My parents are in D.C. this weekend and staying at the Normandy Hotel in Kalorama. I was tickled by the sweet hotel’s boutique accoutrements, most of all the toile wallpaper. My mom and I had a brief discussion on the pattern and how to pronounce “toile,” which I figured I’d pass along to y’all.
Toile is a French word that refers to a cheaper fabric, like canvas, that can be painted on or marked up as part of the clothing design process. The pattern of wallpaper of my parents’ hotel room is technically Toile de Jouy, which denotes a complex, scenic pattern on a contrasting background. The phrase literally means “cloth from Jouy.” Jouey-en-Josas is country suburb of Paris where the original bucolic, pastoral scenes of the pattern originated, but the fabric was actually produced in Ireland starting in the mid-18th century.
Modern artists have riffed on the theme over the years, the most famous homage being interior designer Sheila Bridges’ Harlem Toile, which lampoons the colonial-era tradition with scenes from the African American experience. I highly recommend reading Bridges’ own words on her toile.
Just so you know, it’s pronounced twal, y’all. If my southern mouth can do it, yours can, too.
Until next week,
Elizabeth
This newsletter is just one facet of Zhuzh, my platform dedicated to conscious consumption and making space for delight. I offer secondhand-and-vintage-based wardrobe and interior styling services, art curation, and super chill life coaching. Keep up with me on Instagram and learn more at www.zhuzhlife.com.