Annie Elliott Design
Greater Washington DC
“Finishing touches.” “Accessories.” “Objets d’art.” Those extra things that make a room look complete. Putting those items together — “styling” — is harder than it looks, Gentle Readers, and rules are, well, arbitrary. As our friend Mr. Picasso was known to say, “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an …
I can tell you right now, Gentle Readers, that no holiday table of mine ever will be PERFECT ;) But I’m going to try my hardest, because one of my favorite fabric and wallpaper showrooms, Schumacher, is asking me to. On December 5, the Washington Design Center will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a Holiday …
Since Veranda magazine was kind enough to include me in its article about vintage items, I thought I’d expand upon that subject for you, Gentle Readers. There’s so much to say. First, terminology. The word “antique” is applied to furniture that is 100 years old or older. “Vintage” is less well defined. Some people say …
It is a necessary evil, Gentle Readers. Photographing projects. As the designer Celerie Kemble says (I’m paraphrasing): if you don’t photograph a project, it’s as though it didn’t happen. Too true, too true. Reality in the form of time and budgetary limitations prevents me from photographing every single project, but I do try and capture …
As I write to you today, Gentle Readers, I am snuggled up in my living room chair, soda AND water close at hand (forever trying to break the soda habit), with a luscious plaid mohair blanket wrapped around my legs. I’m comfortable and toasty warm. I’ve always appreciated a good throw blanket, but the past …
due to storage limitations, $ considerations, and/or a cold hard dose of reality. Gentle Readers, I hope you had a lovely, restful holiday last week. Ideally, you sat around your houses fantasizing about foyer wallpaper and headboards and family room sofas…oh wait. That’s me. One pre-Thanksgiving afternoon I did a risk assessment and decided to …
Today I thought to myself, “Self, you’ve got to stop thinking about all the crazy stuff going on in the world right now. What’s the biggest distraction you can think of?” PILLOWS, Gentle Readers. I came up with pillows. There’s an article coming out in The Washington Post this week in which I identify my …
