Annie Elliott Design
Greater Washington DC
When should you hire a carpenter for customized built-ins, and when is buying freestanding shelves the better option? This question comes up a lot, and the safe answer, of course, is, “It depends.” Since that’s not a very satisfying answer, though, here is a quick and dirty checklist. Built-ins if:– You plan to stay in …
This is so embarrassing I almost can’t write about it. But, ego be damned, I thought it might be comforting for you to know that even decorators struggle with their own houses. My living room has been painted. Five. Times. We’ve lived in this house for less than three years. And it’s not just a …
According to The New York Times, the Pantone Color Institute‘s color for 2008 is blue iris, or for those in the ultra-know, No. 18-3943. Cathy Horyn quotes Pantone’s Leatrice Eiseman describing the color thus: “Blue Iris brings together the dependable aspects of blue, underscored by a strong, soul-searching purple cast. Emotionally, it is anchoring and …
As I was writing the previous post, I tried to think of the least expensive window treatments I recommend on a regular basis. The winner by a mile is roller shades. I’m not talking about your grandmother’s roller shades: opaque, plastic, grungy white shades with a tired looking crocheted pull hanging dejectedly from the bottom …
This was a fun challenge: freshening up a bathroom while keeping the existing wall tile. The tile is charming…it would be more charming if it hadn’t been repaired over the years with similar-but-not-exactly-the-same-tile, but nonetheless… The worst thing you can do is paint the walls white if the tile was white once upon a time. …
I can’t tell you how happy I am that wallpaper is coming back. Check out this Neisha Crosland wallpaper (Caravan in Chocolate) that a client used in her dining room. We could have gone with dark brown on the wainscoting, but the room would have turned into a cave. Not necessarily a bad look, but …
This is the bar of a Philadelphia restaurant called Marathon on the Square (it was Diner on the Square a million years ago…gravy cheese fries then, preferably at 2:30 a.m.; basil & pesto sandwiches now, preferably at brunch if you can get a table). I love the way the concrete countertop is pretty raw: you …