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17th Century Curtains and 17th Century Curtain Fabrics

Loome have authentic designs from the seventeenth century perfect for use as curtain fabric.

17th Century Textiles

The 17th century was a turning point in the story of English textiles. At the beginning of the century, England was famed for its wool production, and the weaving towns of East Anglia flourished. Wool was the backbone of local economies, providing employment for spinners, dyers, and finishers, and funding the construction of great churches that still dominate the villages of Essex and Suffolk today. Fabrics often took their names from the towns where they were produced, or from techniques perfected locally 

Wool plains were the dominant cloth in the early decades. Locally sheared and hand-spun, wool travelled from cottage spinners to weavers in towns stretching from London to Norwich. These plain fabrics were practical and durable, and they served the everyday needs of a growing nation. Yet the textile landscape was soon to change dramatically with the arrival of a group of highly skilled immigrants — the Huguenots.

Expelled from France for their Protestant faith, the Huguenots sought refuge in England and brought with them a wealth of textile knowledge. They introduced the skills of weaving silk and creating complex figured designs that went far beyond the simple wool plains of earlier decades. Settling in cities such as London, Norwich, Canterbury, and Gloucester, the Huguenot weavers soon gained recognition for their superior craftsmanship and were invited to join the Worshipful Company of Weavers. Their influence shifted English textiles towards larger, more detailed designs, with damask, brocatelle, and tissue fabrics setting new standards of luxury.

This period coincided with the rise of the Baroque style, which had spread from Italy across Europe. Baroque interiors were designed to impress: rich velvets, elaborate silk damasks, and gilt-wood furniture created a sense of drama and grandeur. Fabrics of the time reflected this taste with scrolling foliage, decorative flowers, bold heraldic motifs, and strong masculine forms on a large scale. Colour palettes leaned towards deep, rich tones — crimson, emerald, indigo, and gold — which lent interiors a sense of theatre.

The 17th century was also shaped by great designers and craftsmen beyond the loom. Sir Christopher Wren, responsible for rebuilding much of London after the Great Fire, worked in the English Baroque style and created interiors that demanded equally dramatic fabrics. Grinling Gibbons, the celebrated woodcarver, complemented these textiles with limewood carvings of flowers, fruit, and foliage so naturalistic that they seemed alive. Together, architecture, carving, and cloth combined to produce interiors of extraordinary richness.

17th Century Curtains and 17th Century Upholstery Fabrics