Toile in its traditional sense is defined as a pattern of regal-looking people or animals in certain picture setting, like a farm or garden. The traditional pattern is generally featured in one colorway — trad shades of green, red, blue, or black on a white background. Luckily, these principles have gone from the window. You can now locate toile in each colour palette (hello, pink!) As well as the layouts frequently play around with scale. I’m also a big fan of the modern, cheeky spins on what images are now considered toile. You can discover modern toiles which are whimsical and fun. So it’s official: I’ve released toile out of its fuddy-duddy fashion box in which it used to live within my mind. Now I’m enjoying this pattern.
Caitlin Wilson Design
The periwinkle toile cushions steal the series — even in a bold, modern space similar to this one.
Suggestion: For a similar cloth, check out this blue toile by designer Thomas Paul.
Atmosphere Interior Design Inc..
The stars of the room are certainly the toile barrel-shaped seats — the pattern pops contrary to the modern mix of blues, white and black. The toile pattern is much more traditional in design and features images in black on a white background. By upholstering these mod seats in a classic toile, you produce a cool mix of styles.
Hint: If you’re considering reupholstering a chair with toile fabric, think about its shape. If the seat has lots of stitches, you are going to have to match the scene up in the toile. That’s a great deal more difficult than reupholstering chairs like these, where the pattern just covers one side of the seat.
Zoe Feldman Design, Inc..
There’s something new and modern about the toile utilized with this particular window seat. The scale is larger, the colors are reversed (white images on a colour background), and also the most evident twist — the pink colour!
Hint: Do not be afraid to layer several patterns into a little space. You can unify two different patterns by choosing the exact same color palette. In this case, both pink-on-white patterns match each other.
Globus Builder
In a traditional red-on-white color scheme, this traditional toile warms up a toilet otherwise outfitted in modern conveniences. The patterned drapes balance all of the white subway tile and hardness of the toilet fixtures to bring a few cozy into the space.
This space feels like a modern twist on some traditional accents. I think it’s all of the whites, neutrals, forests, along with the softer palette of the toile background (restricted to just the lower half of the walls.) There’s an airy vibe into this room that reminds me of the chic style I love.
Mustard Seed Interiors
These drapes channel that vintage grainsack look that’s so on trend these days. The large scale pattern and inverse colorway (white on red) causes this toile a standout.
Inside-Out Designs
A toilet can easily sense sterile with all the metal fixtures and tile. The toile shower curtain inside this bathroom adds a hot, chic design for this black-and-white space.
Inside-Out Designs
Here, the toile frame around the mirror adds a regal touch to the toilet space. If you can’t afford a fancy framed mirror, you could always try to create your own.
Anthropologie
Girl Of The Manor Wallpaper – $88
Whimsical is the term with this modern toile background which includes fun illustrations in a pattern that’s less busy than traditional toile designs. I could see this background used in so many rooms — it brings out a childlike charm with its quirky illustrations.
Flavor Paper
Chinatown Toile @ Flavor Paper : Tasty Handscreened and Digital Wallcoverings – $150
From a distance, this background may appear to be a traditional red-on-white toile. But up close, the scenes seem like they’re straight from an illustrated comic strip.
AphroChic Shop
AphroChic – Brooklyn Life Indoor – $225
What a cool twist on toile: a mix of unexpected colors (purples, reds, and yellows) and decidedly urban scenes. This pillow is called Brooklyn Life Indoor. Super fun.
More: History Comes Home — The Story of Toile
Watch more toile in house interiors