• 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 Greenbrier resort: mostly great

Annie Elliott | April 10, 2023

Updated day and time: please tune in to D.C.’s NBC4 on WEDNESDAY, April 12 between 4:00 – 5:00 for my recommended home-refresher purchases for spring!

It’s ridiculous that I hadn’t been there before, Gentle Readers. The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia.

(This picture is from their website. I don’t know why my picture captions aren’t working, but I’ll try to fix it for next time.)

The Greenbrier is something of a pilgrimage for interior designers. Decorating doyenne Dorothy Draper ruled the roost from around 1946 until the late ’50s, and the resort is a shrine to her. But I’m not going to give you a history lesson; Carleton Varney’s book Romance & Rhododendrons does that quite well if you’re interested.

Instead, I’m going to focus on, what else? The interior design. You may be surprised to learn that not everything made my love list. But here’s what did.

1. The lobby.

The main entrance to the Greenbrier is a fancy split-level.

Colorful hotel lobby

From there, the lobby is up.

I LOVE — I mean, LOVE — the black and white checkerboard floors (you know that about me), the red and aqua combo, and the vibrant floral chintz. Together. I love it all.

2. The repetition of pattern.

You see it everywhere, but this is a particularly fun example. It’s a ladies’ lounge!

3. The Victorian Writing Room.

A gem of a room. I love red and green together, and the giant faux-bois pattern on the rug is amazing.

4. The chandeliers.

5. The scale in general.

Big. Everywhere. Which leads to more than a few “Alice in Wonderland meets Las Vegas” moments, but for the most part, the huge scale of the spaces and patterns is super fun.

Huge pediments in the Lobby Bar:

Huge windows…I actually hate the bow/valence concept here, but I’m including this blurry picture of John so you can see just how gigantic the windows are.

And a huge design on the carpeting in the lower gallery:

All of that said, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that parts of the interior design just felt lazy. There’s a whole lotta “Oh, all blues match!” and “Let’s put four random patterns together and see what happens!” Pretty rich coming from me, right? But there were just too many instances in which things looked off instead of whimsical.

For example, what, pray tell, is this weak, powdery blue sofa doing in the drama-filled lobby? Color-wise, it doesn’t hold up in this context.

Here, a matchier pink wall wouldn’t make my teeth hurt the way the coral does:

In the “Clock Lobby,” we’ve got all sorts of clashiness going on. The green of the rug has nothing — I mean nothing — to do with the sofa upholstery. Or the teal chairs. And in real life, that minty sofa isn’t awesome with the aqua stripes on the walls.

We also have a scale issue here. Those lamps — not joking — are at least 4′ tall. The tables they’re on are appropriate for them. But the tables and lamps together DWARF the sofa. The upholstered pieces are clinging to the coffee table like a life raft, and the tables and lamps and stripes are singing with the architecture. It’s weird.

Finally, you have a very long hallway of THIS:

Who? Who thought this was a good idea?

The combo of the yellow trellis wallpaper, the medium-toned wood, and the rhododendron bud carpeting is an abomination. The paneling looks cheap (it’s the color, I think), and the wallpaper looks left over from another project. The carpeting is fine in general…I just feel bad for it here. It’s saying, “I know, I know…I was just coming in from another room, minding my own business, when these WALLS happened. Just keep looking down, keep looking down.”

The space doesn’t look intentional. And that’s my whole thing: if you’re going to take design risks, you’ve got to OWN them. I don’t know if Dorothy Draper actually put this hallway together, but if she did, I guarantee it was at the end of a very long day.

But. We’re not going to let those few examples deter from the wonderful whimsy of the Greenbrier overall. It is a cheekily grand, uplifting place that reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously. And that’s a reminder we all need from time to time ;)

Annie Elliott Design is based in Washington, D.C. We’re experts in creating gorgeous, color- and pattern-filled homes and telling people what to do in the nicest way possible.

10 days left to vote for Annie Elliott Design in the Webby Awards, Gentle Readers! We’re the ultimate underdog, up against Etsy, Levi’s, Variety Magazine, and Southern Living…but we’re in second place as of this writing, so you never know!!!

