• Use classic toile to decorate a nursery for a boy or girl.babies crib image by jedphoto from Fotolia.com
  
  Decorating for a new baby can seem just as difficult as the nine months you spend carrying him: Should you decorate with neutral colors if you don't know if it's a boy or a girl? Should you force cartoon characters on the baby, or let him choose a theme for himself later?
  
  One decorating idea that can solve this dilemma is toile, a soft, woven fabric. Toile (pronounced "twall") is generally muted in color and design, so it allows for style without overwhelming everything in a room with bright colors and bold patterns.
  
  

Colors

• Toile allows you to take advantage of the traditional pinks and blues of baby decorating or to branch off into other color explorations. Toile comes in pinks, creams, and whites, and features designs such as polka dots and flowers to express girly sentiments. However, other colors can also help celebrate pink without being too feminine. Pair pink and brown or pink and black toile to create a more balanced palette in which one color doesn't stand out too much.
  
  For a boy's room, the usual baby blue and white pattern can help create a traditional atmosphere, but try combining that same blue with black or yellow for a new twist. Toile also comes in neutral color patterns, like black and white, red and white, and blue and white. Explore all of the color options before you settle for the everyone-else-does-it-this-way traditional colors.
  
  

Patterns

• If you're looking for a specific theme rather than just a color pattern, toile also comes in a variety of patterns. Toile patterns include many favorite childhood themes and experiences, such as a circus with clowns or small animals like rabbits or ducks. Toile also features scenes of children playing and scenes from classic nursery rhymes, such as a young girl with a lamb. Some toile patterns even feature favorite characters, such as Winnie the Pooh and his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood. Toile patterns work well with other patterns as well, like plaids, ticking stripes, and polka dots.
  
  

Accessories

• Most toile that you find commercially will be in the form of wallpaper, pillows, bedspreads, and curtains. While these main features of a room are important to highlight a color, pattern, or theme, the room's accessories can be just as important. Fabric retailers sell toile fabric by the yard so you can make your own toile creations. Accessories can include picture frames, wall hangings, lampshades, stuffed animals, and even clothes or small blankets.