• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header left navigation
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • about
    • services
    • team
  • portfolio
  • press
Annie Elliott Design, Washington DC

Annie Elliott Design

Greater Washington DC

  • book
  • blog
  • contact

“What’s Your Color Personality?” House Beautiful wants to know

Annie Elliott | August 17, 2009

I love taking tests. Not school tests, or driving tests…fun tests. Quizzes.

What a bonus that House Beautiful‘s latest color issue includes a test/quiz/questionnaire on its very last page: “What’s your color personality?”

I probably would have taken the test anyway, but I don’t know if I would blogged about it were it not for Maria Killam (that’s Killam with a “K”) tagging me in her post on the subject.

Ok, my colorful friend. You’re on. Here are my responses.

1. What’s the first color you see in the morning?
Light blue-grey, the color of my bedroom walls.


2. What color are your eyes?
Light blue.

3. What color do you wear the most?
Shades of blue and green, mostly. Sheesh; are you seeing a pattern here? I used to wear a lot of orange – it’s one of my favorite colors – but I realized one day that I don’t look good in it! So I restrict it to accessories now (sadly). I do subscribe to Color Me Beautiful‘s theory of, “You can wear any color; you just have to find the right shade…” But it’s easier to find shades of blue and green that work for me, so I focus on those.


4. What color do you never wear?
Apricot. Such a pretty color…makes me look like death.

5. What color do you wear when you want to feel sexy?
Black or really dark brown. For a year I tried to buy no black at all, because I finally accepted that I look so pasty in it. Dark brown or dark blue can have the same effect in terms of drama or sexiness, but they’re not as draining on me. It’s hard to find cool clothes that aren’t black, though! Everything comes in black plus one or two other colors. If it’s an earth-tone year, I’m screwed.


6. What color gets you the most compliments?
Branching out with this answer: medium blue-grey.

7. What color is your lipstick?
Lip color, but a little darker. (Truth be told, I have to remember to wear lipstick, even though I shouldn’t be allowed outside without it.) I have good luck with Revlon’s Rum Raisin with Clinique Superbalm gloss in Rootbeer on top of it.

8. What color was your living room when you were growing up?

The walls were very faint, tiny peach and cream stripes, and there was a light green wool rug…so mostly cream, peach, and light green, I guess. It was the early 80s in a small town, and I guess that palette was the “sophisticated” option at the furniture store.


9. What color was your bedroom when you were growing up?
I wanted a yellow room, but we were in wallpaper mode. So I had a wallpaper I can still remember was called “Allegro.” I loved it. It was small chalky dabs of different colors – light blue, dark blue, yellow, green, pink, orange – on a white field. There was a small border at the top that was green scribbly stems with scribbly flowerheads in colors across the top. I also had navy blue carpeting and yellow metal mini-blinds.


Before we redecorated, the room had navy blue and white floral wallpaper. It was pretty, but as one of the contractor guys said to me, “It’s kind of like sleeping on a dinner plate, isn’t it?” Yes. Yes it was.

10. What color are your sheets?
White. (We have light blue, too, but they clash with our new wall color.)


11. What color was your favorite crayon as a child?

Kelly green, I think.

12. What color is your car?
Dark grey, but please don’t judge. I’m so unenthusiastic about our car that I’d rather it were invisible. Dark grey was the closest I could come. My fantasy car is a dark blue Mini Cooper.


13. What color was your prom dress?
Yellow as a junior (my favorite dress), white top black skirt as a senior. I thought I looked sophisticated; I actually looked like a waitress.


14. What’s your favorite gemstone?

Diamonds. I also like sapphires.

15. What is your favorite flower?
Peonies. Maybe for the smell even more than the color, although I love that delicate pink. I also love yellow and orange roses…I swear they smell different than the red ones.


16. What color makes you happiest?
There are three: yellow, yellow, and yellow.


17. What color depresses you?

Mauve. “Dusty rose” is a close second. That whole Southwestern palette really bums me out.

18. What color calms you?
Blue-grey.


19. What color makes you grind your teeth?
Burgundy, especially with navy blue. There were lots of “country” motifs in my hometown, so that burgundy/navy combo is forever ruined for me.

20. What color would you like to try, but are scared to?
In decorating, I don’t have a fear of any particular color. I think greens are pretty tough, though; I have a pretty high tolerance for clashy greens, but I can’t force that on my clients!


Result: Well, House Beautiful doesn’t exactly interpret your answers for you. But I’d say I’m nothing if not consistent: yellow, blues, blue-greys…clear, medium or light colors are me, for sure.

What about you? If you’re color confused, this test is pretty clarifying!

Most of these pictures are from iStockPhoto.

