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Annie Elliott Design, Washington DC

Annie Elliott Design

Greater Washington DC

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Rugs

Striped rug in a kitchen

5 Things You Need to Know About Rugs

Annie Elliott | November 9, 2025

Last call, Gentle Readers! This Tuesday, November 11 (Veterans Day) at 7:00, the writer Jason Reynolds and I will be having a conversation at Politics & Prose Union Market about my new book*, working together, and all things home. You may have heard me say, Gentle Readers, that unless your rugs are crawling up the baseboards, they’re not too …

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» Rugs

How to layer rugs as safely as possible

Annie Elliott | February 26, 2024

A TikTok viewer recently asked how to layer rugs without creating a tripping hazard. The unfortunate truth, Gentle Readers, is that there is no way to layer rugs 100% safely. In fact, experts evaluating older people’s homes for safety generally suggest removing ALL of the rugs. Now, this can be a great look, especially in …

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» Rugs

Quick Q+A: The perfect rug for a sage green room

Annie Elliott | November 6, 2022

Dear Annie, What are the best rugs to pair with a sage green color wall? – Izzy via TikTok First, let’s clarify what we mean by “sage green.” I tend to think of this color as a light grayish green, popular at Pottery Barn (along with cranberry) in the, what, mid-aughts? So my first question …

Read more »Quick Q+A: The perfect rug for a sage green room
» Q+A, Rugs
Colorful stripey rug

Quick Q+A: Best, most durable rugs for front halls

Annie Elliott | September 5, 2022

Dear Annie, Several years ago, I found a bright and colorful wool rug that I really liked for our front hallway. The first day that we had it, a friend stopped by with her young twins. They wanted to tell us that there had been a fire down the street, and as the young twins excitedly entered …

Read more »Quick Q+A: Best, most durable rugs for front halls
» Rugs
Room with leather chair and ottoman and blue oriental rug

Rugs: Size Matters (Thanks, Baltimore Magazine!)

Annie Elliott | July 16, 2018

Gentle Readers, here’s another item for your shopping list: the July issue of Baltimore Magazine, which features interior designers’ “insider tips” for decorating (the article, alas, is not online.) I was delighted to be invited to participate. My tip? Don’t buy a rug that’s too small. Unless we’re talking about an intentionally small area rug …

Read more »Rugs: Size Matters (Thanks, Baltimore Magazine!)
» Rugs

Start with the rug…or not!

Annie Elliott | November 6, 2017

Gentle Readers, if you have been reading bossy color blog faithfully since 2009 (!!!), you know that a tenet I hold near and dear is this: START WITH THE RUG. If you’re hating a room but you just can’t figure out what to do about it, start with the rug. Except when you don’t. We just …

Read more »Start with the rug…or not!
» Rugs

5 favorite finds at High Point, via CocoCozy!

Annie Elliott | October 28, 2016

Gentle Readers, I promise to update you on my kitchen asap, but we’ve been pretty busy here in bossyland! After last week’s photo shoot, we went down to North Carolina to High Point Market, the must-attend, semi-annual furniture fair. We were thrilled to spend some time with COCOCOZY, who happens to be a dear friend of …

Read more »5 favorite finds at High Point, via CocoCozy!
» Furniture + upholstery, Rugs
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May 11

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I’ve decided that spring cleaning is not enough this year. Spring MAKEOVERS are in store!Read my latest blog post to see before-and-after photos of some past and current projects. It’s heavy on pictures, light on commentary…the blog version of a beach read to give you a jump on summer 🏖️.

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May 8

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It was an honor to be a sponsor of the 87th annual Flower Mart at the National Cathedral! My  daughters have been trekking up to the Cathedral for this event since they were little - wonderful memories. This year, my favorite flower display was the Hong Kong Economic and Trade office; those peonies smelled UNBELIEVABLE! 🌺 🌼 🌷 🌻! Switzerland was a close second ;)

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May 6

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For today’s Wallpaper Wednesday, we discuss Hicks Grand by David Hicks.The British interior designer created the smaller-scale Hicks Hexagon in the 1960s and later scaled up the pattern to create Hicks Grand. The contemporary, geometric, honeycomb repeat adds intrigue and depth to any room. I have only used the smaller Hicks Hexagon (stairway picture), but I LOVE the scale of Hicks Grand. Fun fact: The Hicks Hexagon pattern was used on the rugs in the Overlook Hotel’ hallways in The Shining 😱#wallpaperinspo #interiorinspiration #hicksandgrand

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Apr 30

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Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking.But nothing says spring like flowers! 🌷 🌻 🌸 (And birds!)

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Apr 28

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Your house should reflect *you*. My recent visits to Eudora Welty’s house and the Mississippi Museum of Art reminded me of that. If the wallpaper you put up makes you happy, it’s a success! If you need help figuring out how to translate your personality and lifestyle into your home’s function and appearance, I’m here 😉.Read my new blog post for more!

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Apr 24

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Annie Elliott Design is a proud sponsor of the 87th annual @flowermartdc! I hope to see you all there! I will be there on May 1st shopping for peonies, yellow roses, and Black-Eyed Susans. 🌸 🌹 💐 #flowermartdc #springflowers #interiordesign

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Apr 22

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The star of today’s Wallpaper Wednesday is Farrow & Ball’s Lotus!The dramatic Lotus pattern is in the Art Nouveau style of the late 19th century and veeeeery early part of the 20th. (The pattern’s curved, stylized, botanical shapes are a classic indicator of Art Nouveau style.) Today, Lotus wallpaper is available in 19 colorways — or coloUrways, since Farrow & Ball is British ☺️ — and the metallic ones are quite spectacular. F&B changes its wallpaper colorways with annoying regularity; once they cease making a paper, that colorway is considered “archived.” But fear not: ANY F&B wallpaper pattern can be made in ANY F&B paint…all it takes is time and money.If you’re a Succession fan (I struggled, but I made it through), you may remember Lotus from Season 3, in Rava Roy’s foyer.#interiordesign #wallpaper

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Apr 20

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You know my thoughts about small rooms and wallpaper: bold, large-scale paper totally works! Your gateway drug is powder rooms. They’re the perfect place to experiment with whimsical patterns and bright colors because you don’t spend a ton of time in there. Although * I * argue that when you have the right wallpaper, you’ll want to ;)

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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
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