• 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 Chairish Challenge! Eastlake Chairs in a sunny sitting room

Annie Elliott | October 12, 2015

Thanks, Chairish, for inviting bossy color to participate in your design challenge!

THE ASSIGNMENT: Take a room from white to bright, starting with an accent chair from Chairish.

THE RESULT: A bossified sunny sitting room.

http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=178895318
Polyvore board of our Chairish Challenge

I chose a pair of Victorian Eastlake chairs as our starting point. Don’t you usually think of heavy, dark, musty and dusty rooms when you hear Victorian? Well, these chairs are upholstered in a cheery pink velvet, and I thought it would be fun to re-cast them in a brighter light.

To the chairs we added (via a Polyvore board)…

  • An overdyed pink and yellow Oriental rug, which is traditional yet irreverant. And colorful, of course.
  • Hand-painted Chinese wallcovering from Gracie. It’s more pretty than bossy, but I just fell in love with it. The level of detail is exquisite — detail is especially important in small rooms, which I envision this one to be.
Light green Chinese wallcovering with flowers, trees, and birds
Gracie wallcovering
  • Modern accent pillows with fabric from my main man Manuel (Canovas). The fabric is called Ayda.
Pink and yellow striped fabric
Ayda fabric by Manuel Canovas, available through Cowtan & Tout
  • Murano glass waterfall chandelier, available on Chairish. I wanted some sparkle, but a traditional crystal chandelier would have been too expected. The clean, straight lines of this chandlier stand up to the femininity of the room.
Art deco or midcentury Italian glass light fixture
Mid-century chandelier
  • A brass drinks table by Pride Sasser from Century Furniture. I liked the idea of a solid drum table between the leggy chairs, and the ribs echo the lines in the chandelier and the chair backs.
Brass drum table
Brass drinks table from Century Furniture
  • Billowy sheer drapes of Anna French linen for lightness and modernity. And finally…
  • A tiger table, also available on Chairish. I mean, what room doesn’t need one of these? I LOVE him. He can just hang out in the corner. He’s Italian, too, like the chandelier.
Tiger drinks table
Terracotta tiger table

So there you have it: bossy color’s light, fun, modern interpretation of Victorian Eastlake chairs. Thanks again, Chairish! It was fun!

Bossy color | Annie Elliott interior design is based in Washington, D.C. We create outrageously beautiful for fascinating people — starting with color. Don’t miss our recent interview with The Washington Post about Oriental rugs!

Category: Furniture + upholstery, Lighting, Living Room + Family Room, Rugs, Wallpaper, Window treatmentsTag: brass table, Century Furniture, Chairish, chairside table, Chinese wallpaper, Cowtan & Tout, drinks table, Eastlake, glass chandelier, gold table, Gracie wallcovering, handpainted wallpaper, linen drapes, Manuel Canovas, Murano chandelier, pink velvet chair, Polyvore, Pride Sasser, sheer drapes, tiger table, Victorian

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 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

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Jul 8

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18120991804793828
Star-studded wallpaper on the ceiling childish? Not necessarily! Here are the differences between babyish and grown-up star themed wallpaper. #wallpaper #interiordesign

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Jul 4

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18098048903219045
Happy Independence Day! I happen to love a room decorated in red, white, and blue. It’s not always gimmicky; wouldn’t you agree that the dining room below is bold and sophisticated? 🤪 My advice: vary the shades (clash those blues if you have to!), throw some large-scale patterns into the mix, and add texture. A grasscloth ceiling, for example 😉 Have a great 4th, everyone!#interiordesign #homedecor #pattermixing

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Jul 3

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 17934768423090149
I was honored to co-chair — with the inimitable @ianthainteriors — the design competition, America at 250: The New Look of American Design, a project conceived by the nonprofit MADE: In America.Design students from Howard University partnered with Washington Design Center showrooms to create storyboards and vignettes reflecting their vision of “American style.” The Design Center is showcasing the students’ work through July 10; admission is free and open to the public. Details may be found at the link in the @washingtondesigncenter’s bio.I encourage you to visit! It’s so important to support the next generation of designers, and I was delighted to participate in this event. Iantha and I are grateful to James De Lorbe, Chairman of MADE: In America; and we extend our warmest thanks to jurors @melissacolganinteriors, @mariella.cruzado,  @gaildavisdesigns, @val_hawkins_architect, @hadleykeller, @byronrisdon, and @jazmynedesignstudio.

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Jul 1

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18345901804173891
Happy Wallpaper Wednesday! This week’s guest star: Schumacher’s Birds & Butterflies. It’s so whimsical, yet so grown up! Creatures on wallpaper can be a tough sell to adults, but Birds & Butterflies’ black and white background is quite sophisticated. (That’s why the Multi on White is my favorite colorway. I wouldn’t bother with the others.)The pattern is derived from a hand-printed 1960s wallpaper in the Schumacher archive. It’s certainly earned its place in the Exuberant Prints collection, don’t you think?#wallpaperinspo #interiordesign #roomdesign
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