Annie Elliott Design
Greater Washington DC
Even when I remember to make New Year’s resolutions, I NEVER remember to keep them. So this year, I thought I’d try a different approach: a wish list. Even in a bad economy, spending is still the American way. I see it as my patriotic duty. 1. That darn Eames aluminum chair I mentioned recently. …
Recessed lighting isn’t always the answer to a poorly lit room. Just as “Once you win a price, it’s yours to keep,” “Once you punch a hole in your ceiling, it’s there forever.” Or at least until you spend more money closing it up. Strategically placed floor lamps can work wonders in a dim space. …
Well, you didn’t ask it quite that way…here’s how it went down: Q: Could you help me with deciding on a color to paint a daylight basement. The sofa is a red wine color and floor and wood pieces a med oak. The husband wants dark for theater side but wife wants earth tones that …
The Financial Times‘ Sarah Murray had an article in yesterday’s edition about the trend toward making commercial (or inhospitable) places more homey: “creating pockets of homeliness in otherwise impersonal environments.” Dividing spaces into living-room sized areas, artwork by legitimate artists, residential lighting…these are key elements of the home-away-from-home strategy. Tragically, the online version includes only …
I’ve got to hand it to Kelly Wearstler: the lobby of The Tides in South Beach is lovely. I’ll confess that I don’t like the central chandelier much. It’s the first thing you see when you walk in, and although it’s airy, I think it overwhelms the room. I will say that the longer I …
This past weekend, the Financial Times (which, inexplicably, I love) ran an article summarizing what it sees as the major design trends for 2008. (To clarify, a trend is movement in a certain direction – different from a flash-in-the-pan fad. It’s a subtle but important distinction.) As my job is to translate trends into practical …
Flush- and semi-flush mount ceiling light fixtures – not chandeliers or pendants – generally fall into one of two categories: nondescript or hideous. Thank goodness for the well-priced Dakota ceiling fixture by Minka Lavery. It’s neutral enough to be labeled “transitional” (did a more non-committal design category ever exist?), but it’s elegant without being distracting. …