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Annie Elliott Design, Washington DC

Annie Elliott Design

Greater Washington DC

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Kitchen + bath

Small painting hung on bookcase

Go ahead: hang art on your bookcases

Annie Elliott | September 7, 2014

I think hanging a big old painting on the front of a bookcase is one of the most elegant looks around. [photo deleted] There’s more than one way to hang art on bookcases, of course. (Notice that I didn’t say, “right or wrong way,” which shows amazing restraint.) My favorite style is layered and casual — almost …

Read more »Go ahead: hang art on your bookcases
» Art + accessories, Color + paint color, Kitchen + bath, Living Room + Family Room

Behind the scenes: recent photo shoot in DC

Annie Elliott | April 25, 2014

Photo shoots are so much fun. Extraordinarily time-consuming, painstakingly detail-oriented, and exhausting, but fun. And important. As the interior designer Celerie Kemble once said (I’m paraphrasing), “If I don’t photograph a project, it’s as though it didn’t happen.” True that. So we photograph our work. If you’ve been on bossy color’s website recently, you’ve seen our new pictures of …

Read more »Behind the scenes: recent photo shoot in DC
» Dining room, Kitchen + bath, Rugs, Wallpaper
Blue, black and white dining room by bossy color

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 …

Read more »Black and blue (and brass): 2014’s edgy color combo
» Bedroom, Color + paint color, Kitchen + bath, Living Room + Family Room

Mint green bathrooms! A cry for help

Annie Elliott | October 8, 2013

Help me out, Gentle Readers, will you? Light greens are tricky. Refinery 29 makes a pretty great case for mint green for summer-into-fall fashion… …and no 1950s GE kitchen would be complete without green — the avocado and mint varieties. But beyond that, decorating with light green is tricky. I even tried to save one of …

Read more »Mint green bathrooms! A cry for help
» Color + paint color, Kitchen + bath

19th century farmhouse with a pristine midcentury kitchen

Annie Elliott | October 2, 2013

What do you have when you become engaged, get married, and have a baby in the same year? So many reasons to celebrate, that’s what! A few weeks ago, my friend threw a party for her sister, who had gone through the above-mentioned events in record time. Liza is an unbelievably talented party planner and …

Read more »19th century farmhouse with a pristine midcentury kitchen
» Kitchen + bath

Space Matters

Annie Elliott | May 26, 2013

Thank you, ASID! The lovely folks there invited me to contribute a blog post on the subject, “space matters” to their current ICON issue. It was a lot of fun – hop over and read it! My assertion: when we feel we’ve run out of space, our knee-jerk reaction is to build MORE. Very few of …

Read more »Space Matters
» Kitchen + bath, Living Room + Family Room

Happy New Year, Emerald Green! Bossy color’s finished powder room

Annie Elliott | January 10, 2013

Yes, Gentle Readers, the rumors are true. Emerald, aka 17-5641, is Pantone’s color of the year for 2013. Hooray! I’m going to be honest. Emerald green as “emerald green”, emerald as I think of it, a true jewel tone, green with a little blue in it, really saturated, really deep… It’s not my fave. Greens of …

Read more »Happy New Year, Emerald Green! Bossy color’s finished powder room
» Color + paint color, Kitchen + bath, Wallpaper
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Apr 13

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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

annieelliottdesign

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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

annieelliottdesign

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Apr 8

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When you come home after a long day, do you want your foyer to rev you up or calm you down? Decide which approach you need and run with it. Add large-scale wallpaper and layered rugs for excitement, or paint the walls off-white and be selective with your artwork and mirrors for calm. #foyer #homedesign #foyerinspiration

annieelliottdesign

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Apr 3

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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

annieelliottdesign

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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

annieelliottdesign

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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!

annieelliottdesign

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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

annieelliottdesign

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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

annieelliottdesign

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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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