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Annie Elliott Design, Washington DC

Annie Elliott Design

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Big patterns are IN!

Annie Elliott | March 12, 2023

Our wonderful Schumacher rep Kate came to visit us the other day, Gentle Readers, and something became extremely clear. Large-scale patterns — on fabric, on wallpaper — are IN! And they are glorious!

Queen Fruit by Schumacher
Light blue and coral floral wallpaper
My main man Manuel – Canovas, that is. Through Cowtan & Tout

I felt a bit validated, to tell you the truth. I’ve been looking for large-scale stuff recently, mostly because I’ve had big windows and walls to cover. Large patterns just felt right.

Living room with floor to ceiling chartreuse patterned wallpaper
Timorous Beasties’ Totem Damask wallpaper in a double-height space. A particularly fun project ;)
Scenic black and white waterfall mountain print as window treatments
Same house: the Roman shade is Pierre Frey, Les Rocheuses

It’s not that large-scale patterns are new. Of course they’re not.

Red wallpaper with zebras
Scalamandré’s iconic Zebras

There just seems to be more of them now.

Manuel Canovas again
Black and white horse print on linen
Schumacher
Colorful bird pattern wallpaper in dining rom
Canopy by Schumacher

In addition to large patterns that repeat, panels are in as well. You know those:

Red and white floral wallpaper panels
Schumacher
Light wood cabinet in front of mural with stylied trees
Schumacher

To get a taste of the large without the commitment, you can frame a single panel as art, if you want to. An actual frame can get awfully heavy, though…my preferred method is to use picture moulding on a wall, as we did below.

Large aqua Chinoiserie panel on a dining room

I wonder if big patterns are a thing in clothing, too? Let me know ;)

2 pink velvet chairs in front of floral wallpaper

You can thank my daughter Ruthie and her fabulous ultimate frisbee team for blocking a blog post about how blues are becoming less aqua and more cornflower, and how greens are becoming less yellow/kiwi and more blue/teal. Ruthie et al were coming through town this weekend and weighed in: not enough there for a whole post. They were right, of course.

Annie Elliott Design is based in Washington, D.C. We’re experts in creating joyous, pattern-filled homes and telling people what to do in the nicest way possible.

Category: WallpaperTag: Cowtan & Tout, fabric, large scale, Manuel Canovas, Pierre Frey, Scalamandre, Schumacher, Timorous Beasties, wallpaper, Zebras

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Let’s talk about what fabric doesn’t work ❌ for the sectional upholstery in this beach house TV Room. Even though these fabrics are beautiful on their own… they don’t work here. The dark stripes were not lighthearted enough and the smaller scale blue and white pattern was too predictable. Watch to listen to me plead my case for lavender and green! 🏖️#interiordetails #colorfulinteriors #beachhousedesign

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Apr 13

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Here’s the challenge: Imagine you are designing a lighthearted, summer beach house. In the TV Room, there are bookcases, a neutral rug, and a large sectional.What upholstery would you put on the sectional?Comment your pick before you see part 2 👇#designchallenge #interiorsandhome #interiorinspiration

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Q: What is one thing you can do to elevate a room❓💬 The first thing you see when you walk into a room needs to look great. In your office, get a nice, big vintage desk. In a living room, paint all the walls a dark color. Avoid satin brass hardware, pills on sofa fabric, and fake wood!#interiordesign #dcdesigner #decorinspo

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Apr 1

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This will come as no surprise, but I think about window treatments a LOT. Especially during the transition from winter to spring, with the change in temperature and light…I’m reminded what a critical design element window treatments are. And then I get to thinking about window treatments through the ages. Who invented drapes? Did the Romans *really* invent Roman shades?I decided to do some digging. Check out my blog to see what I discovered!📸 @stacyzaringoldberg📸 @jennverrierphoto#windowtreatments #drapes #interiordesign

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Mar 25

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It’s Wallpaper Wednesday! Today we feature Brunschwig & Fils’ Les Touches. @brunschwigfils introduced Les Touches in 1965, and the pattern soon became a Brunschwig classic. (Interestingly, “touches” translates to “keys” or “strokes…” I guess that’s close to “dabs,” which is what I’d assumed.) According to handwritten records, Les Touches is inspired by post-WWII black and white photographs, but the connection between this inspiration and the pattern remains a mystery. Referred to most often as a stylized animal print, Les Touches is a staple of the Le Jardin Chinois collection.Today, Les Touches comes in 18 colorways, but the blue colorway remains iconic. I’ve used Les Touches for window treatments and upholstery, but I can’t wait to try it as wallpaper!

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Here’s what ✨ I ✨ would do… Instead of matching everything, you balance it. Pull one color. Shift the scale. Let each piece do something different. Here’s what ✨ I ✨ would do… Instead of matching everything, you balance it. Pull one color. Shift the scale. Let each piece do something different. Bonus: Change the rug! Suddenly you’d make a completely different window choice.Did you guess it?!Watch part 1 for the challenge context and part 2 for what doesn’t work.#interiorsandhome #fabricdesign #romanshades

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Let’s talk about what fabric doesn’t work ❌ for the Roman shades in this teenage girl’s bedroom with 2 big windows and a statement ceiling. Even though these fabrics are beautiful on their own… they don’t work here. Biggest mistake: repeating the same motif (moths, butterflies, etc.) across the room. It starts to feel themed instead of designed.Watch part 1 for the full context, and watch part 3 to find out what I would choose.#interiordesign #wallpaper #interiorsandhome

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Mar 23

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Here’s the challenge: a teenage girl’s bedroom. Not huge. Two big windows. Statement ceiling. White walls.Which fabric would you choose for the Roman shades?There’s a right answer… a safe answer… and a couple very wrong ones. Comment your pick before you see part 2 👇#interiordesigner #wallpaper #romanshades
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