I Dream of France's blog

Clos des Oliviers - Often copied, never equaled

Even though most orders we receive are placed online using our website, we do take orders over the phone for customers who prefer doing it that way or have a question they'd like answered before making the purchase. We welcome these phone transactions as it is a way for us to interact more directly with our beloved customers. We do not have physical "brick & mortar" retail stores, so this is our best way to get to know our customers. One of the difficulties English speakers have when placing an order by phone is pronouncing the name of the products they wish to purchase when the names are in French. This is never more evident than when the product in question is from the "Clos des Oliviers" line. Yes, I understand this is a mouthful when one is not fluent in the French language. We love to hear the different variations offered by the callers and are eager to offer the proper pronunciation.

So what is the Clos des Oliviers? Well, for us table-linen aficionados it is the name of a very traditional Provençal fabric pattern. I was not able to find an indication of when the beautiful olives design was first conceived, but it was several decades ago for sure. The design has gone through different variations over time but retains its principal attributes. The main part of the design is an olive branch with a mix of black and green olives. The olive design is repeated and accented by some solid lines and some scrolls. Everything works beautifully together and the result is an elegant masterpiece for your table! The Clos des Oliviers line contains tablecloths in round, rectangular and square sizes and is currently available in a "double-border" pattern, "placé" pattern (70" rounds only), or an "all over" pattern. The double-border and placé include the whole design as described above, while the all-over only includes the olive branches. The line also includes napkins and placemats. It is available in five colors: blue, yellow, red, green, and cream. The Clos des Oliviers line is available from several table linen manufacturers that purchase the fabric from the same fabric mill. Whatever the name on the tag is, the fabric itself is the same. We currently work with L'Ensoleillade (another tongue-twister for English speakers!) and Label France. Both companies supply equally gorgeous products. Since the fabric is sourced from the same mill, they can be mixed and matched at will.

So what does Clos des Oliviers mean? The word "clos" in French means closed. In the case of trees, a clos is a grove that is enclosed by a wall or fence. It is mostly used for vineyards but can also describe a grove of olive trees (or oliviers in French). Many wines have a name that start with Clos, not only in France but also in California and other locations. Besides being the name of this wonderful fabric, Clos des Oliviers is often used in France as a restaurant name. 

So, what is the proper pronunciation of Clos des Oliviers? The first word is pronounced klo, the s being silent. The second word is pronounced as the English word "day." The French word "des" can be translated as "of" and normally the s at the end is silent. However, because it is followed by a word that starts with a vowel, it is pronounced here. (We French love to complicate things a bit!) The word oliviers means "olive trees" and is pronounced olive-ee-yay and the s at the end is, you guessed it, silent! So, the whole thing becomes: klo days olive ee yay. Simple!

French tablecloths terminology

We use different terms on the website for our French Provençal tablecloths that may or may not make sense to the uninitiated. This article is centered around the types of designs, not the types of fabrics that were previously discussed in our holiday fabric guide blog post. So here is a brief description of the different types of tablecloth designs we carry and the terms used to describe them. We encourage you to refer to the photos for each category as it is much easier to understand by looking than by reading!

- Placé: The term placé can be translated by "placed" as if the design was "placed" in the center of the cloth. It refers to tablecloths that have the design that follows the shape of the tablecloth. For example a round  placé tablecloth will have a design printed in a circular fashion. Many include a centerpiece, such as a cluster of olives, lavender, or sunflowers. More designs are then printed in larger circles towards the edge of the tablecloth. An all-over pattern (see next section) sometimes fills the area in between or the entire center. The same principle exists for square and rectangular tablecloths. 

- All-over: All-over refers to a design that is repeated "all over" the fabric. It can be a small symbol that is repeated in a grid or other organized pattern. It can also be a larger design that repeats all throughout the fabric such as indiennes or toile patterns.

