How and Why You Should Use Toile Wallpaper in Your Home
Though it may sound like a thing of the past, toile wallpaper has been regaining popularity as people look to switch things up in their homes. Toile is a design that is typically printed on wallpaper or fabric which uses a repeated pattern that, upon a closer look, can be recognized as a complex depiction of a certain scene or theme.
The repetition of the pattern used in toile wallpaper is a perfect accent to any neutral space that needs something new, and using toile wallpaper in your own home can give your space a whimsical, fresh feeling.
However, since toile wallpaper is just now seeing a revival as people strive for a more vintage feel to their homes, you may be wondering if toile is right for you.
For any of you questioning whether to make the move and go for toile wallpaper, here are some explanations as to how–and why–you should use toile wallpaper in your home!
Wondering if Toile is Right for You? I’m Answering All Your Questions Below!
Even though you have almost definitely seen toile designs before, you might not be aware of all of the details surrounding the art.
The following are some of the big questions that you may have about toile wallpaper and how to figure out if it’s the right move for you.
Is Toile Fabric Out of Style?
Toile wallpaper might sound pretty old-fashioned when you first hear about it, but it is actually very much in style. Different toile patterns can give your home a vintage or a modern feel, depending on what you are going for.
There has been a recent revival of toile fabrics with a modern spin. While toile has historically depicted scenes involving animals and rural life, modern toile patterns can revolve around virtually any theme that you have in mind for your home.
What Does Toile Wallpaper Look Like?
As previously mentioned, toile wallpaper traditionally depicts a scene that involves elements such as animals or rural life.
Toile wallpaper is often monochromatic, utilizing a single color–most often black, red, or blue–to create a mesmerizing and detailed pattern that becomes more and more fascinating the closer you get to it.
What is Modern Toile?
Modern toile differs from historical toile in the sense that it has expanded to depict virtually any theme that the designer wants to explore.
Though traditionally, toile tended to be monochromatic and use dark colors, modern toile has shifted away from this slightly.
For example, a floral toile wallpaper might use light, bright colors like pinks, yellows, blues, or greens. While historically, toile has been created on a white background, modern toile has taken more liberties with this, exploring various different background colors to place the design on.
Because of the modern-day changes to toile, using toile wallpaper in your home is perfect whether you are going for a vintage look or a modern look.
Toile is adaptable, and the modern-day style of toile means that you don’t have to feel like your wallpaper is too “old fashioned.”
What Matches French Toile?
Because traditional French toile uses a small color palette, it can match with virtually anything. Many people use neutral shades to compliment French toile. However, you can make almost anything go with toile. Though it is an intricate design, the colors used in French toile match well with any neutral space that you want to upgrade.
When Was Toile Wallpaper Popular?
Toile wallpaper first saw popularity in France during the late 18th century and early 19th century. It was originally produced in the French town of Jouy-in-Josas by industrialist Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf.
The full term for toile is “Toile de Jouy,” French for “fabric from Jouy.”
As Oberkampf’s toile designs became more known, they eventually spread to the queen of the time, Marie Antoinette, who popularized toile and made it a household design for many people.
Since then, toile has gone through various different cycles and multiple revivals.
Is Toile Coming Back?
Though toile never really left, it has gone through numerous cycles of losing and gaining relevance. Currently, toile is making another comeback in interior design.
Because of the various ways that toile wallpaper has been modernized, many people are turning to toile when looking to decorate their home.
If you’re interested in using toile wallpaper for your home but want to make sure that you’re keeping up with modern trends, then rest assured–it’s completely in style.
How Do I Use Toile Wallpaper?
There’s no single way to use toile wallpaper, and you should use it in whatever way feels best for your environment.
Some people like to match their toile wallpaper with similar toile prints on bedding and pillows to tie the room together, though many people simply want their wallpaper to be toile and nothing else.
If you don’t want your wallpaper and furniture to have the exact same patterns, then consider using a two-tone palette for your toile wallpaper.
After selecting one light and one dark color, you can decorate the rest of the room based around complimenting this color scheme.
What is Toile Pattern?
Toile pattern involves any repeated pattern in decorating that traditionally depicts a specific, complex scene. Historically, toile patterns were centered around pastoral scenes or nature scenes. Over time, the toile pattern has adapted to include various other designs and scenes.
What is French Toile Wallpaper?
French toile wallpaper popularized the toile pattern and depicted scenes that one would expect from toile design.
The elegant design of traditional French toile wallpaper rapidly spread to the luxurious wealthy when it first became popular in France.
Is Toile a Classic?
Toile patterns are absolutely a classic design that anyone redecorating their walls should look into. The fascinating history of toile, along with the fact that it has remained alive and popular for hundreds of years, proves that this style will always be considered as one of the best go-to classics.
Toile is timelessly beautiful and can adapt to look good in any time period. For this reason, it is likely that toile will always be considered a classic.
What is Harlem Toile?
