotted antiques or silk carpets. That makes them affordable, light and machine washable, easy to clean after a dinner party. For more classic and decorative styles, see our abstract and modern rugs.

Your own design

Want a chinoiserie pattern in your dining room's exact blue, a willow landscape sized for a long hallway or a design based on a favorite plate? Our custom rugs can print it in any size up to 5′11″ × 10′, or as a round rug from 2.6 to 5.9 ft (80 to 180 cm). Please only send artwork you're allowed to use. Custom rugs are made just for you and can't be returned.

Sizes, shipping and returns

Rectangles come in 2×3, 2.6×3.9, 3.3×5, 4×6 and 5×7 ft, and round rugs from 2.6 to 5.9 ft (80 to 180 cm) across. Custom sizes go up to 5′11″ × 10′. Every rug is printed to order in 1–3 business days and ships from Turkey; US delivery usually takes 2–5 business days after that. Unused rugs can be returned within 30 days on US orders; custom rugs can't be returned.

Care

Machine wash on a gentle, cold cycle and let it air dry flat. Vacuum on a low setting between washes, and blot spills with cold water right away. The design is printed into the fibers, so the blues stay crisp and the whites stay clean, wash after wash.

Delft and the Dutch connection

When Chinese porcelain reached Europe through the Dutch East India Company in the 17th century, demand far outstripped supply. Potters in the Dutch city of Delft answered with their own tin-glazed earthenware, painted in cobalt blue on white, imitating the Chinese wares and then developing styles of their own: windmills, ships, Dutch landscapes and elaborate tulip vases with spouts for single blooms.

Delftware blends naturally with chinoiserie. A rug of blue-and-white tiles, each with a small scene, a flower or a bird, looks wonderful in a kitchen or a breakfast nook, and a pattern that mixes pagodas with windmills captures the playful crossover between the two traditions. Blue and white is endlessly forgiving, matching wood, brass, rattan and white walls alike.

For a collector of blue-and-white china, a rug in the same cobalt brings the shelves down to the floor, tying a dining room or a living room together around the display cabinet.

Delft tiles also suit a fireplace surround nearby.