The French were the first to find
love with toile.

Traditional and Timeless

Just as the Eiffel Tower is a Parisian icon, toile is a symbol of French decorative ingenuity and panache.

Created by German fabric printer Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf in Jouy-en-Josas, France, around 1770, toile relieved the people's boredom with rococo curves, showy swirls, and flamboyoant flourishes of the day. Named for its birth city outside of Paris, the fabric became known as toile de Jouy (pronounced twall-de-jhwee), meaning "cloth of Jouy."

Lucky for us, toile crossed the ocean and made its way into American homes, where blue patterns on neutral or colored backgrounds remain a favorite. Fabrics and wall coverings allow us to lavish rooms with toile. Like all things decorative, toile continues to evolve to accomodate a variety of tastes, appearing on textured fabrics and in a variety of patterns.

Like a classic novel, toile conveys a timeless tale. Today, new interpretations have fallen into favor alongside the traditional pictorial scenes, bringing graceful beauty to the home.

 

Butter yellow ragged over white
on the walls complements the
toile background color. Click
image to enlarge.

Formerly a dark, unfriendly room in the Plymouth Pilgrim Society Showhouse in Massachusetts, this living room earned a new, sunny disposition when interior designer Dennis Pendolari dressed its windows in a brilliant toile of blue and taupe on a cheery yellow background.

"This [fabric] had very large-scale figures for the pattern," Pendolari says, "which I liked because I knew they could be easily seen." To make a statement, he fashioned double-wide, pinch-pleated panels from the toile, trimming them in blue, gold, and cream tassels, and added matching upholstered cornices above the windows and French doors. Warm yellow extends to the walls with a golden tone ragged over a creamy white base coat that brightens the entire room.

"A crisp blue-and-white color scheme is always a hit, but it can also be cold," Pendolari says. "Adding yellow to the mix made the room seem warm, comfortable, and welcoming."

 

This reading lamp, fashioned
from an 1850s Chinese porcelain
vase, has a toile look. Click
image to enlarge.

Though the toile pattern is traditional, he added playful doses of other fabrics throughout the room to soften the formality. Plaid pillows and a layered plaid-and-toile tablecloth pair with softly contemporary striped chairs and a laid-back chenille sofa.

"You have to hunt around for companion fabrics," Pendolari says. "You'll just be thumbing through some fabrics, and it will hit you when you see the right ones to complement the toile."