Toile fabric was first commercially produced in France in 1760. The word toile means cloth in French. The fabric was created in a region called Jouy-en-Josas. It was originally referred to as Toile de Jouy for that reason. The first toile prints were usually white or cream. The stories told in the original toile patterns might be the retelling of a Greek or Roman myth, a sailing adventure, or simply the daily life of a farmer in the French countryside. Today the word toile is used to describe an elegant printing technique with engraving-like detail which tells a story with the images depicted. The images consist of a pattern of a single color, most often black, dark red, or blue. Greens and magenta colors sometimes make an appearance in toile patterns but are less common. The intricacy and uniqueness of these designs has kept them alive since their first appearances in the 1700s. These patterns can be found on any base from bedding, linens, and curtains to wallpaper and even recently, clothing. Toile remains most popular for bedding and linens and the top manufacturers all offer a toile ensemble. Ranging from traditional French country scenes to florals these bedding ensembles are a beautiful way to enhance your living space and create decorating detail that simply can not be found in other designs. Some of the different offerings by bedding manufacturers are described in the rest of the article. A.L. Ellis Inc. produces a line of toile bedding which they print themselves. Their elegant French country scenes are printed on a cream colored background and come in black, blue, sage, or red. To keep with this French country theme, the toile comforters are paired with a checked bed skirt. Thomasville Home Furnishings has recently released a pattern called Cherrington, which is a more modern toile featuring a gorgeous oversized floral pattern on a sapphire blue background. To give this set a striking positive/negative effect, the comforter is paired with sheets in a blue toile pattern on a crisp white background. Thomasville is also planning to release several more traditional toile patterns in the coming months. Curtain and Drapery Fashions is a company that makes bedding using a classic toile fabric by Waverly called Country Life. These ensembles come in either black or wedgewood and include a wide array of products including comforter sets, throw pillows, and window treatments. Many manufacturers offer bedding ensembles, curtains, upholstery and much more in toile patterns. The most popular offerings have been described here. When you purchase a toile bedding ensemble you can take your style a step further by adding matching window treatments, shower curtains and even furniture with toile patterned upholstery. With todays technology and a wide variety of offerings by fine manufacturers anyone can beautifully decorate their home with patterns and designs that were available only from professional decorators in the past. |
