Annie Elliott Design
Greater Washington DC
I love old. I love recycled. And I love “made in the USA.” So imagine my delight when I learned about Bailey & Griffin, a luxury fabric line that had been out of production for years until Duralee revived it. The brand’s history is interesting. “Founded in 1923, Bailey & Griffin began as the U.S. distributor for UK-based fabric house, …
Or did they never leave? I’ve been revisiting the work of some “old masters” of interior decorating lately, including and especially David Hicks. He is indeed a master of many things — accessorizing and displaying collections among them — but I’ve been particularly enchanted by his canopy beds. Or, more accurately, “tester beds,” in which fabric is …
Inspired by Elle Decor’s list of 10 things every WOMAN needs to have in her home, I offer these suggestions for the testosterone set. Doesn’t matter if you’re gay or straight, partnered or happily single: as a modern man, I believe these are must-haves if you want to move beyond typical “masculine” decor. 1. A room …
Photo shoots are so much fun. Extraordinarily time-consuming, painstakingly detail-oriented, and exhausting, but fun. And important. As the interior designer Celerie Kemble once said (I’m paraphrasing), “If I don’t photograph a project, it’s as though it didn’t happen.” True that. So we photograph our work. If you’ve been on bossy color’s website recently, you’ve seen our new pictures of …
[Updated 4/2021] Gentle Readers, there is a long-running debate between my painters and me as to whether we paint the underside of soffits. (You know, those bump-outs that contain ducts and things.) I generally say yes. Paint them. Here’s what happens when you don’t paint the underside of a soffit: Doesn’t that look choppy? (Let’s not …
So: LACQUER. Elegant. Elusive. SHINY. Aren’t they fantastic? Lacquered walls, Gentle Readers, are very “go big or go home.” Frankly, lacquered walls are so bold and bossy (is it still legal to use that word, or has the ban been successful?) that it’s shocking I don’t do them every day. I mean, wow, right?! But …
Recently, a high school student from Georgia contacted me. She was interested in becoming an interior designer, and she wanted to know how I got into the field. People ask me this question with alarming regularity, so I thought I’d go ahead and post part of the interview. (If this is too “all bossy, all …
