I had been moving right along with the living room transformation beginning with the wall color, painted furniture, slipcovers and pillows. Now, I needed to address the windows. Initially, I had cream color curtains over the French doors, on a whim, I decided to go with Red Toile Curtains.

At first, I didn’t think they were going to work since the majority of the complementary colors were cream and blue. I did, however, have touches of red and orange here and there. So, I thought I’d give it a try.

I found three sets of these panels at a garage sale…if you recall, these curtains were my first inspiration for the ideas for the room transformation. I set them aside, though, since I began to lean toward the blues.

Pop of Color

Even though, the initial color scheme leaned toward a soft, serene ambiance, I love the pop of interest the curtains add to the room.

Patterns and Color

Adding the red Toile curtains alongside the blue and the orange, give the French Country decor a Provence flair.

Different Views

Throughout the room, I have pops of color, but not overwhelmingly. In the background of the built-in bookcases, I have blue along with touches of colorful accents.

A Room Comes Alive

Gradually, I am adding autumn touches to the room. The pop of red and orange here and there add warmth to the room – bringing the room alive with color.

Fun Facts about Toile

• From the late 1600’s to the mid 1700’s imported cotton was banned in France
• Christophe Phillip Oberkampf whose father and grandfather were in the cloth dying business, partnered with his former employer to create printed cloth when they realized the ban of cotton would soon be lifted.
• As the demand for printed cotton grew, Oberkampf transformed his production of printed cloth when he replaced transferring the print with wood to copperplates.
• This enabled Oberkampf to commission artists to create what is now known as Pastoral Scenes.
• After satisfying the 10 year residency, Oberkampf became a French citizen
• In 1790, Oberkampf became the first mayor of Jouy-en-Josas
• Known as Toile-de-Jouy  literally translates cloth from Jouy, it has come to mean single color print usually of a pastoral scene on white or cream.

A Good Idea

I am very happy with the new look to the room by simply adding red Toile curtains. It enhances the French flair and gives the room an air of fun and cheerfulness.