Toile is a classic style of fabric that has been around since the 1760’s, when it originated in France. Noted for its monochromatic color on a white background, toile tells a story. Originally printed with pastoral scenes, toile now comes in versatile patterns and colors. It is also available in wallcoverings. Here are a few ways to incorporate toile into your home.
Toile originated in the French village of Jouy-en-Josas, hence the full name of the style, Toile de Jouy. Literally translated, this means Cloth of Jouy. So naturally toile is a mainstay of the French country style of interior design.
Bedrooms are the perfect place to use toile. Decorating a bedroom with allover pattern using toile wallpaper, upholstery and bed linens works best with more muted colors. A pretty pastel blue or green or a soft yellow are ideal.
For a more subtle use of toile, try it out on a piece of upholstery or on pillows to accent a sofa. Toile wallpaper in the dining room adds classic style.
Modern interpretations of toile include major cities around the world. New Orleans, Louisiana and Venice, Italy are a few beautiful examples. Some of these designs are offered in a larger variety of colors, including multi-color versions.
Chinese toile, with beautiful birds and flowers among people, is a wonderful choice for dining rooms and living areas where it can be combined with Chinese Chippendale furniture and accents. Even though true toile is one color on white, these vibrant toiles come in a variety of colors as well.
Choose your story to tell. Will it be the traditional idyllic pastoral scene, a colorful Chinese rendering or perhaps a modern interpretation of your favorite city. Rediscover toile and see where your story leads.
Hello! I am currently looking to decorate my room with toile as well. I like the first picture with the matching green wallpaper and the bedding. How is this possible? I found the wallpaper online, but cannot find the corresponding bedding, nor fabric. Was this custom ordered? How would I go about finding something like this?
Christina,
Thanks for writing. That is a beautiful pattern of toile. Since you’ve found the wallpaper, perhaps you can find out who the designer and/or manufacturer is and look for the bedding this way. The photo was found on the HGTV website, so there may be some leads there. Designer collections, unfortunately, come and go but with a pattern as timeless as this, there should not be too much trouble locating it. I will try to find the name of the pattern and see where that leads.