Becker Home: Re-opening in Grand Style with an Artistic Historic Nod to Boyertown

By Jane Stahl

Monique Becker, owner and designer of Becker Home, took some time to re-imagine Becker Home after her former partner Lisa Delikat, owner of Happy Zen Mama, moved south. The recent Grand Re-opening and ribbon-cutting hosted by members of Building a Better Boyertown showcased Becker Home’s newest product in the ribbon itself, an original fabric in the historic “toile” design.

“I've dreamed of designing my own fabric for years,” explains Monique; “and given the amazing architecture of downtown Boyertown, I thought that creating a fabric in a ‘toile’ style would be a great way to celebrate our history in a unique and special way,” she continues. I'm very pleased to announce the debut of a very special project, Boyertown Toile.”

“After a chance meeting with local artist Julie Longacre, I asked her if she'd be willing to collaborate with me on this project by providing the drawings I would need to pull together the finished design. Julie was so gracious about helping me and said, ‘I'm so thrilled to see my art come to life on fabric!’” Monique adds.

Julie’s line drawings feature numerous buildings: the Opera House, the Boyertown Inn, the Casket Company, and Durango’s. Graphic artist Spencer Wood assisted with the digital file creation.

“Coming soon we’ll have pillows, tote bags, mugs, insulated tumblers, candles, and more. But for now, we’re featuring blue on white, red on tan, and black on tan on unbleached linen pieces,” she continues.

Adding to the area’s cultural understanding, Monique provides information about the history of “toile” from masterclass.com.

The word “toile” [pronounced "twall"…like "fall"] comes from the French word for linen cloth. The word is shortened from the full name toile de Jouy, which means linen or cloth from the town of Jouy-en-Josas, in the suburbs of Paris. Toile de Jouy was a specific type of linen printed with romantic, pastoral patterns in a single color—usually black, blue, or red—on an unbleached fabric.

Although the word “toile” means fabric, the word “toile” has evolved to also refer to the original design aesthetic of the fabric. “Toile” designs are popular for non-fabric items like wallpaper and fine china.

Currently the Boyertown Toile is printed in black, red, and blue colorways and available in canvas tote bags, fringed pillows, mugs, and insulated tumblers. Depending on the popularity of the Boyertown Toile products, tea towels, Christmas ornaments, note cards, wallpaper and coasters in additional colors will be added to the product line.

“We currently are able to supply the fabric for upholstery and window treatments; and if someone would like to get creative with their own project, we can also sell just the fabric by the yard. I hope people find this project as special as I have. It's been such an honor to get to work on this and see it come to life,” Monique concludes.

Monique Becker
Monique planned to become a professional ballerina. Her college degree led her into the medical field creating wellness programs. Then her worlds collided in recognizing an early love nurtured by the sewing skills her mother taught her and fueled by losing her to cancer.

Taking a risk, Monique returned to needle and thread and to a full range of classes that inspired Becker Home, "a space where meaning, self-care, and joy" bring "beauty, functionality, recurring peace, and physical wellness" to her clients. Her life's transformation inspires the work she does to transform ours!

Learn more about Monique on Jane Stahl’s “B Inspired” podcast episode “Monique Becker Designs ‘Enlightened Nests’ for Your Unique Comfort and Serenity” available on podcast platforms: Spotify, Anchor.fm, Google, Apple, Castbox, etc.

Becker Home’s regular hours are Wednesday-Friday from 10-4 and Saturday from 10-2 with extended hours for the holiday season starting in November. #shopsmall #localbusiness #interiordesign #homedecor #falldecor #boyertowntoile#fabric #upholstery #windowtreatments #interiordesign

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• A Pictorial Tour Through the History of Boyertown: Main Street Businesses page 33 Main Street--page 33