I adore toile. I grew
up surrounded by it on my grandmothers sofa, cushions, curtains. I think my mom even decked out a whole powder
room in it. There is something about the
history, the beauty of the fine prints and the story it tells that just makes
me swoon.
Over the last couple of seasons, I have seen toile
everywhere in the collections and they are all very different to the toiles I
grew up with. They are vibrant, fun and
loaded with wit. Here are two designers
that are giving toile new life to attract a younger generation.
Manuel Canovas
When you look at these toiles you will see the familiar
pictorials from toiles of the past, but they are updated with bright, vivid
colours. Gone are the simple cream and
red, blues or blacks. These daring new
colours allow you to use the classics, but implement them into your space with an
edge so you don’t think you just walked into your grandmothers sitting room.
Timorous Beasties
This designer is staying more close to home with their
colours, white and red, white and blue, and white and pink. It’s the story, pictorial that is coming to
life with young, fun new images. They
have done away with the quaint, picturesque country images and plunk you right
down into the 21st century. City
scape images with, if you look for them, witty (and sometimes shocking)
stories. A drunk guy passed out on a
park bench, a guy taking a leak by a tree (mon dieu!), a person smoking and all
next to city landmarks. (With the
colours more or less typical of toile, I’m sure if your grandmother saw it, she
probably wouldn’t even notice the crude subject matter).
A fantastic way of updating old, tried and true style.
