toile du jouy

 

i purchased some beautiful Provence bedspreads on my recent trip to France and have just managed to collect them from my parents' who kindly transported them over for me in their car.  every time i've visited the area i have wanted one as they are often on display in the local markets but are not cheap (tho still cheaper than buying them in the UK, admittedly).  this time i decided to bite the bullet and bought a traditional and rare black toile pattern which looks fabulous on my bed and a more modern flowered one for snuggling in front of the telly.

Toile du Jouey is a pattern which incorporates a plain white or off-white background with a complex pastoral scene or arrangement of flowers.  Toile is normally found on fabric used for bedspreads and curtains and also on wallpaper. there is a current fashion, in this country at least, to create toile with a contemporary pastoral scene - i spotted this wonderful wallpaper design by the wren design via bloesem.

i've also always been rather fond of timorous beasties urban toiles (London and Edinburgh).  a modern version of toile wallpaper was even designed for the walls of the Big Brother house this year (with Davina interviewing in the contemporary urban pattern) but am not sure who designed it as Timorous Beasties have said that it was NOT one of theirs, as everyone seemed to think.  i definitely want to get my hands on a little of the Timorous Beasties London pattern (below)...it even has a little Trellick Tower on it!!!