Toile fabric has origins in Ireland and France where it was originally made by pressing large carved, inked blocks onto cotton fabric. This style of fabric is synonymous with Louis XVI, and Chippendale furniture, and is also used in Asian design. Toile fabric is available in many color combinations. However, you are most likely to find a white of cream background with red, white, blue, and black details. Toile fabrics are also designed in several different themes. You will find jungle animals, picnic scenes, flowers, palm trees, butterflies, flowers, and angels.
Many people would like to experiment with using this rich elegant fabric, but are afraid that the amount of detail will overwhelm their room. A good place to try using these fabrics is in a room that is seldom used. Here ideas will help you to create a toile guest room.
Start by creating simple toile mural on the wall. This is a great alternative to toile wallpaper, as too much of the design can make the room cease to be restful. Trace a simple toile pattern onto transparency paper and project it onto the wall so that one repeat covers a large section of the wall. Trace the lines with a pencil. Then with a thin paintbrush or permanent marker in the color of your choosing, trace the pencil lines and your mural is complete. The background color of the walls should be something neutral. If you feel a mural is too daring for your tastes, upholster one wall of your room with toile fabric, or wallpaper one wall. Paint the other walls in the room to match the patterns background.
Next, create your window treatments. Choose a toile pattern that matches your mural. Use the fabric to create your cornice boards or window panels only. For the other, use a checked or striped material in the same colors.
Also, create your bedding. Make a reversible duvet cover for the comforter. On one side, use the same toile pattern found in your window treatments. On the other side, use your accent fabric. This way you can turn the comforter for more or less toile pattern as the mood arises. The only other toile pattern on the bed should be your pillow shams and a couple of accent pillows. Make the other pillows, sheets, blankets, and bed skirt a coordinating fabric.
The flooring in a toile bedroom should be classy and elegant without distracting from the patterns already in the room. You can have a richly colored hard wood floor and area rug, or a wall-to-wall carpet in a neutral color. The floor is an area will you will most likely not want to add the toile pattern.
Accessorize by upholstering at least one furniture item in the room with a matching toile fabric. This will complete the room and give it balance. Also, purchase a roll of toile wallpaper to cover hatboxes, lampshade kits, picture mat boards, and other bedroom accessories.
Finally, do not abuse the toile pattern. Use it in three to four major areas of the room like the wall, the bed, the window treatments and one piece of furniture. Find fabrics with the same color scheme that complements the toile. These fabrics will support and better help to highlight the toile fabric. Most importantly, do not mix toile patterns in one room. Pick one pattern and color scheme and thick to it. The only time it is acceptable to mix toile fabric is when the prints are of the same color scheme, and theme, but of two pattern different sizes. For example, one must only be identifiable as toile at a close distance, while the pattern of the other fabric is quite evident from a distance.
