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French Toile’ or Toile de Jouy

I first became aware of toile’ when I was about 16 (1965) and was working for an antique auction house. Some very beautiful antique Victorian loveseats and chairs were covered in an embossed fabric that depicted intricate pastoral scenes of people picnicking or otherwise frolicking amongst lakes and trees. Beautiful, but not my style. But, like many things we never notice until we take time see it for the first time, I started to see this pattern pop-up all over the place. It was on dishes, wall plates, tea pots, pillows, wall paper, bedding, curtains, and even on some guy’s shirt — wait a second… that was me in the 1970s. Anyway, I realized that I had looked past a quite interesting and evidently popular element of my surroundings. I developed a kind of appreciation for toile’, but of course had no desire to decorate my room with it. And, I do not have any tattoos, but I am sure this pattern would not be one of my choice— although it would be unique….
The scenes in toile’are quite varied and complex, but always peaceful and interesting. The backgrounds of toile’ are usually off-white or white. The patterns consist of a single color the most common of which are black, dark red (maroon), and blue. You also see various shades of green, brown and magenta, mostly on curtains and upholstery. This description may be inadequate, but I am sure it is sufficient for you to recognize and finally be able to put a name to this ubiquitous pattern.

There are complete decorating themes built around the toile’ pattern so it is relatively easy to find coordinating fabrics, wall finishes, and décor items. This French Country theme has obviously been around literally for centuries, but recently is making a comeback. D. Lawless Hardware’s only contribution to toile is our line of porcelain ceramic wall plates for outlets and switched. We have them in green, brown and dark red. These plates add the finishing touch to a Toile’ de Jouy room, or used with coordinating wall paint and a few pillows or other accessories they will bring a little “pop” to an otherwise ordinary and unremarkable room. Google “toile” or “French country décor” and you can find many helpful articles for decorating in this popular style.

I always enjoy knowing a little about the origins or history behind just about anything that comes along. So, despite reserving my brain cells for things I consider more important, I have approximately two cells worth of toile history to share. Maybe it will be enough to pique your interest:

A Brief History of Toile de Jouy

A literal translation of Toile’ de Jouy from French to English is “cloth of Jouy”. Jouy-en-Josas is a town in north-central France southwest Paris near Versailles where toile is generally considered to have originated in the late 1700s. The toile’ fabric is named after The Manufacture Royale de Jouy (Royal Factory of Jouy). So, the name is definitely of French origin. But, like the Italians “invented” pizza ( the Babylonians and the Egyptians were eating what looked like a pizza in ancient times) there is a “well..sort of”story. Just as the Italians popularized pizza, the French popularized toile’ and gave it a name. Actually, the motif and patterns were created in 1752 by Drumcorda Printworks in Dublin, Ireland by a guy named Francis Nixon (ancestor of Richard?) using hand-carved wooden blocks to lay down the intricate patterns on cloth. It then made its way into England in 1756 and then to France in the 1770s. So, there you have it—La histoire de toile’. Bon chance!

Our French Toile’ Wall Plates.

Fleur de Lis

dlawlesshardware_2024_52407351.gifAlthough the the fleur de lis is an extremely popular emblem judging from the sales of our fleu de lis knobs and hooks, I doubt that many of us have thought much beyond its relationship to “something french” you see on uniforms and helmets. If I have mistaken my ignorance for a more general public ignorance which should not include you, please forgive me. So, without further adieu, here is just enough information on the fleur de lis to peak your interest and perhaps send you on a hunt for real information.

The Fleur de lis is simply French for “lily flower”. But the story of this stylized symbol is anything but simple. The fleur de lis has had wide appeal in artwork and symbolism since the earliest civilizations. It is found in ancient Mesopotamian and Egyptian art works and potteries. Coins from Gaul and Marmaluk (no not Marmaduke the dog) bear the symbol. The fleur has been used as an ornament or symbol by practically all of the old and new worlds throughout history. The interpretation of its meaning has varied from culture to culture and across time, but it has for the most part been associated with power and royalty. Many of us who abhor the minute and boring details of history simply think of the fleur de lis as a French symbol of royal heritage representing Christianity and the divine right of Kings.
Or, moving to the “most of us category”, the fleur de lis represents or is associated with and lends its status to numerous organizations —many of them close to our hearts and loyalty. The New Orleans Saints football and Hornets basketball teams. The official state symbol of Louisiana since 2008. Corps of Cadets at LSU, St. Louis University, Washington U in Missouri, and more. The fleur de lis is the World Scout Emblem. The Air Force Blue Angels have a maneuver named after it. The symbol is all over the history of literature, from The Three Musketeers to The Da Vinci Code.

