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Annie Elliott Design, Washington DC

Annie Elliott Design

Greater Washington DC

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Stylish family recreation room with pattern rug, comfortable sectional soft, bright accent pillows
Greenbrier resort with yellow tulips

The Greenbrier resort: mostly great

Annie Elliott | March 8, 2026

I first visited the Greenbrier in 2023, but when a friend asked me about Dorothy Draper last week, I decided I had to bring back this blog post! It’s ridiculous that I hadn’t been there before 2023, Gentle Readers. The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia. (This picture is from their website. There were no tulips …

Read more »The Greenbrier resort: mostly great
» Historic house
Red 18th-century room with round and rectangular mirrors over a fireplace

The Magic of Mirrors: My Big Takeaway from a London House Museum

Annie Elliott | February 22, 2026

Imagine you live in a row house in 1790s London, Gentle Readers. (Actually, it was several connected row houses by the 1820s, but that’s beside the point.) Imagine that it is lit by oil lamps and candles. Further imagine that you are the collector of fine and interesting art and objects that you would like …

Read more »The Magic of Mirrors: My Big Takeaway from a London House Museum
» Historic house
Man in front of large model of a grand, symmetrical building

Wes Anderson exhibition in London. It’s worth the trip.

Annie Elliott | February 1, 2026

I’m not kidding, Gentle Readers. If you’re as big a Wes Anderson fan as my family is (or, as they say in England, “as my family are”), you can’t miss it. It’s at The Design Museum in London. But don’t let that stop you. To catch you up, Wes Anderson is an American director of …

Read more »Wes Anderson exhibition in London. It’s worth the trip.
» Art
Blue bedroom with very tall red and white headboard

One designer’s wish list for 2026 (#goalz)

Annie Elliott | January 18, 2026

Happy New Year, Gentle Readers! 2026 is going to be OUR YEAR! It’s going to be amazing! As the kids say, We’re manifesting that [stuff]! As we approach the end of January, I’m feeling extremely grateful for the clients and projects we have right now. We’re working on renovations of historic houses (below, the lighting …

Read more »One designer’s wish list for 2026 (#goalz)
» Trends
White fabric swatch

You have got to be kidding me. Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2026…

Annie Elliott | December 7, 2025

…is white. That’s correct Gentle Readers: Pantone’s daring selection for 2026’s color of the year is WHITE. Aka Cloud Dancer, 11-4201. Here it is: I’m just kidding. Here it is: According to Pantone, Cloud Dancer is “a billowy white imbued with a feeling of serenity.” Imbued with? It’s so serene I’m dead. The selection of …

Read more »You have got to be kidding me. Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2026…
» Color + paint color
Floral wallpaper behind chair

Wallpaper Icon: Schumacher’s Chiang Mai Dragon

Annie Elliott | November 24, 2025

Chiang Mai Dragon has to tie with Zebras as the most recognizable wallpaper out there. Don’t you agree, Gentle Readers? The dragon-flower-lantern pattern is so ubiquitous that I assumed it’s been around forever. Shockingly, though, Schumacher didn’t design Chiang Mai Dragon until 2006. 2006!! A mere 19 years ago! (I’m old enough that “19” = …

Read more »Wallpaper Icon: Schumacher’s Chiang Mai Dragon
» Wallpaper
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 …

Read more »5 Things You Need to Know About Rugs
» Rugs
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Mar 9

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Thanks for watching 💚 #aresenicgreen #interiorinspiration #farrowandball

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Mar 9

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What color would you pair with Arsenic? See part 2 in my reels grid #paintinspo #interiordesign #farrowandball

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Mar 3

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5 tips to refresh your house without spending a dime...1. Rearrange your furniture. Move the sofa to a window wall or float it in front of a fireplace. Place a comfy (but not huge) chair in the corner of your dining room. 2. Corral junk on a tray! (You knew that was coming.) Expose that hall table! Tidy up your kitchen counter! Tame the top of your dresser or bedside table — even if the “tray” is a small dish!3. Rotate your art. ID your most prominent piece and switch it with another large one, or assemble several pictures into a gallery wall. We stop seeing our art after a while, so move it around! (Yes, you might create a new, visible hole in the wall. Tiny tub of spackle, tiny spackle knife, dab of paint color with a Q-tip or cotton ball. You can do a better job later if you like the new arrangement.)4. Swap your pillows. If the rooms in your house flow happily from one to the next, pillows should be able to migrate from living room to family room to bedroom. (Or, yes, I give you permission to buy new pillows in light colors for spring :) But I promised no spending.)5. Clean. No one wants to hear this, but it makes such a difference. First, tidy up. Then, vacuum the window treatments (so *that’s* what that attachment is for!). Wipe down the baseboards. Scrub your banister. Dust your ceiling light fixtures. Put on a podcast and see how much you can do in an hour. You’ll see and feel a difference, I promise.#homedesign #interiordesign #springcleaning

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Feb 27

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I prefer to keep fireplace mantels fairly spare. It’s easy to overcrowd, and tiny decorative objects tend to get lost. As a former art historian, my favorite fireplace addition is paintings. A single standalone piece or multiple paintings leaning against the wall can look terrific. Then if you want to add something to the mantel, remember that less is more 😉#dcdesigner #interiordesign #fireplacemantel Photographer credits :Angie Seckinger photographyKip Dawkins photographyJenn Verrier photography

annieelliottdesign

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Feb 25

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It’s Wallpaper Wednesday! Queen of Spain by @schumacher1889Schumacher had to know it had an icon on its hands when it debuted its edgy Queen of Spain wallpaper in 1963, but let’s be honest: getting it into the home of a very young, very hot new rock star called Mick Jagger didn’t hurt. While I’ve used Queen of Spain *fabric* in the blue colorway, I the ONLY colorway for the wallpaper is the Black.#interiordesign #wallpaper #interiorstyling

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Feb 23

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When I visited Sir John @soanemuseum recently, I was blown away by the cleverness — and craftsmanship — that went into installing so many mirrors to maximize all light: from the sun, candles, and oil lamps. In his 1790s row house in London, Sir John Soane integrated mirrors into the architecture. Read my new blog post (on my website) to see how he expertly placed mirrors to light his wealth of fine art and objects.#interiordesigner #sirjohnsoane #architecture

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Feb 19

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I LOVE the wallpaper and paint colors used in @bookhoundsmd in St. Michaels, MD. The store is whimsical and charming…it’s an amazing place to snuggle up and read at any time of year 📚 #interiordesign #stmichaelsmd

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Feb 17

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My fireplace filler recommendations:Try: Dried forsythia or Hydrangeas (a single type of flower, in other words).Don’t even think about it: Wine bottles.Try: Multiple real plants or a single fern (very southern!).Eeew: A wispy, random, combustible-looking arrangement of multiple dried flowers.Solid yes: Logs in any form, birch logs on an andiron, or regular logs filling the fireplace front to back.Maybe: Books. I have mixed feelings about this one. What do you all think?...Photo Credit: Domino MagPepper Design BlogCasoliaThe KitchnLiving EtcMolly In Main#interiordesign #fireplace #livingroominspo

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Feb 14

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I LOVE dark rooms. Don’t be afraid to go dark in a small space; dark walls and ceilings actually can make a room seem bigger because you can’t see the corners very well! The type of room matters, of course – I prefer to embrace the dark and select rooms that do NOT have many windows. Rooms with a lot of windows obviously invite a lighter, brighter feel. In any room you want to feel cozy – a Powder Room, enclosed TV room, dining room, guest bedroom (or any bedroom!) – try experimenting with dark wallpaper.#interiordesign #wallpaper
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