• 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

Art you can live with: naming names

Annie Elliott | June 8, 2010

Gentle Readers, you now know about the Torpedo Factory. And I was delighted at the lively discussion that ensued. Thank you again for the wonderful tips about where to find art you can live with.

Now let’s get down to brass tacks, shall we?

Who among the artists at the Torpedo Factory stood out for bossy color?

Let’s start with the printmaker Cora J. Rupp, who says, “Color is my first love, and what my work is all about.”

I mean, really. I should put that on a t-shirt.

Ms. Rupp’s abstracted botanical monotypes are just lovely. (Prints have the added benefit of being extremely affordable.) The one above is “Parrot Tulips,” and this one is called “Nan’s Wonderful Pitcher.”


Couldn’t you see these in a living room? A bedroom? A foyer? Wouldn’t you love to have these flowers greet you as you walk through the front door?

If your taste leans toward the more traditional, the landscapes of Marietje Chamberlain could be perfect. These photographs do not do not do the work justice; you lose the subtleties and depth of the pictures. This is called, “Morning on the Creek.”


And these are called, “Water Way I and II (diptych):”


The horizontal orientation makes these great for a living room (for that hard-to-fill space over the sofa) or above a sideboard in the dining room.

Art is a personal thing, and we all have different taste. But no matter what you buy, it should be well done. Good quality. High caliber.

It’s hard to say this without sounding snooty, but there is some bad art out there. Which doesn’t mean those artists shouldn’t continue to express themselves on canvas, or paper, or clay…

…it just means you shouldn’t buy it.

So please, to protect your delicate sensibilities – and those of of your family and guests – purchase carefully. You won’t go wrong with these recommendations.

Category: Art + accessories, Living Room + Family Room

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

Sep 28

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18630011602021777
Happy Fall! Ironic, isn’t it, that fall weather is cool, but the colors we associate with the season are warm? The earthy orange grasscloth in this foyer is undeniably “fall” to me. Add deep, warm versions of green and blue, et voilà: a cozy, inviting, autumnal space.

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Sep 23

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 17881497900529047
For this week’s Wallpaper Wednesday we go into the Woods… Woods is a great example of Cole & Son’s innovation in serigraphy, a traditional method of screen printing. The pattern is available on fabric and wallpaper in a variety of soothing yet elegant colorways. Due (I’m sure) to the booming success of the original, there are now some whimsical variations on Woods: Cole & Son added metallic stars to some colorways and pears to others. As you may imagine, however, this traditionalist prefers the original 🙂For some reason, Woods is especially popular for nurseries. Maybe those babies really wanted out of their cribs. 👶🏼In 2005, Woods deservedly won the ELLE Decoration International Design Award for Wallcovering of the Year. And it’s still going strong.

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Sep 22

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 17934708156387896
“Isn’t ‘modern farmhouse’ over yet?” I loved speaking with @authordinacheney @washingtonpost about the worst interior design trends! Turns out I’m not the only designer with strong opinions 😊@vincentewolfdesigns @kimletgordon @maxsinsteden #interiordesign #washingtonpost #designopinions #annieelliottdesign

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Sep 18

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 17989063023104856
Best part of being an interior designer is using your own home as a playground for creative ideas! We changed the paint in our living room again and here’s how it looks now! #interiordesign

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Sep 17

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18125330714481993
When you become an empty nester, when is it ok to reclaim your adult child’s space? Check out my latest blog post for my recommendations on how to approach empty nesting!📸 @stacyzaringoldberg📸 @kipdawkinsphoto📸 Michael Wilkinson📸 @angieseckinger

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Sep 10

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 17906571285498443
Pink, green, and a splash of dark orange come together to create this sunny, summery bedroom 🪷

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Sep 9

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18104009318233584
It’s Wallpaper Wednesday! This week, feast your eyes on @timorous_beasties Fruit Looters. TB claims that William Morris’s Strawberry Thief pattern inspired Fruit Looters, but only the name indicates the connection: Strawberry Thief, Fruit Looters…get it? Whereas Morris’s iconic pattern is medium-scale, rhythmic, 2-D, cartoon-like, and muted, Fruit Looters is the opposite in every way but subject matter. The scale is huge, with the foliage “stripes” providing a geometric order, and it oozes TB’s trademark edginess. The crisp pattern is finely drawn; pull it apart, and each element — a flower, a bird — could be in an English botanical print. Fruit Looters comes in vivid, saturated colorways, some with a metallic sheen, and dramatic black is present in all.Recently, a client (who originally introduced me to Timorous Beasties!) and I used Fruit Looters wallpaper in her stairwell, in the Alabaster colorway. The drama. Oh, the drama!

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Aug 27

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18339370936281789
SO much fun to create this entertainment space! This client already had a living room and kitchen…this space is for friends and family to relax, talk, and just BE. What’s your favorite feature?

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Aug 26

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18618812233051872
Happy Wallpaper Wednesday! There’s no better paper to feature in August than Schumacher’s Citrus Garden 🍋 🍊.The Swedish designer, artist, and architect Josef Frank created the Citrus Garden pattern as a fabric in 1947. The hand-drawn, whimsical, quintessentially mid-century, irresistibly cheerful design exemplifies Frank’s philosophy: “The freer the pattern, the better.” I’ve used Citrus Garden fabric a few times, but shockingly, the pattern wasn’t on wallpaper until 2017!! 🤯 Deprived for so long!! As soon as the opportunity arises, I’m running, not walking, to get my hands on this wallpaper.@schumacher_midatlantic 📸 @angieseckinger
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