- Linear: Probably the most traditional style for Provençal tablecloths, the linear pattern is a design that keeps repeating along the length of the fabric. It is organized in parallel sections lengthwise. This allows many sizes of tablecloths to be made from the same roll of fabric. These tablecloths are great candidates to be cut to smaller dimensions to better fit a table. We can alter these both in length or width without compromising the design. The linear pattern fabrics are mostly used on rectangular and square tablecloths but are also available to make round tablecloths.

- Double-border: The double-border can be thought of as a hybrid of placé and linear designs. Double-borders are used for rectangular and sometimes square tablecloths. They are similar to placé designs but the print does not wrap around the ends. These offer a less busy design in the center of the tablecloth than the linear designs and can be cut at any length desired. They are a great candidate if a tablecloth needs to be shortened. Another advantage is that it is easier to fit on a rectangular table than a placé tablecloth where the design may not match the proportions of the table and the corners of the tablecloth may not align with the corners of the table.

- Squaround or square-round: A type of placé, the squareround is a square shaped tablecloth that has a circular design. In reality, the squaround is identical to a round placé tablecloth, except that the corners are not cut out. Some round placé tablecloths are printed with a design in the corners. When the tablecloth is cut in a round shape, these corners are discarded. If the tablecloth is cut in a square shape instead, the corners remain and it becomes a squaround. The two photos below show the same tablecloth, one cut in a circle, the other cut in a square.

- Toile or French toile. Toile is a type of all-over pattern. It is the oldest, most recognizable French fabric pattern. Toile is not from Provence as most other designs we carry but from a town near Paris called Jouy. Toile is referred to as "Toile de Jouy" or "cloth of Jouy" in France. In the 17th century, the importation of colorful printed fabrics from India (called "indiennes") was big business in France. Eventually, the French decided to create their own printed fabrics with a unique French flavor. The result is the toile de Jouy depicting rural scenes from the time. Toile de Jouy is still popular to this day and we carry a line named Villandry by Le Cluny in red and in blue.   

The centerpiece of holiday gatherings is the dinner table. We have the tablecloths, placemats, runners and napkins to make it both spectacular looking and practical! Here is a quick guide on the different types of table linens we carry:

• Acrylic-coated cotton: Acrylic-coated tablecloths, placemats, runners and chair pads have gorgeous printed designs and are sealed with an acrylic coating making them wipe-off and perfect for frequent and heavy use. They can be machine washed occasionally.

 

• Treated jacquard: Jacquard tablecloths and runners are 100% cotton and have the design woven in the fabric using various color threads. A stain-resistant product such as Teflon or Centerguard is embedded into the material to help repel foods and liquids. They feel and look like cotton and are more formal than the acrylic-coated. We recommend these if you do not like the feel of the acrylic coating. They can be machine washed.

 

• Linen: These are made of 100% European linen and do not have any kind of stain-resistant treatment. They have a chic yet rustic look and can be machine-washed on hot for easy care.

 

• Matelassé: The matelassé tablecloths are made of a heavy single-color center with three dimensional designs and a sewn-in cotton border. They look very sophisticated and the plain color top will not compete with your dishes. They are not treated or coated and are machine washable.

 

• Tapestry: Made of thick doubled material, these tablecloths are a luxurious addition to your décor. They are not treated or coated and are machine washable.

 

• Polyester: Similar in appearance to the acrylic-coated, these are made of 100% polyester fabric treated with a substance similar to Teflon. They are economical but also very durable. Polyester can be machine washed often and is wrinkle free.

 

 All our napkins are either 100% cotton or 100% linen with no stain treatment whatsoever. We also carry some placemats and some round tablecloths in 100% cotton without stain resistant treatment. We have the table linens for your needs and we are available to answer your questions by email or phone.

Harmony! What a wonderful word and concept. The idea of harmony goes to every aspect of life and indubitably is positive. Another positive use of that word is our wonderful French supplier of 100% linens products, named Harmony of course. Their linens are second to none and we have been a proud dealer of their kitchen towels for several years now. Well, change is inevitable and we are pleased to announce some change when it comes to Harmony.