Well, enough said. Hope this is enough to spark a deeper interest in this time-honored emblem that is truly steeped in history. There are better sources for a complete story of the fleur de lis, and better equipped authors to tell it, so head on over to Wiki and get started.
Our Fleur de Lis Knobs

As a Huge Web Shopper, I Have Learned a Few Things

I am a huge web shopper. We buy many of our supplies from online stores. And, I always shop for suppliers and prices when buying office, store, or warehouse equipment. Come to think of it, in the last year or so, we built a new warehouse and filled it with pallet racking and a new (to us) electric order picker — all, including the building itself— sourced from Google searches. We are in the process of completing a new pick and pack area filled with motorized shelving (called carousels) that will bring the product to be picked right to the front of the aisle so the person picking your order choices can use their brain more and their legs less – all bought online and site-unseen.

So, I have spent a lot of money on things without actually having seen them—based on pictures, specifications, and what we are able to determine about the vendor from afar. I am generally quit trusting. I believe my fellow man to be, for the most part, good and honest. I live by the Golden Rule and assume most people do. After all, good ethics is good business. But there are those rotten few who will, given the opportunity, teach you some harsh lessons. So, use due diligence when buying online. I have saved a lot of money by shopping the internet, and am generally quite pleased, but I have learned a few things. I am an old coot. I am used to looking someone in the eye, shaking their hand and having a deal. I can still do that “virtually”. Here are a few ways to virtually “look ‘em in the eyes” before shaking that mouse over the order button.

Look for Genuine Customer Ratings and Comments.
Buy from online businesses that are rated by outside agencies based on customer experience. And, look for customer feedback both on the site and at the source of the rating. Is it overly suspicious and cynical to believe that a merchant would post bogus comments in praise of their services or perhaps just select the good ones to show you? Could be, but it is still something to consider. I will not berate (pun intended) any customer service rating system in particular, but I do know that good ones like Yahoo, Amazon, and e-bay serve customer comments directly and cannot be tampered with. We are proud of the 5-Star Top Rating our customers have given us with Yahoo Shopping. You rated us top-of-the-heap the first year the rating system went into effect and have kept us there every year since. Thank you. The crew here deserves this honor; they work very hard and aim to please.

Look For Members of Local Chambers of Commerce and the Better Business Bureau
The Better Business Bureau is well known to everyone as an independent evaluator of business practices and a consumer advocate. The BBB has local chapters in all parts of the country and provides customer protection like no other agency. It rates not only how a company treats its customers, but how it treats suppliers and the rest of the community. D. Lawless has been a member of the BBB for a number of years, and carries an A+ Rating. Look for the BBB membership and check out the ratings of companies before you buy. There are other business seals out there, but none as long-standing and reputable.

Look for Secure Shopping Carts and Privacy Policies
Read the privacy policy of the site you are visiting. If the company does not have a posted policy stating how they intend to treat your information, go somewhere else to shop. Also, before checking-out of an online store, make sure to look for some indication of a secure shopping cart and ordering process.
Stores who are hosted by Yahoo, such as ours, process all personal and financial data through a secure process involving 128 bit encryption. If the store you are shopping is on Yahoo, Amazon, or is some other well known entity such as Home Depot, Loews, Target, etc., then you are good-to-go. But watch the independent sites. Most have signed up with independent verifiers like Verisign, Digi-Sign, Thawte, and others who, to varying degrees, check and verify SSL Security and confirm Whois identity and other registered information. Always look for these security assurances, and if in doubt, click on the link to see if the seal is legit.

