Chinoiserie Pattern

Make a chinoiserie-style pattern from 10 motifs of our own: a three-tier pagoda, a garden pavilion, a humped footbridge, a willow-style tree, a pine on a rock, a bird in flight, a long-tailed bird on a blossom branch, a peony, a cloud scroll and a garden rock. The V&A describes chinoiserie as “the style inspired by the art and design of China, Japan and other Asian countries”, a fashion of the 18th century (design for a pier-glass, about 1755–60, V&A record O754582); these motifs are our own drawings in that spirit, not a copy of any historic print. Set them in a half-drop (every second column moved down exactly half a cell), an all-over grid, mirrored panels or a border stripe; print in one colour, such as blue on white, or in two colours on a coloured ground, such as pink and green on pale teal, then download a seamless SVG tile at real size, a full-size PDF with a motif key, a 300 DPI PNG or a background PNG at an exact screen size. Nothing is uploaded.

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How to make a chinoiserie pattern

1. Choose a preset, or pick a motif set and a layout.
2. Set the columns, rows and spacing (mirrored panels need an even number of columns), and the bar width for a border.
3. Set the motif size and the smallest gap between motifs.
4. Pick the ground and the ink; give the second ink its own colour for a two-colour wallpaper.
5. Download the SVG tile, a background PNG, or the PDF; print at 100% and check the 1 in test square.

What you can use it for

• Wallpaper and accent wall mock-ups (real-size tile)
• Fabric, cushion and lampshade planning
• Wedding and tea-party stationery, menus and place cards
• Gift wrap, tags and scrapbook paper
• Screen-print and vinyl planning (SVG tile)
• Phone, desktop and slide backgrounds (PNG at exact sizes)

The 13 presets

#	Preset	Motifs	Layout	Motifs per repeat	Repeat
1	Blue on white, garden scenes, half-drop	Garden	Half-drop	4 × 4	5.6 × 5.6 in
2	Wallpaper: pink and green on pale teal, birds and flowers	Birds and flowers	Half-drop	4 × 4	5.6 × 5.6 in
3	Gold and red on black, all motifs	All 10 chinoiserie motifs	Half-drop	4 × 4	5.6 × 5.6 in
4	Red on cream, landscape, half-drop	Landscape	Half-drop	4 × 4	5.6 × 5.6 in
5	Green on white, birds and flowers	Birds and flowers	All-over grid	4 × 4	5.2 × 5.2 in
6	Wallpaper: blue and coral on yellow, garden scenes	Garden	Half-drop	4 × 4	5.6 × 5.6 in
7	Garden border, blue on white	Garden	Border stripe	6 in a row	7.2 × 1.52 in
8	Mirrored panels, green and pink on cream	Birds and flowers	Mirrored panels	4 × 4	5.6 × 5.6 in
9	Pagodas only, blue on white	Pagoda (three tiers)	Half-drop	4 × 4	4.4 × 4.4 in
10	Peonies, pink and green on white	Peony	All-over grid	4 × 4	4.4 × 4.4 in
11	Black on white, all motifs	All 10 chinoiserie motifs	Half-drop	4 × 4	5.6 × 5.6 in
12	Cream on navy, landscape (reversed)	Landscape	Half-drop	4 × 4	5.6 × 5.6 in
13	Fabric scale: 20 cm blue on white, garden scenes	Garden	Half-drop	5 × 5	20 × 20 cm

Each preset only fills in the fields; change any setting afterwards.

The 10 chinoiserie motifs

Motif	Symmetry and stroke (tested on every point)
Pagoda (three tiers)	mirrored left to right
Garden pavilion	mirrored left to right
Humped footbridge	mirrored left to right
Willow-style tree	stroke 1.41 % of the size, constant
Pine on a rock	no symmetry
Bird in flight	mirrored left to right
Long-tailed bird on a blossom branch	no symmetry
Peony	mirrored left to right
Cloud scroll	mirrored left to right; stroke 2.12 % of the size, constant
Garden rock	no symmetry

All motifs are our own drawings. Page 2 of the PDF draws each motif used, large.

Background sizes (first preset)

Background	Pixels	Repeats across × down
Phone	1170 × 2532 px	2.18 × 4.71
Phone	1080 × 1920 px	2.01 × 3.57
Desktop	1920 × 1080 px	3.57 × 2.01
Large screen	2560 × 1440 px	4.76 × 2.68
Square post	1080 × 1080 px	2.01 × 2.01

Which tool to use

You want	Use
Pagodas, bridges, birds and peonies as a repeat or border	Chinoiserie Pattern (this page)
Waves, hemp leaves and other geometric repeats	Japanese Pattern Generator
Even dots in a grid or half-drop	Polka Dot Pattern Generator
A motif cut as a stencil	Stencil Maker

For geometric repeats such as waves and hemp leaves, try the Japanese Pattern Generator; to cut a motif as a wall stencil, the Stencil Maker.

For the history of the style, read our guide to chinoiserie; for another one-colour scenic print, our guide to toile de Jouy.

Frequently asked questions

Are the motifs copied from old wallpapers or plates?

No. Every motif is our own drawing, made of flat shapes from the same code that draws the preview and the files, and none copies a historic print, a plate pattern or a design from any maker.

One colour or several?

Both. One-colour presets print every motif in one ink on the ground; 5 presets use a second colour for flowers, window panes and accents, on a white, cream, yellow, teal or black ground. Any preset can be changed with the colour pickers.

What is a half-drop repeat?

The motifs sit in columns, and every second column is moved down exactly half a cell, so the same motif never lines up in a straight row. Our tests check the offset of every motif to the exact half cell (the first preset uses a 1.4 in cell).

Are the motifs symmetrical?

The pagoda, pavilion, footbridge, bird in flight, peony and cloud scroll are mirror-symmetric left to right; the willow-style tree, pine, long-tailed bird and garden rock face one way on purpose. Our tests check every point of every motif.

Will the pattern repeat without a seam?

Yes. A motif or line that runs over an edge of the repeat carries on from the opposite edge, so copies placed edge to edge join with no seam. Our tests compare the pattern one repeat over by sampled colour, for every preset.

Is the tile the exact size I set?

Yes. The SVG tile is written in inches or centimetres (the first preset is 5.6 in square), and the PDF prints the pattern at full size with a 1 in test square. No two motifs come closer than the gap you set (0.12 in on the first preset).

Is it free?

Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit.

Is anything uploaded?

No. Everything is drawn by JavaScript in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere.