10 Ways to Rock Mud Cloth in Your Decor

Mud cloth has become a hot trend in home decor and it seems that it will be sticking around for awhile! Whether you choose to buy or DIY, these beautiful mud cloth designs will make a bold statement in your home decor!

I’m a big fan of the mud cloth trend. I love the bold, geometric, tribal-inspired patterns and the contrasting colors and textures. When I shared the DIY mud cloth coasters below on my Instagram, a lot of people commented that they hadn’t heard of mud cloth so I thought it would be a great opportunity to introduce this trend to those of you that haven’t seen it/heard of it and to share some inspiring mud cloth designs with those of you who are already fans.

What is Mud Cloth?

Although this trend has gained huge popularity as of late, it’s actually an ancient African textile that carries special meaning and is passed down from generation to generation in families. The symbols woven into mud cloth fabric have unique stories to tell, whether they are documenting historical events, social status, private messages or ancient proverbs. The rich history of the bold patterns made me fall in love with this trend even more!

How is Mud Cloth Made?

As you can imagine, the ways to create this pattern have evolved over centuries but the way that mud cloth was originally created is fascinating (and also how it got it’s name):

After the fabric was woven, it was soaked in a bath of leaves and branches to color it.
The fabric was laid out to dry in the sun and covered in mud. Once the mud was fully dried it was scraped off, leaving behind a gray tint. This step would be repeated multiple times to reach the artist’s desired color.
The contrasting patterns/symbols were painted on with bleach.

Since mud cloth is usually created in neutral colors, this trend is easy to incorporate into your current home decor theme to whatever extent you’d like. Here are some beautiful pieces to introduce this rich trend into your home: