Treillage – What Is It? And Why Your Home Needs It!

April 28, 2021
41 Comments
Posted in: Gardens

Hi Guys,

Well, I think I’ve now read all of your excellent comments regarding my garden post. So many great ideas! Thank you so much!

Of course, I definitely need to get someone in here to help me. This year will be very simple as I continue my plans to renovate some of the other spaces in my home.

Before we jump into treillage, I want to share something I’ve maintained for decades.

If possible, I do believe it’s better to live in a home for a bit before renovating it.

The reason is that as you live in the space, there may be things at the beginning you thought must change. But, as time is spent living in the home, you may realize that the expense of making those changes isn’t justified. However, other situations crop up that do need fixing. I don’t think one needs to wait an entire year, but three or four months is certainly helpful.

Okay – TREILLAGE.

First of all, how do you pronounce it?

I know. So silly. There are TWO Ls, and there’s no hint of either of them in the pronunciation.

TRAY YAHJ

Never mind, I adore French. Words always sound so much more sophisticated than in English.

What is treillage?

It translates in English to TRELLIS or LATTICE.

However, there’s another word for trellis en Francais (in French) that is treillis. (TRAYEE)

And then, some of you may remember the lovely shop owned by Bunny Williams and John Rosselli in New York City named Treillage. Sadly, it closed a few years ago. Above is a shot of the store shortly before it closed.

Treillage or latticework has been around for centuries. Originally, it was meant to go primarily in the garden as decoration and to hold up vines and trellises.

And, like a lot of classical design motifs, it had a heyday during the 18th century. It began with Louis XIV and peaked with Louis XV with the building of the Pavillon Frais on the gardens of the Petit Trianon, part of Versailles.

Pavillon Frais via Wikimedia

Above are the surrounding gardens and theatre as they were in the 18th century. Boy, the French really knew how to live back then! Well, that is, until some folks decided to revolt.

More artwork of another part of the garden.

Detail of the Pavillon Frais via Tricotel

The Pavillon underwent a massive renovation in 2010. The venerable company Tricotel did the work.

Today, there’s a sister company in the US (California) called Accents of France.

These two companies provide both standard and custom designs of the most beautiful latticework designs.

The sky’s pretty literally the limit, as you’ll soon see. In addition, they manufacture planters and other garden items. Many of their designs for exteriors are available in aluminum. That makes a lot of sense since wooden lattice is somewhat fragile over time.

Both websites have tons of gorgeous images. And, Accents of France also has a beautiful Instagram account.

I think that lattice has always been appreciated by many. It’s that old-money country club look.

Not that one needs to be wealthy. It’s only my perception.

However, since the renovation of the Pavillon Frais, latticework has become more wildly popular than ever. I see it pretty much everywhere, both inside and outside of homes.

So, today, I’m going to share some gorgeous examples of treillage.

All are outside except for the first one.

Photo by me :]

This example is a room I did back in 2013. The latticework was already there. Everything else is new, except for the sconces. Yes, this client loved a lot of bright color.

Okay, it’s time to go outside to see several examples of treillage in residential applications.

via @thedevotedclassicist on Instagram

Fabulous architectural detailing on this home in San Francisco. But, would you believe THAT is the garage door? That has to be the prettiest garage I’ve ever seen. It does bug me a bit that the doors aren’t lining up. Let’s blame it on the constantly shifting earth in San Fran. ;]

The remaining images are either from the Tricotel website or from the website or Instagram of Accents of France.

Via Tricotel This is a dramatic treillage architectural feature on this building.

Accents of France Treillage – teal against a red brick wall. Is that a mirror behind the treillage?

It must be. How cool is that! And look at those trees in those giant planters!

Accents of France – Instagram – I think this trompe l’oeil design in treillage is pretty awesome.

It adds so much visual interest to the poolscape.

Accents of France custom treillage city garden. This one you must check out the before and after.

This looks a lot like Boston, but it might be New York City.

Jaw-dropping, this is! I know. Who cleans it? Let’s try not to worry about such things. :]

This is probably from the same house. I believe that’s another mirror. Crazy!

Accents of France – lattice wall with a lovely container garden

Tricotel garden treillage that soars up to the sky. I love the pale green.

tricotel.com – custom treillage

Such an interesting design.

This one too.

Accents of France custom treillage gate.

Not this one, but I would love a new gate with some of these designs incorporated.

I hope you found some inspiring examples of treillage.

I know I did. I’d love to do a combination of a treillage wall, planters, and maybe including some bench seating, as well.

Of course, I could keep going and add a pergola which would mean an extension over the existing wall. Naturally, I’ll need to have written permission to make a change like that.

I was curious about the price point of Accents of France. And, I found some of the planters for sale at The Well Appointed House.

For instance, this planter retails for about $1,000 (20″ planter) to $6,000 for a large 39″ planter. That’s a little steep for me. I imagine to do custom walls in my little garden would be prohibitively expensive. However, I do appreciate all of the great ideas!

You might also enjoy reading about green and white rooms.

Thanks again for all of the great ideas for my garden!

xo,