10 Ways to Decorate With Toile From the AD Archives
A cotton or linen traditionally printed with pastoral scenes in blue, red, or black on a white ground, toile de Jouy, or toile for short, takes its name from the French village of Jouy-en-Josas, where it was developed in the 1760s. Today, the 18th-century patterns are still the perfect way to add detail and classic character to any space. A Quadrille toile clad space in the children’s room of a Southampton beach house, Manuel Canovas toile curtains in a 17th-century Tuscan villa, and a toile enveloped guest room in a New Jersey estate, are just a few examples of how this elegant motif has been incorporated throughout the pages of Architectural Digest. Whether you’re looking to cover a bed or the walls, this patterned print is the perfect way to add detail and classic character to any space.
Photo: Pieter Estersohn1/10A Quadrille toile fabric and wallpaper envelop one of the children's rooms of this Southampton beach house designed by architect David Hotternoth and interior designer David Netto. The furnishings include a Room & Board bunk bed, vintage Poul Kjærholm armchairs from Dansk Møbelkunst Gallery, and a Stark carpet; the portrait is of one of the homeowners' grandfathers.
Photo: Pieter Estersohn2/10This charming stairway from the drawing room of this 17th-century Tuscan villa hints at the advanced age of the house; the curtains are of a Manuel Canovas toile.
Photo: Eric Piasecki3/10Emma the Siamese commandeers the Leontine Linens-dressed bed in the daughter's room of this Manhattan apartment designed by David Kleinberg. A Quadrille toile de Jouy is used for the walls and duvet.
Photo: Tim Beddow4/10“I brought out the flavor of the house by buying more historical pieces as well as through fabrics and wallcoverings,” designer Graham Viney explains of this Cape Town, South Africa estate. Of the toile de Jouy in a guest room, the wife of the home remarks, “I bought out the entire stock, and we just managed on 100 meters.”
Photo: Saylor Durston5/10“I don't usually do a girlie look,” says designer Laura Hunt in reference to her Manhattan apartment, “When I decorate, there's a subtle simplified elegance; this was a little more flamboyant for me.” Antique toile from Hunt's daughter's former bedroom was recycled for the balloon shades, with Clarence House trim, and upholstery. Carpet from Stark.
Photo: Saylor Durston6/10“The master bedroom is a wonderful, large room with a fantastic Palladian window overlooking the gardens,” says interior designer Joseph Kremer, who hid a television in a vintage mule chest of this Southampton home. Holly Hunt bed, chairs and ottoman. Old World Weavers toile. Patterson, Flynn & Martin carpet.
Photo: Saylor Durston7/10“The details temper the house's noble, age-old appearance,” says designer Marshall Watson of this New Jersey estate. A guest room, enveloped in toile, “is a fantasy.” Kravet chair fabric. Bed-covering fabric, Chelsea Editions. Old World Weavers bed-skirt silk. Rug, Patterson, Flynn & Martin.
Photo: Matthew Millman8/10A series of 19th-century botanical studies by M. Guyot are displayed in the guest room of this Peter Marino—designed Dallas estate. Above the desk is a late-18th-century watercolor, Sous-Bois, by Franz Kaisermann. The toile chair, wallcovering and drapery fabric was designed by Marino's company.
Photo: Saylor Durston9/10“I've always wanted to have a toile guest room,” designer Geoffrey Bradfield says of his Manhattan townhouse. “Although I loved the concept, the subject seemed too traditional, until I found a pattern depicting New York.” The headboard design was inspired by one he saw in a hotel in Dubai. Decorators Walk toile.
Photo: Pieter Estersohn10/10A Saarinen table by Knoll joins a bed draped in toile de Jouy in one of the bedrooms of a Philadelphia home decorated by Thomas Jayne.
