A promise kept...

“Toile de Jouy has come into its own in the mainstream. And why not? Toile is elegant yet casual, rich in history, yet contemporary in design, and suitable for all occasions and seemingly many decors.... Adults and children alike are delighted by toile's storylike patterns." ― Judith Straeten, archivist for Brunschwig & Fils, in the book Toiles de Jouy

Last week I promised to tell you more about the wall behind my new favorite corner of the shop. Did you catch a glimpse of it?

If it looks slightly familiar, that's because it is!

It's my Toile of Thomasville pattern ~ but reimagined in a new layout and in a new color way for autumn: sepia tone.

This fabric highlights the beautiful scenery and tells the story of Thomasville, from the iconic bobwhite quail that defines our area, to the rows of pretty shops downtown.

The (also iconic) Big Oak tree features on it, as well as the newly restored bandstand in Paradise Park, among many other local peculiarities and unique-to-Thomasville features.

And... I might have snuck our own 1850s home (along with our 2020s dog sitting in front of it!) into the pattern. They, too, are part of the fabric of this historic town.

It's a modern take on the classic Toiles de Jouy (pronounced twälz-da-'zhwee) patterns of 1700s France.

This textile style was first popularized by Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf in a place called Jouy-en-Josas, south of Paris.

His factory produced over 30,000 of these block-print fabrics, and from this medium's inception it did what it still does so well today: to tell stories in illustrations that form a pattern (from Joan of Arc to the first hot-air balloon flight).

I believe Toile to be one of the only truly timeless design choices.

Yes, it seems to come and go as a trend, but because of its storytelling and versatile nature (as highlighted in this week's quote above the greeting), I see it as being here to stay.