What does cretonne mean?
Cretonne is a sturdy, closely woven cotton fabric that is generally unglazed — meaning it lacks the shiny finish found on chintz — and is commonly printed with bold floral or pictorial designs. First produced in Normandy, it became especially popular in the nineteenth century for inexpensive yet attractive household furnishings: curtains, loose covers, cushions, and upholstered furniture. Because it is hard-wearing and washable, cretonne was a practical choice for domestic use, while its lively prints gave rooms color and character without great expense. Today the word carries a somewhat old-fashioned, nostalgic flavor; it appears most often in contexts involving antiques, period décor, or traditional country-house style. Collectors and designers prize early cretonne prints as charming records of past decorative taste. The term remains current in the textile trade and among those interested in historic fabrics, even though modern mass-market furnishing cottons are more often marketed under generic names such as printed cotton or utility fabric.
nounA strong cotton fabric, typically unglazed and printed with a floral or figured pattern, used chiefly for curtains, upholstery, and other household furnishing.
- An unglazed, strongly woven cotton fabric, usually printed with flowers or figures, used for curtains and upholstery.
"She recovered the armchair in a cheerful cretonne patterned with climbing roses."
"The kitchen windows were dressed in bright yellow cretonne dotted with lemons."
"Antique cretonne, with its bold Victorian florals, has come back into favor among interior designers."
Rarely pluralized; 'cretonnes' would refer to multiple pieces or varieties of the fabric, but in ordinary usage the singular serves for the material itself.
"The shop stocked cretonnes in every shade of blue and green."
Cretonne takes its name from Créton, the tiny Normandy village where the fabric was first made — an entire textile immortalized by one small French town.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cretonne
Cretonne derives its name from the village of Créton in Normandy, France, where the fabric was traditionally manufactured, and entered English via French in the nineteenth century. It belongs to the broader family of European printed-cotton textiles that rose to prominence as cotton printing techniques spread across France and England. The word's French origin is preserved directly in its spelling, which differs little from the source place name.
How cretonne is actually used
Somewhat dated or traditional in tone today, cretonne is most likely to appear in discussions of vintage textiles, antique furnishing, or period interior design rather than everyday speech.
Easily confused with cretonne
Chintz is typically glazed (given a shiny finish) while cretonne is an unglazed, matte printed cotton.
'Crayon' is a drawing implement of colored wax or chalk, unrelated to the textile called 'cretonne' despite a similar sound.