Just a couple of blocks from our apartment in New York is a wonderful shop. It’s the first American outpost of the French fabric house Les Toiles du Soleil, which sells nothing but brightly striped fabrics and a small range of goods made from them. The place is a perfect antidote for a gray day, or a gray mood. When you step inside, the colors radiating from the bolts of fabric on the walls hit you like waves of warm sunshine. This is quickly followed by a cheerful “Bonjour!” from Jean-luc Carrucciu or Sandrine Guibert, the shop’s charming proprietors. It’s cheaper than therapy and safer than drugs. I’m a regular.
When it came time to order outdoor pillows for Southampton, I couldn’t decide which stripe I liked best, so I didn’t. I got pillows in several of my favorite stripes, mixing them on the daybed
but keeping it simpler (but still nice and bright) by the pool.
Les Toiles du Soleil will custom make pillows to any size and keeps a few common sizes on hand, all at very reasonable prices. All of their fabrics come in traditional cotton canvas, like I used for the bed cover in Julia’s room, and many are available in weather-resistant Sunbrella for outdoor use. Les Toiles du Soleil is located at 216 West 19th Street (at 8th Avenue) in New York City and online at www.lestoilesdusoleilnyc.com.
