The Joy of Toile

Though we may associate toile with French decoration, this storied fabric was quite popular in colonial American interiors and has experienced a resurgence in both interior design and fashion.

Pastoral toiles often include images of people working, playing, dancing, having a meal together, and the like.

(American Toile: Four Centuries of Scenic Fabrics and Wallpaper by Michele Palmer)

This is an image of Toile de Texas designed by Edward Montoya. Though not a reflection of our daily life in the Texas Hill Country, it includes some key elements of the traditional pastoral toile. Cowboys are roping steers and preparing a meal on the back of a chuck wagon (working); riding a bucking horse (playing); and sitting around a campfire (having a meal together).

(www.sheilabridges.com)

Toile, fabric is both engaging and thought provoking. Toile fabric was produced in Ireland beginning in the mid-eighteenth century. Toile de Jouy originated in Jouy-en-Josas, a suburb of Paris in the late eighteenth century. Designs were executed on copper plate and then printed directly onto the fabric. This image shows Sheila Bridges’ Harlem Toile de Jouy being printed here in the United States.  

Here are a few of the scenes designer Sheila Bridges included in her contemporary toile with motifs relative to those in the original pastoral toiles.  People are working (dressing for an event); playing (Double Dutch jump rope); and dancing (to music from a boom box). Sheila Bridges said “Harlem Toile served as an opportunity for me to share and express my personal perspective on politics, culture, and art.”

Amber Butchart (World of Interiors, October 5, 2023) writes about a new exhibit at London’s Fashion and Textile Museum, “We don’t often consider fabrics to be political objects, but, just like monumental artworks or propaganda posters, they have often been used to transmit ideological messages.”

This New Orleans Toile is based on sketches by Bryan Batt who is co-owner of Hazelnut, a home furnishings store. Following Hurricane Katrina he donated a portion of the sales proceeds from the toile to help with recovery efforts. The toile features well known landmarks of New Orleans including the St. Louis Cathedral and a streetcar in the Garden District.

This photo of a toile called Progress is made from a 1931 woodcut. The author of American Toile, Michele Palmer writes, “The hot air balloon above a farm and the train crossing its fields indicate an uncertain future for farming.

(The Most Beautiful Rooms in the World: Architectural Digest)

Toile has been featured as the subject in a work of art by Ester Partega titled The most important things.

Min Hogg, the founding editor of World of Interiors, had a home in Ingenio, Gran Canario. Photographer Miguel Flores-Vianna visited her there and captured the experience with his images. Her almond pink living room with a settee topped with a toile slipcover exemplifies her individuality and ability to create a home reflective of its surroundings.

Here are other striking images of toile in design.

A toile cushion on an antique bench in a Galveston, Texas beach house decorated by Babs Watkins (The Houses of Veranda, Lisa Newsom).

Black and white toile wallpaper balances shelves lined with lime green and filled with white pottery in a Beverly Hills breakfast room designed by Mary McDonald (Interiors: The Allure of Style by Mary McDonald).

The toile on this bed in the Governor’s Palace at Williamsburg, Virginia is a copy of the first English copperplate printed fabric dating to 1760. (Williamsburg: Decorating With Style: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation). The vivid color combination, true to the period, could be used and appreciated today.

The toile we put on our dining room chairs 15 years ago is still one of my favorites!

The leftover toile fabric along with a wash of white liming gel stain impart a new look to two of our existing side chairs. They accent an enfilade along one side of the house and can be pulled up to the dining table when we need extra seating.

These photos (French Chateau Style: Inside France’s Most Exquisite Private Homes: Catherine Scotto) show a room with walls and bed covered in a toile from Marches Saint-Pierre in the 18^th arrondissement of Paris at the foot of Montmartre. So exciting to read about this as for me, a trip to Paris always includes a visit to the fabric shops in this district. When you want to buy fabric in these shops you signal to a person standing by with a meter stick who comes to the table where your bolt of fabric is resting and measures and cuts it in place. You then stand in line outside a tiny glass enclosed office and when it’s your turn hand the ticket and payment to the person working inside. On our last trip we bought several yards of blue and white men’s shirting fabric and I used it to make nightgowns.

While on the subject of toile and clothing design, you might be interested to know Christian Dior has a close affinity with toile. The House of Dior regularly creates unique designs and uses the toile to fashion coats, dresses, handbags, scarves, and other sartorial items.

This toile fabric was ordered online as part of a plan to recover two small chairs. This did not happen. The fabric was too lovely to waste, so instead, I made a skirt. The skirt has been well received here in the Texas Hill Country. My favorite comment was from a woman in the Central Market grocery store who confided to me that she had “skirt envy” when she saw the skirt made of toile.

There is no end to what can be covered or embellished with toile – what joy it brings!

Run out and see what you can do!