Elements of Style: The French Art of Treillage
From the gardens of Versailles to contemporary wallpaper design, trellis patterns add timeless style
When Louis XIV’s landscape designer Andre Le Notre installed trellises at the Versailles gardens to add depth and majesty, the art of treillage was born. What was once used functionally to train climbing vines evolved into a coveted look even when completely bare of greenery. Design legend Elsie de Wolfe is credited with popularizing the style in the United States when she trellised the walls of New York’s Colony Club in 1907.
We have treillage to thank for today’s popular trellis-inspired wallpapers and fabrics, which allow us to get the look with a lot less effort and expense. Here are nine of our favorite ways to see trellises, authentic and not, included in the home.
We have treillage to thank for today’s popular trellis-inspired wallpapers and fabrics, which allow us to get the look with a lot less effort and expense. Here are nine of our favorite ways to see trellises, authentic and not, included in the home.
1. Skilled simplicity. If you’re planning on covering your outdoor trellis with vines as quickly as they’ll grow, you may not find it essential to have everything perfectly mitered and squared, but if you’re installing treillage to enjoy for its own beauty, select a skilled artisan versed in fine woodworking. Wood that has been delicately honed with great care is always a joy to behold, no matter how simple the design.
2. The ornate approach. This is a treillage garden arch that would make old King Louis smile. The carved frieze is beautifully ornate, with nary a chip in the paint or un-sanded edge to be found. True artistry like this is rare and comes with the price tag to prove it, but this kind of investment means you can save money elsewhere. After all, a garden entrance of this magnitude could elevate a crumbling stone wall.
3. Architectural adornment. Trellises are still popular as a way to define an outdoor room and add a bit of grandeur. They’re so beautiful alone that it’s easy to forget you can, of course, train climbing plants on them. Left unadorned, the sun dapples through them, creating a lovely space for tea and conversation.
4. Stunning screen. Seventeen linear feet of treillage, painted in Benjamin Moore’s Calypso Blue, makes up this amazing terrace screen in Los Angeles. Trellises can be excellent room dividers indoors as well, with the latticework constructed to provide as much or as little privacy as desired.
5. Forced perspective. Here’s how treillage can be used as a form of trompe l’oeil, a French technique for “tricking the eye.” You may well have to look twice or zoom in on this photo to realize that what looks like a trellised pathway is actually thin wood laths arranged in forced perspective. This was a common trick employed at Versailles.
6. Traditional wall treatment. Covering the walls with lattice — even the plywood kind found at home improvement stores — will lend garden flair to any room. While certainly not an inflexible design rule, it’s worth mentioning that such a distinguished treatment looks great with antiques or fine-quality furnishings. That’s not to say traditional style is mandatory, but decorating with a preference for the handcrafted will honor the craftsmanship displayed on your walls.
7. Modern appeal. Don’t worry, we’ve got you modern lovers covered as well. Keep your trellis work subtle by painting it the same color as the wall behind it, and pair it with organic outdoor-inspired accents like the natural wood table and hanging globes seen here. To keep the aesthetic light and modern, keep the embellishments minimal.
8. Wallpaper classic. Treillage works wherever wallpaper works, and vice versa. This powder room achieves the look of classic treillage with Kelly Wearstler’s Imperial Trellis wallpaper pattern for Schumacher. If you’re a fan of matching wallpaper to fabric, you’ll be happy to know that this pattern comes in both.
9. Big and bold. Brunschwig & Fils also makes a treillage-inspired wallpaper that gives the look of trellis but with a lighter touch, for more stylistic versatility. The large, graphic pattern works well with bold colors, as seen in this glamorous Texas office.
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Considering Wallpaper? Here’s How to Get Started
12 One-of-a-Kind Trellis and Arbor Designs