One of the most exciting developments in toile is the Harlem toile style, a relatively new way of approaching toile designs.
Behind Harlem toile is interior designer Sheila Bridges, who decided to create Harlem toile because she noticed that she had never seen a toile which spoke to her experiences as an African American woman.
Bridges’ Harlem toile is now a part of the Smithsonian Design Museum’s permanent collection. It is displayed, in part, to critique the artistic stereotypes of the last centuries which have taken away from the reality of the African American experience.
How is Toile Pronounced?
Confused on how to say toile wallpaper? Toile is pronounced as “twaal.”
What Era is Toile From?
Toile patterns originated in the mid-18th century.
Is Toile Southern?
Though toile patterns originated in Europe, it has become incredibly popular in southern towns over the years. Many towns create their own custom toile patterns to include details about all of the things to see and do when visiting.
What Are the Pros of Adding Toile to Your Home?
Now that you know all of the basics about toile patterns and wallpapers, you might be asking what the pros are of using toile wallpaper when redesigning your space?
There are multiple benefits that come from decorating your walls with toile patterns that will help your home look its best.
Toile Adds Detail to a Plain Wall
Do you feel yourself getting bored with all of the walls in your home being plain? Adding toile wallpaper can give any room the character that it needs to really stand out.
The intricate designs that you can find in toile patterns are amazing to look at from a distance and up close, and adding toile to a plain wall guarantees that you will have more people complimenting your home the next time you have guests.
Toile Makes a Great Accent Wall
Are you interested in looking at toile wallpaper for your home, but don’t want to commit to making an entire room toile patterned?
Luckily, toile works great as an accent wall as well. By making only one wall in your room have a toile pattern, you can complement the space without demanding too much attention.
Using toile as an accent wall also allows you to use the monochromatic shades in the toile as a tie-in with your plain wall color, bringing everything together into one cohesive space.
Toile Adds a Romantic Flair to Any Space
Having some romantic flair in your room is always a great touch, and toile can give you just the flair that you’re looking for.
Adding toile to a room through subtly romantic wallpaper designs or through toile furniture is a great way to give the space a dreamy feeling.
Toile Gives a Vintage Vibe to Your Space
While toile can have a modern look, many traditional toile patterns are vintage. For those of you who are looking to give your space a vintage feeling, toile wallpaper will do just that.
Giving your room a vintage look will make it instantly charming and comfortable.
Toile Can Upgrade and Add Class to Any Space
Toile patterns are sophisticated and classy, and if you’re looking to add some class to your home, toile wallpaper is one of the best ways that you can do it. They are an instant upgrade that will have visitors talking.
Toile Can Fit Almost Anywhere in Your Home
One of the greatest things about toile is its versatility. You can put toile wallpaper in virtually any room of your house to upgrade your space.
No matter what theme or style you are going for in a specific room, toile can be adjusted to match.
One of the most popular choices amongst homeowners is having a toile wallpaper bathroom, though the pattern is also suitable for the bedroom and entryway.
In addition to this, toile looks excellent on the stairwell wall, or simply as an accent wall for any room.
Toile Adds Character to Your Room
Regardless of your tastes in home decor, you should always want your space to have character! Toile can transform a space that is otherwise unnoteworthy into a talking point.
Toile gives every room its own unique feeling and character, which is one of the main goals of any home upgrade.
How Can You Style Your Toile Wallpaper?
When you are styling your toile wallpaper, the possibilities can seem endless. Now that you have the lovely design on your walls, what should you be accenting the walls and the room with to truly bring everything together? Some stylish items that you can add to your toile wallpaper include: (The following links may be affiliate links)
- An antique mirror. This is especially true for those of you looking to get a more vintage feeling out of your toile wallpaper. Complementing the wall with an antique mirror solidifies the vintage atmosphere, and adds another gorgeous piece to the room without detracting from the detail of the toile wallpaper.
- Picture frames. Plain and simple picture frames spread out can also add a nice extra “oomph” to your toile wallpaper. It is important not to overwhelm the space with picture frames, as this will take attention away from the wallpaper—however, having a few picture frames up gives the space a homey, comforting feeling, all while looking gorgeous.
- Large print. Because your toile print will be small, detailed patterns, adding a large print to the wall allows for just the right amount of contrast. Large print artwork adds another flair to your space, and the size perfectly complements your toile wallpaper.
- Matching decorations. Looking for other decorations that don’t have to be hung up on the wall? You can add matching curtains, throw pillows, or even a chair to any space to expertly tie in the different colors and patterns in the room.
Design Your Home With The Farmhouse Life
Designing your home means making a lot of choices, which can be overwhelming to many people. If you want to redesign your home but don’t know where to start, The Farmhouse Life is the perfect place to receive the highest quality e-design services to make your home everything you want it to be.
Want to shop this post? Click on a photo below. *These links are affiliate links and if used I make a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for supporting the brands that support this blog of mine!
Be sure to pin for later!
Chat soon!
Kori
