The Clos des Oliviers line

August 23, 2023

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!

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