Look for a Phone Number
Make sure the company you are about to send your hard-earned money to has published a phone number. I am of the opinion that if they do not want to talk to you on the phone, there must be a reason. Forms to submit questions, e-mail addresses, and chat services are convenient ways to communicate —but they can all be ignored. Look for a phone number. Then, if you harbor any doubts about a product or the company, call that number and see if anyone actually answers the phone. Ask a question or two and make sure you feel comfortable about doing business. If you do not find a published phone number, shop somewhere else.

Look for a Physical Address
Find a real address, a street address, not a P.O. Box or some other dodge used by businesses to avoid being bothered by their customers. They have to be located somewhere, and you want to know. If a company does not want you to know where they live, one has to wonder why. Once again, shop somewhere else.

Do Not Buy From Drop-Shippers
Shop with businesses that have their own inventory. Drop shipping creates numerous problems with both shipping and returns. I like to buy from a company that has invested their own money in a product that they have actually looked-at as it went into the box being shipped to me. The fact that they thought it was a good enough product to put in stock has to mean something. And if I want to discuss a problem with the product or how to install it, I want to talk to someone who has actually held it in their hand and packed it. But, maybe that’s just me.

And Finally
Do not forget to compare shipping costs. And, look for a reasonable return policy.
Shipping and handling will be paid by someone—probably you. Shipping costs have to be paid to the shipping companies whether it is UPS, FEDEX, USPS, or Joes Parcel Service. Employees have to be paid to pick your order and pack it. Boxes and packaging cost have to be added. If shipping is free, it is because these costs are included in the cost of your product. That is why there is usually a minimum order to receive free shipping. No vendor can pay employees a decent wage to process an order, pack it, and pay for packing materials, shipping charges and overhead by selling you a five dollar order—even if the product cost the vendor nothing. But, the bottom line for you, literally, should be the bottom line on your invoice. Are you getting the best price—all things considered?
And lastly, a reasonable return policy should include a no cost to you return if the problem is the entire fault of the company. (faulty product, misrepresentation, etc.). Otherwise, the policy should be a reasonable compromise and a sharing of responsibility and expense. If there is a lack of detail in policy, it will probably not be as lenient as the headlines of 100% satisfaction guaranteed seem to propose.

Happy Shopping.

Dave

Not Just a Face-lift

So, we have a blog. I don’t even read blogs. Now I am one..err..have one.
Here goes:

I would like to welcome our customers, old and new, to our updated on-line store design. After several years of small incremental changes, we have finally done something Big. I hope you like what we have done.

If you have never shopped with us before, I welcome you on behalf of our entire staff, and hope that we can be of service to you. And to our faithful regulars … Surprise!

We are commited to good service and have been working on a lot of improvements that will impact this mission in a very positive way. A few of the changes we have made to our web store are merely cosmetic, but most are functional in a way that we believe will allow us to offer you great value. Value to us is the sum of price plus convenience plus reliability. Many new links have been added to help you find information and sale products much easier. A mini shopping cart stays on each page to help you keep track of how much you are spending and to remind you how close your purchases are to free shipping. Our “Search” box has been placed front and center. We now have specific areas to highlight sale items and bring important information to your attention. And, we have added some new sections that we hope will help us get to know you better and for you to learn more about us. This blog for instance. (Who knew I was so full of it until now. I have never blogged before, but it looks like a good way to get into trouble by expressing one’s opinions.)

We have an new section where our customers can share photos and information about their projects. We would like to see what you are building, re-modeling, or re-doing using our hardware. If you are building a product for sale, go ahead and be crassly commercial. Send your product picture and feel free to link your site to this blog or dlawlesshardware.com. And, of course, we are crassly commercial too, so if you do not use our hardware… forgetaboutit!

Coming soon! (how’s that for original) D. Lawless Wholesale has been working for the last year-and-a-half or so re-doing our entire hardware facility. We have instituted a number of “sustainability policies” and have stepped-up our recycling and conservation initiatives to a level that would make even that self-serving blowhard Al Gore look bad ( oh, wait a minute, he doesn’t need our help for that) Anyway, we have devoted a section to our environmental efforts where we can share these efforts with you. I do believe that the public has been literally bombarded with “Green”, and that a lot of the hype just follows the money. Our efforts involve practical everyday solutions that every business can use — and saves both our customers and us that other important “green” $.

Well, now that I have fulfilled my prophecy of getting into trouble, I will close.

Thanks for stopping by,
Dave