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Annie Elliott Design, Washington DC

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Black and blue (and brass): 2014’s edgy color combo

Annie Elliott | January 18, 2014

Remember how I said that a bossy color goal for 2014 was to use ever-edgier color combinations? And I mentioned black and blue as one of those combos?

Well, I’ve decided that this particular color pairing is worthy of more attention. Turns out I started using black and blue together last year without really registering it:

Blue, black and white dining room by bossy color

But we can go a lot farther, don’t you think? Especially with darker blues…

Black and blue: blue wall tile, lacquer door and claw foot tub

TWO blues plus black (three blues if you count Marilyn) = even edgier.

Black and blue: blue, light blue, and black living room

This makes me want to cry, it’s so amazing.
Black and blue: blue lacquered walls with black star wallpaper ceiling Black and blue: black, blue and white geometric tiled floorBlack and blue: navy twin bedding against gray fabric wall with black frames

Here’s the thing, though. I think dark blue and black needs a dash of warmth to be truly successful. Warmth in the form of, say…brass.

Black and blue: Blue restaurant walls with brass light fixtures

Or camel-colored leather.

Black and blue: black, blue and camel living room

Or old, foxed paper.

Black and blue: black gallery wall with warm brass accents

But brass is the best, given its warmth AND shine.

Black and blue and brass: Emily Henderson designed bedroom

I think Emily Henderson is singlehandedly responsible for bringing brass back as today’s metal of choice. (She designed the bedroom above….if Jamie Drake is my style hero, Emily Henderson is Bossette Katherine’s.)

I’ve always chosen brass for house hardware — hinges, doorknob plates, etc. — but I  wasn’t bold enough to use it for faucets or light fixtures right away. Girls’ got cojones, Emily does. Made of brass, obviously.

Black and blue: Blue velvet sofa against black walls with brass lamp

Try some black ‘n blue, Gentle Readers. Then add a dash of brass, give yourself a high five, and marvel at your handiwork.

Quoted most recently in The Wall Street Journal and on Washingtonian.com, Annie Elliott is an expert in curated interiors, brilliant color palettes, and telling people what to do in the nicest way possible.

Category: Bedroom, Color + paint color, Kitchen + bath, Living Room + Family RoomTag: black and blue, black walls, blue butler's pantry, blue dining room, blue living room, blue velvet sofa, blue wall tile, blue walls, brass, brass light fixture, Emily Henderson, Jamie Drake, navy blue

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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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Mar 23

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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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Mar 23

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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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Mar 20

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Behind the scenes at an AED photoshoot! 📸. It is all hands on deck — even Tilly did her part! Shoutout to @stacyzaringoldberg #interiordesign #dcdesigner #interiorsandhome

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Mar 18

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The star of today’s Wallpaper Wednesday is Schumacher’s Acanthus Stripe. If you’ve studied Green and Roman architecture, the Acanthus motif is an old friend: Acanthus leaves were a common ornament on Corinthian capitals as early as 500 BC. Celerie Kemble’s interpretation of the motif in her Acanthus Stripe wallpaper is streamlined and clever, with the leaves serving both as capitals and as the columns themselves. @schumacher1889 has created three types of Acanthus Stripe wallcovering: paper, vinyl, and sisal, with the latter my favorite by far. The sisal roughs up the pattern a little bit, making the paint a tad uneven and the edges of the design blurry in parts. It’s a little more real, a little more appropriate for a spiky leaf rendered in stone exposed to the sun and wind for thousands of years.Acanthus Stripe Sisal in Fog and Chalk is classic (ask Mabel from the show, *Only Murders in the Building*; she didn’t want to go too crazy redecorating her aunt’s apartment, I guess), but my favorite colorways are Turmeric and Mocha. In these colors, on this material, the design couldn’t be more elegant.#wallpaperins #interiordesign #onlymurdersinthebuilding

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Mar 17

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Does your kitchen backsplash inspire you? It should! Try using patterned or textured tiles, mix bold colors, or partner with an artist to create a special design. If you have a great view or no wall at all, you won’t need a full backsplash, of course ;) Just wrap the countertop material up 4-6” to protect the wall.#dcdesigner #backsplash #kitcheninspiration

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Mar 12

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The Dorothy-Draper-designed Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia is a pilgrimage for interior designers. The edgy color combos, repetition of patterns, and Draper’s fascination with scale make it a must-visit for anyone interested in interior design. I’m not a fan of everything, though ;)Check out my blog post about the Greenbrier to see what’s ❤️ and what’s 💔.

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Mar 9

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Thanks for watching 💚 #aresenicgreen #interiorinspiration #farrowandball
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