Category: Color + paint color

Sidebar

Subscribe

 

Bossy Color Blog

Categories

  • Art + accessories »
  • Bedroom »
  • Color + paint color »
  • Dining room »
  • Furniture + upholstery »
  • Kids »
  • Kitchen + bath »
  • Lighting »
  • Living Room + Family Room »
  • Renovation »
  • Rugs »
  • Wallpaper »
  • Window treatments »

View Portfolio

view Bossy Color's portfolio

Instagram

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Jun 17

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18106157639319026
“Much of the wallpaper [in the Victorian era]—fabric, too—was made with arsenic,’ explains Elliott. ‘There are worse ways to go, I suppose.’”I loved speaking with @allisonpduncan @vogueliving about the art of using two wallpapers in one room. Happy Wallpaper Wednesday!#interiordesign #wallpaper #vogueliving #designopinions #annieelliottdesignSlide 1 📸  by Stacy Zarin Goldberg, Design by Annie ElliottSlide 2 📸 by Leslee Mitchell, Design by Kim ScodroSlide 3 📸 by Donna Dotan, Design by Ariel OkinSlide 4 📸 by Gordon Gregory, Design by Jenny Holladay

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Jun 13

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 17913412296404982
Pink, light yellow, and gold-y tan combine to create a soft, unexpected color palette. The quiet colors are sophisticated together, and the palette will age beautifully as this tween moves through high school and college. (Her parents won’t even have to redecorate if it becomes a guest bedroom someday! But one step at a time…)#homedesign #paintinspo #bedroomdesign

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Jun 10

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 17929516656341682
Deep down, I believe that a house isn’t a home without wallpaper 😊 My latest blog post identifies five unexpected places you can use wallpaper — and some are small! Wallpapering the space behind your island stools could be your gateway to my favorite home furnishing. If you have other creative spots for wallpaper, I’d love to hear about them!#wallpaperinspo #interiordesign #wallpaper

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Jun 9

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18112589929761575
Welcome to my new before-and-after series! 🥰 I take you through my thinking as I design a space — my “process,” as it were. Pretty pictures are involved too, of course. I hope you enjoy it!This was a super fun project: a historic townhouse with the challenge of a loooong shoebox-shaped front room. You know the kind. Here’s how we made this color-and-pattern-loving client’s challenging space amazing. Like this series? Please let me know! #interiordesigner #windowtreatments #wallpaper

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Jun 5

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18087273683080656
Don’t let your porch be a throwaway space! Make it a room. Get a high quality indoor/outdoor rug. Make sure your furniture is COMFY. Find a cordless lamp (they’re everywhere now!). Hang art! You can even add a vintage console table or cabinet if you’re ok with it weathering over time 🕰️. #interiordesign #porchdesign

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Jun 3

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18314336014263171
It’s Wallpaper Wednesday! This week we feature Paper Trail by Lewis and Wood. Lewis and Wood launched Paper Trail in the fall of 2025 as one of four patterns in their History Papers Collection. Paper Trail was inspired by ancient rock carvings - 600–2,000 years old! - from various sites in America. It was named after the site Newspaper Rock, Utah.You know I love anything with an animal :) But there are 2 genres, right? Juvenile and…let’s call it *versatile*. To me, Paper Trail falls into the latter category, featuring deer, horses, buffalo, and foxes on a background that resembles the texture of rocks. It’s primitive, not cartoonish. I could see using this in a small bedroom; a breakfast nook (why? Can’t tell you, it’s just a feeling); or a hallway, because the pattern isn’t overwhelming.#wallpaperinspo #interiordesign #homedesign

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

May 28

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18102883841082172
For those of you lucky enough to have a beach house, now’s the time to start thinking about decorating beyond traditional “costal decor!” Step one? Consider a color palette other than blue and white ;) See my latest blog post for more! 🏖️ 🐚#beachhouseinteriors #interiordesign #eastcoast

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

May 22

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18125488516719287
I follow two rules when mixing patterns in the same space: vary the scale, and vary the subject.I was excited to share this and other insights on pattern splicing with @ericafinamore from @apartmenttherapy! #interiordesign #patternsplicing #patternmixing #designopinions #annieelliottdesign

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

May 20

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18082241465136951
It’s Wallpaper Wednesday! This week we’re featuring Deconstructed Stripe by Schumacher (in collaboration with Miles Redd).This pattern pays tribute to the legendary decorator Albert Hadley. Redd was inspired by Hadley’s contemporary, streamlined designs that played with scale and proportion. Deconstructed Stripe is impactful on its own but also looks INCREDIBLE next to other patterns.@schumacher1889 #designinspo #wallpaper #interiordesigner
Follow

Looking for something?

Don’t miss a single post

 

Where classic and modern hang out and drink gin.

  • Instagram
  • TikTok
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
American Society of Interior Designers Firm Partner

© 2026 · Annie Elliott Design · privacy policy