• 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

Bossy color’s design goals for 2014

Annie Elliott | January 11, 2014

Happy New Year, Gentle Readers! I hope you had a wonderful, healthy holiday season.

We’ve been thinking about our 2014 goals here in bossyland. It may not be world peace, but we have our own modest aspirations.

In 2014, bossy color will leave no pillow untrimmed.

Trimming a pillow makes such a difference! A flange, a fringe, a ribbon…dare I say, a tassel…it just makes a pillow look finished. If you’re going to all of the trouble (and expense) of having pillows made, just add some trim. Skip the ruffles, though: a tiny contrasting cording, flange or tape is more modern.

Pillows with pom fringe

Blue and white pillow with red welting piping

Manuel Canovas pillow with flange

Bossy color will be adventurous with tile.

On backsplashes, floors, and walls, we will be daring! The tile doesn’t even have to be expensive  if you’re creative with placement.

Yellow and white bathroom wall tile

Black, gray and white geometric tile backsplash

Brown and white herringbone floor tile in bathroom

Geometric floor tile

Bossy color will give every powder room the wallpaper it so richly deserves. 

No explanation necessary. There’s no better place to be bold.

Nina Campbell Paradiso wallpaper in bathroom

Maps as wallpaper in bathroom

Green floral wallpaper in bathroom

Bossy color will use ever-edgier color combinations.

More bossy color by bossy color, you ask? Indeed! I’ve always had a mental block about navy with black, for example. But recently, it revealed itself as the ideal solution for a super hip music room.

Blue velvet sofa, black and white striped rug, and gallery wall

Navy blue and black dining room

 Black and blue living room library

We’re in good company, evidently.

Olivia Palermo in navy blue and black dress

I wouldn’t normally pair mustard with coral, and yet…

Coral and Robin's egg blue bedroom

Same goes for cobalt and teal:

Royal cobalt blue and teal bedroom

And then there’s aqua and olive (ok, that one I’ve already used. But I could use it MORE!):

Olive green and light blue kitchen

If I do more purple, will you be magnanimous and give me Radiant Orchid points?

Purple and orange bedroom

Bossy color will search the globe* for new sources.

(*Or at least the mid-Atlantic region.) This is where you can help me, Gentle Readers. We all have our tried and true resources, don’t we? The goods are interesting, the salespeople know us, the service is outstanding. But we  could branch out a little bit. Shake things up. New sources for a new year.

So send me your favorites, will you? Especially bricks-and-mortar shops in major metropolitan areas that I can visit in person. And please hold my feet to the fire on the other goals: accountability in 2014! Onward!

Quoted 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: Art + accessories, Color + paint color, WallpaperTag: accent pillows, backsplash, edgy color combinations, flange, floor tile, Manuel Canovas, pillow trim, powder 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

Oct 7

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18635567182053307
Happy Wallpaper Wednesday! Today we’re talking about one of my favorite things in the whole world: grasscloth. (Which technically makes today *Wallcovering* Wednesday, but tomayto tomahto.) Most grasscloth is made of actual grasses that have been washed, dried, bleached or dyed, and glued to paper. Wallcovering made of sisal, seagrass, raffia, or hemp also is placed under the heading “grasscloth.” Talk about timeless style: while grasscloth had a popularity surge in the 1960s and 70s (thanks to a cultural obsession with living in nature), its first known use was in 107 AD, in China ;) Grasscloth has long been appreciated for its insulative properties and durability. From a decorating perspective, I love it because it adds warmth, texture, and dimension to any space. Picture a room painted white, and then imagine that room with an off-white grasscloth on the walls (and, if you’re me, the ceiling). The second room is still light and bright, but it’s cozier and more interesting.Grasscloth can be minimalist in neutral earth tones or maximalist, dyed bold colors, colorfully painted, or appliquéd with spangles, embroidery, or tape trim. It shows its seams when installed, but that’s part of the charm. I love grasscloth in hallways, living spaces, and bedrooms, but I avoid using it in kitchens and steamy bathrooms because I’m nervous about odor retention and excessive moisture.Enough school for the day, but if you remember nothing else: grasscloth enriches every room it graces. Highly recommend.📸 Michael K. Wilkinson@schumacher_midatlantic @schumacher1889 @phillipjeffriesltd

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Oct 3

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18482506054114649
You likely know where I stand on pillows: they NEVER should be an afterthought. Check out my latest blog post for recommendations on size, shape, style, and placement. Link in bio. 📸 @stacyzaringoldberg📸 @kipdawkinsphoto📸 @angieseckinger

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Oct 2

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18103510994172389
This client’s gorgeous collection of gold icons in the bookcases puts this room in a league of its own. Whenever you have a collection — of ANYTHING: frog figurines, English engravings of flowers or dogs, snow globes — maximize its impact by bringing the objects together and placing them in a prominent place. These icons are breathtaking, and the sheer number invites you to go closer and study them. With reverence.#eastlake #vintagerug #antiquerug

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 🪷
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