The first is a name change by the company. Harmony is now Haomy! It is the same company offering the same great products. Despite the name change, we will always think of them as a great source of Harmony!

The second is our selection of Harmony, I mean Haomy's products is now going to include tablecloths, napkins and placemats! We have decided to start offering the Zonza line which you can now purchase on our website: https://www.idreamoffrance.com/collections/zonza

But why linen? What is so special about linen fabrics and what does that have to do with France? Well, linen is a natural material made from the flax plant. It has been used for many centuries and has seen a popularity resurgence in the last few decades. Some of the best flax comes from northwestern Europe, including France. The best linen fabrics come from Europe, including France. And of course the best designers of linen products, both clothing and décor are French!  If you have 15 minutes, we encourage you to watch the following video which will explain why linen is so special (the video is in French and Italian with English subtitles).

BE LINEN MOVIE from Benoit Millot on Vimeo.

We've just made returns a whole lot easier! We actually do not get very many returns at I Dream of France because we do our very best to offer high quality products and to describe them well on our website. Nonetheless, returns are a fact of life and we want to make them as easy for our customers as placing an order. So, no more waiting in line at the post office to return items to us!

You can now go back to our website and start a return and print a label from the comfort of your home (or on your mobile device wherever you happen to be!). After going to idreamoffrance.com/a/returns you'll be asked for your order number and email address. This will bring up the products in your order and you'll be able to select the ones you need to return as well as a reason for the return. You will then be asked if you'd like a refund or a store credit. If you'd like to get a refund, we charge a $8 fee to cover the return shipping. If you'd like a store credit, then the return shipping is on us. You can also take care of the return shipping yourself if you'd like.

We've partnered with UPS for our returns because of the convenience. You can just hand the package to any UPS driver or drop it off at one of the many UPS Stores.

Want to exchange something? You can place a new order for the new item and return the original item for a refund. You can also return the item and request store credit. After we issue the store credit, you can use the credit to purchase the replacement product.

So, you can order from us  without hesitation knowing that in the remote chance that you need to return something, it will be easy!

This month, we have two shipments with new products. Anne de Solène, the French luxury bath and bed linen company has released a new selection of colors for their bath terrys. Harmony, the French company that specializes in high end 100% linen products has discontinued some of their towels and introduced new ones for 2020.

Anne de Solène:

We love the wash mitts from Anne de Solène and apparently you do too! Anybody who has traveled to France has witnessed these funny looking hand towels and probably told themselves "what a clever idea!".

If you are not familiar with it, the wash mitt or "gant de toilette" in French is a small terry towel that is sewn in the shape of a pocket. You use it by sliding your hand in the small contraption and go about your business in the shower or at the sink. For whatever reasons this obvious product has never got traction in America. We have been selling them for years now and they remain one of our top products. 

Many companies in France make wash mitts but we decided to carry the Anne de Solène because of the high quality that doesn't come with a high price tag.

Last year Anne de Solène did not change the color selection so we were hoping for some new hues this year and our hopes were answered beautifully.

Here are the new colors for 2020:

Harmony Textiles: 

The second anticipated shipment this year (that happened to be delivered on the same day as Anne de Solène!) is from Harmony. 

Harmony is a French company located in Pessac in the Bordeaux region of France. They are trying to put Bordeaux on the map for more than award winning wines with a likewise impressive selection of home textiles. We are in particular very fond of their selection of high-quality 100% linen kitchen towels. They combine beauty and practicality like no others. 100% linen towels are the blue jeans of kitchen towels! They are tough, easy to care for and they look great in any context. They are also not all created equal and Harmony is the brand to get.

New for this year is the Trevise line. The Trevise are two tone towels with black and white stripes. We also added one more color to the popular Corte line. It is called Fauve in French which would translate to "Wildcat" in English. The color though would translate to "tan" or "tawny". In reality it is more of honey or mustard color and it is beautiful. The last one we received is the Paprika color in the Olbia line.

All our products are available online on this website and you can also order or request our free paper catalog.