Toile Is Having a Design Moment—Here's How to Make the Classic Print Look Fresh

Choose Unlikely Colorways

A classic toile is often seen in red and white or deep blue and white, but choosing vibrant palettes can give the centuries-old pattern a new and modern aesthetic. "Look for toile de Jouy in less traditional color palettes," says Suzanne Tucker, principal of Tucker & Marks Design. "Think bright chartreuse or bold black and white, or toile de Jouy accented with a touch of texture such as an embroidery, like the work of textile artist Richard Saja."

Use It in Unexpected Places

Walls, check; textiles, sure. But don't discount the use of toile in fun places. If you have wallpaper samples or fabric remnants, don't let them go to waste. Instead, use them for pretty pops of playful pattern where you'd least expect it.

Look for Updated Figures

The traditional toile de Jouy depicts a pastoral scene, but Susan Sutter, owner and principal at Susan Sutter Interiors, likes to give her designs a modern take on toile de Jouy by shaking up the subjects. "Toile is a classic look that can be current and contemporary when used with updated figures and animals,” says Sutter.

Whether it’s a city scene, quirky animals, or even toile de mer (nautical and sea scenes), these unexpected takes can spell the difference between something that feels like it’s been done before, and a room that feels fresh and surprising.

Paint the Trim

Toile wallpaper is becoming a "what’s old is new" favorite of clients, but Melissa Lee, principal designer and CEO of New South Home, has a historic trick to make it feel even more updated. "Painting the trim a fun color that coordinates with the toile pattern wallpaper is a historic trend from Colonial Williamsburg, but it is starting to come back in a huge way," says Lee.

You could draw out a candy apple red with a red and white toile or contrast it. Picture a library or a child’s room where you take the classic toile, then add a saturated contrasting color on the trim. Even a subtle contrast, like a soft blue trim against a gray pattern, brings the look up to date.

Use Toile on Drapery

Lee uses custom window treatments in most of her designs. She sees toile as a timeless pattern that makes a statement when it’s adorning the windows. "For large rooms, toile draperies are a gorgeous statement, or you can include a small valance in a bathroom or kitchen," says Lee. Try a modern pattern for an even fresher look—like the Harlem Toile above, designed by the renowned Sheila Bridges.

Incorporate Checks or Stripes

Even when toile is used throughout a room, it doesn’t have to stand alone. Toile feels more intentional when it’s paired with a carefully chosen selection of patterns that complement or contrast the color palette. "I love to mix checks and stripes into a toile de Jouy room either in the same color palette or a complete opposite color to give that bit of surprise," says Tucker. "Lime green with a purple toile, hot pink with a blue toile—the combinations are endless."

Add It in Details

If you're not ready to go full toile, dip your toe in slowly with an updated take on toile upholstery. Try colors that veer away from the staid; think mustard yellow or sky blue. And consider a pattern with simple repeats and even just using single elements for a minimalist nod to the style.

Repeat and Mix

"The key to using toile for maximum effect is to repeat and mix," says Tucker, who believes more is better when using toile. With some design choices, a little goes a long way, but when using toile, going all in feels like the style-forward choice. "I love enveloping a room by using the same pattern on walls, ceilings, curtains, upholstery, bed hangings, and even lampshades," Tucker says.

Cathleen Gruver, lead interior designer at Gruver Cooley, agrees with the more-is-better approach. "When the pattern is on your walls and your furniture is upholstered to match, that commitment to the pattern can be both bold and elegant," she says.

Opt for a Neutral

Gruver always tries to incorporate an element into her designs that offers a nod to history, and toile fits the bill. "Go 'neutral' with a tone-on-tone toile or one with only one main color so that it blends more with the decor," says Gruver.

Imagine the sophistication of a beautiful ivory and taupe toile that reads as a neutral but adds character and a subtle reference to the past.

Wrap a Room

Kristin Harrison, owner of Bungalow 10 Interiors, loves a toile wallpaper to make a statement in a room. But while many people will automatically defer to an accent wall when they see a bold pattern, Harrison dives in, pattern-first. "I prefer to wrap an entire room and go all in," she says.

For those who feel anxious about committing to so much pattern, she doesn’t suggest scaling back on the walls but, instead, looking to the furniture. "If the toile is going to be your focal point, and that’s already a lot of pattern for you, stick with more neutral furniture that will ground the space," says Harrison.