• 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

The most controversial interior design trend at High Point (Part 3)

Annie Elliott | October 26, 2022

Quick review! Trends we’ve seen so far are: light wood, natural materials, curved furniture, and bouclé upholstery. Here’s Trend #5 of 6!

Trend #5: 1980s revival

Describing the interior design style of the late 1970s/early ’80s is difficult, but to paraphrase Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, you know it when you see it. First, there are the curves. 180-degree curves — rainbow-shaped arches, not organic kidney beans (that’s ’60s!). Then you have the cylindrical legs on chairs and tables. And THEN there are special questionable quirks such as smoked glass.

I credit interior designer Kelly Wearstler with resurrecting the 1980s. In her furniture, light fixtures, and accessories, she captures the hallmarks of ’80s design. Some of it I like, some of it I don’t.

Barrel back wood and upholstered dining chair
Kelly Wearstler’s Zuma dining chair. I swear there was a fully upholstered version of this, but I can’t find it
Crate & Barrel
Ambella at High Point

Having survived both the ’70s and the ’80s, I’m not thrilled to relive them, design-wise. There *is* some overlap between the ’80s and 1920s and 30s Art Deco, but I can’t in good faith say that Deco is a full-fledged trend. We keep thinking Art Deco is going to come back, and it just won’t! Ah, well. Back to the ’80s…

This is headed in the deco direction though, don’t you think?
Double rainbow
Curved chaise
Smoked glass table
Smoked glass lamp
Under the “hard to explain why” heading
Cylindrical legs – no taper. This is the most ’70s part of this throwback trend to me
See? These rugs have echoes of Art Deco, but they fall neatly into the ’80s category right now

One final trend to tell you about tomorrow, Gentle Readers! Oh, the suspense! (If you just can’t wait, we’re putting lots about High Point on my TikTok account. TikTok: it’s not just for spying on your teenagers anymore.)

Annie Elliott Design is based in Washington, DC, and we have offices in St. Michaels, Maryland, and Middlebury, Vermont. Wondering how to incorporate antique rugs into your design scheme? We give you some tips in this article in Mansion Global.

Category: Furniture + upholstery, TrendsTag: 1970s, 1980s, 70s style, 80s, 80s style, curved chair, curved furniture, curved sofa, design trends, High Point, interior design trends, Kelly Wearstler, smoked glass

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

Aug 27

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18339370936281789
SO much fun to create this entertainment space! This client already had a living room and kitchen…this space is for friends and family to relax, talk, and just BE. What’s your favorite feature?

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Aug 26

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18618812233051872
Happy Wallpaper Wednesday! There’s no better paper to feature in August than Schumacher’s Citrus Garden 🍋 🍊.The Swedish designer, artist, and architect Josef Frank created the Citrus Garden pattern as a fabric in 1947. The hand-drawn, whimsical, quintessentially mid-century, irresistibly cheerful design exemplifies Frank’s philosophy: “The freer the pattern, the better.” I’ve used Citrus Garden fabric a few times, but shockingly, the pattern wasn’t on wallpaper until 2017!! 🤯 Deprived for so long!! As soon as the opportunity arises, I’m running, not walking, to get my hands on this wallpaper.@schumacher_midatlantic 📸 @angieseckinger

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Aug 19

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 17979208500097924
All of a sudden, novelty accent lamps are EVERYWHERE! Some are cute, some are…inadvisable ;) If you just can’t resist a lamp in the shape of a snail, my latest blog post has recommendations for proceeding responsibly💡

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Aug 12

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18109874522009739
Happy Wallpaper Wednesday! Let’s talk about Cole & Son’s Acquario, shall we?Iconic Italian artist Piero Fornasetti designed Acquario for Cole & Son in the early 2010s. He was going through an ocean phase, captivated by its mysterious depths 🐠, so he developed this fish design and put it first on plates and fabrics, and then, luckily for us, on wallpaper. We just installed Acquario in the Print Room Blue colorway in a client’s tiny practice room (he plays classical guitar), and we LOVE it! That big old blowfish, just gliding along…he kills me.Featuring: @cole_and_son_wallpapers @fornasetti

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Aug 9

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18436273279134156
Green, light blue, and a touch of navy come together to create a room that's bright, welcoming, and incredibly summery 🥰 🥰 🥰 #interiordesign #summercolors

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Aug 7

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18065703698744445
Given that my brain is still on an academic calendar 🤷‍♀️ , I thought I'd do a little review and see which blog posts resonated with you the most in 2025-26. Who knew that a post from 2011 (!!!) is still in the top 5! Click over to the post to to see the year’s greatest hits. #interiordesign #designinspo

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Jul 24

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18007861235943398
Get ready for a dramatic before and after! We transformed a playroom into a dining room, and the result is pretty amazing. (But still fun!) #wallpaper #interiordesign #diningroominspo

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Jul 22

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18113978008731617
For today’s Wallpaper Wednesday, we discuss the chinoiserie wallpaper in the Great Hall at  @citytavern_dc  in Washington, DC. Ooooohh - field trip!I was delighted to visit City Tavern recently. It’s a historic 1796 Federal building in the heart of Georgetown, and all the cool kids hung out there. You know, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson…those guys. At one point, the building boasted the largest room in Washington.I, of course, was captivated by the Great Hall, which is covered in @graciestudio hand-painted wallpaper — which was selected by none other than Jackie Kennedy! EVEN THOUGH at that time the building was a club that didn’t admit women. Harumph.The chinoiserie walls are gorgeous from far away, but they’re amazing up close, also: you can see faint brushstrokes left by the painters. Doesn’t that give you a shiver? I love it.

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Jul 21

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 17880979779674102
For a recent article in @vogueliving, I was asked how to mix wallpapers — either in the same room or adjacent rooms. I have a few pieces of advice to offer 😊See my latest blog post for more…#interiordesign #designblog #wallpaperinspo
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