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Annie Elliott Design, Washington DC

Annie Elliott Design

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Washington Post’s Home Front chat – too much fun!

Annie Elliott | April 29, 2010

WOW! What a great way to start your day! The Washington Post’s online chat just concluded, and it was a ton of fun! Thanks to all who wrote in.


You can read the whole chat here, but here’s a sampling to tide you over –

Seeking restful but cheery color for grandma’s guest room

Hi. Wrote in with this question before and got nice suggestions for furnishing a guest room to encourage my mom to stay more. Now I am onto paint! I have blown up photos from my mom’s many trips, color and b and w. The room gets direct eastern morning light. Bedding is a deep turquoise with Kelly green accents. I want the room to evoke restfulness, but be cheery and also remind mom of her trips all over the world. Do I go light and airy blue or green, or pale on all but one jewel-like wall? Thanks!

Annie Elliott writes:

Or what about very light yellow on all the walls, so the bedding and photographs pop? Behr’s Pineapple Fizz or Rich Cream?

Accent wall doesn’t sound right to me in here, for some reason. If you can’t resist, hang ALL of the photographs on that wall.

New Master Bathroom

Hi, We are going to completely gut and redo our master bathroom this fall. I would like to go with a “classic and timeless” tile/stone floor and shower surround. Can you give me a few suggestions on what I should consider? Also, do you recommend the color of the fixtures (bath tub, toilet, sinks) coordinate with the tile or would you just go with white? Thank you.

Annie Elliott writes:

Oh my goodness, you have three choices for the fixtures: white, white, or white. Please.

For the floor tile, it doesn’t get more classic and timeless than grey-veined marble – Carrara or similar. Gorgeous. Then a simple white tile on the walls would be great. I’m tired of 3 x 6, personally – you could use 4 x 4 tiles installed in a staggered way (“running bond” or “broken joint” installation) where the grout lines don’t line up. Good luck!

Category: Color + paint color, Kitchen + bath

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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

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