Category: Color + paint colorTag: black and white floor, Carleton Varney, checkerboard floor, Dorothy Draper, floral, Greenbrier, pattern mixing, Victorian Writing Room

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

Jul 8

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 17874860922370036
What if one book could help you avoid 90% of the most common decorating mistakes? My Neighbor Saw Me Naked, and Other Reasons You Need Drapes is the interior design handbook you never knew you needed. It provides straightforward answers to the questions that matter: ✔️ What size rug should I get?✔️ How high should I hang my chandelier?✔️ Do I REALLY need window treatments? Preorder now through July 11th on the Barnes & Noble website and get  25% off with code PREORDER25.....plus 10% more if you’re a B&N Premium member. Offer ends July 11! Link in bio#InteriorDesign #DesignMistakes #MyNeighborSawMeNaked #BNPreorder #AnnieElliottInteriors #HomeDesign

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Jul 4

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 17864165463352438
📍 St. Michael’s, Maryland views Let’s celebrate our beloved country today! 🇺🇸 And remember when we freed ourselves from a tyrannical government.You know, the Declaration of Independence is worth a re-read. The “unalienable” right to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…” Let’s hold onto that, shall we? I pursue happiness by surrounding people with beauty. I believe that your home not only should bring you joy, it should comfort you, energize you, and inspire you. Because when you bring that energy and inspiration out into the world, it spreads.Happy Independence Day, everyone.  @stmichaelsmd

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Jun 26

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18509968003051969
The location of this built-in dresser is practical (between the first floor hallway and the powder room), but tbh, it looked a little odd until we intentionalized it with some grassy green paint. (Yep - I just made up that word. And I’m going to keep it 😉 Photo | @stacyzaringoldberg#annieelliott #annieelliottdesign #closetdecor #bedroomdecor #paintedfurniture #dresser #interiorstyling #interiorinspiration #interiorsandhome #homeinteriors #colorfullycollected

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Jun 25

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 17880900810340509
Sure, I love a fancy showroom—but if you want soul, patina, and weird little treasures, you need to get dusty. 💨👉My real sourcing happens in flea markets, antique stores, and the occasional estate sale.✨ That’s where the magic is. That’s where your home gets its character. Plus, it’s more fun than a mall and you might come home with a lamp that looks like a pineapple. 🍍Win-win.......#vintagestyle #antiqueshopping #eclectichome #antiques #vinatgefinds #designhunt #interiordesignerlife #interiorsandhome #dmvdesigner #interiordecor #interiorstyling #interiors

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Jun 24

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18512936221022154
Let’s play “rules I’ve gleefully ignored,” shall we?
You must match your metals ❌
Small rooms can’t be dark ❌❌
Never mix patterns ❌ ❌ ❌
Design is supposed to be fun. If it makes you happy, it works. End of story.        Photos | @stacyzaringoldberg @mw.concepts #annieelliott #annieelliottdesign #designrules #kitchendesign #kitcheninspo #interiordetails #bedroomdesign #officedesign #interiorstyle #interiorandhome

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Jun 19

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18019888907521092
Nothing says summer like a house that makes you slooooow down. I’m so lucky to have access to a family house in St. Michael’s…the spot is amazing, but we wanted to add a little somethin’ somethin’ to the sunroom. I leaned into the midcentury bones and brought in soft blues and reds to complement the  warm brick and beams. Now it’s got that relaxed, quiet energy that makes you want to pour a gin and tonic, sit still, and just be.📷 | @mw.concepts#annieelliott #annieelliottdesign #vacationhome #waterfronthomes #stmichaelshomes #midcenturyinteriors #midcenturymodernhome #interiordecor #interiorstyling #interiorinspiration #interiorsandhome

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Jun 17

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18103508353553642
I was prepared to argue for this @leejofa wallpaper until I was blue in the face, but my client loved it immediately. Turned out the grannie-ness was a selling point, not an obstacle. I love it when my clients trust me! I gotta be honest: I’ve never regretted going too bold. Just playing it too safe. 📸 | @angieseckinger#annieelliott #annieelliottdesign #interiorstyling #interiorinspiration #interiorsandhome #wallpaper #hallwayinspo #leejofawallpaper #floralwallpaper #hallwaydecor #hallwaydesign #stairwellstyling #bolddesign

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Jun 12

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18083963626690209
Squeeze the day! 🍊Cole and Son’s Arance wallpaper paired with @benjaminmoore’s high-gloss Strawberry Red has us drooling over this powder room. It’s the perfect reminder that a well-executed small space can be bold, bright, and irresistible!#annieelliott #annieelliottdesign #powderroom #bathroomdesign #bathroominspo #powderroomdesign #powderroomwallpaper #boldbathroom #bathroomwallpaper #coleandsonwallpaper

annieelliottdesign

View Instagram post by annieelliottdesign

Jun 10

Open post by annieelliottdesign with ID 18082916029742494
See what we did here? We painted the shelves the dark blue of the walls for a cohesive effect. Just the right amount of drama 🎭 Photos | @angieseckinger #annieelliott #annieelliottdesign #interiorsandhome #bookshelfstyling #builtins #builtinbookshleves #shelfstyling #livingroomstyle #decorinspo #homestyle #interiorinspo #livingroomdesign
Follow

Looking for something?

Don’t miss a single post

 

Where classic and modern hang out and drink gin.

  • Instagram
  • TikTok
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook

© 2025 · Annie Elliott Design · privacy policy