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Annie Elliott Design, Washington DC

Annie Elliott Design

Greater Washington DC

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My New Decorating Handbook Is Now Available For Pre-Order!

Annie Elliott | April 11, 2025

It’s revised, expanded, and just plain better! But first:

HELLO, Gentle Readers! We’ve been busy over here at Annie Elliott Design! We moved into a new studio (I’m just waiting for some wallpaper — of course — and then I’ll tell you all about it), some client projects are really heating up, we have a new employee…stuff’s been happening!

Sneak peek!

Oh, yes: and then there’s the WORLD. But that’s not what we talk about here ;)

You may recall that a few years ago I published a decorating handbook: My Neighbor Saw Me Naked, and Other Reasons You Need Drapes: The Most Important Things You Need To Know About Decorating. I know; the title was too long. Especially that last part.

Watercolor illustration of green striped sofa
The former book’s cover, by Tania Lee

Well, I’m delighted to announce that Artisan Books, a division of Hachette Book Group, is publishing a REVISED AND EXPANDED book! There are new chapters and new topics, such as rug pads and platform beds versus boxsprings. There also are new, charming illustrations by the unparalleled Tania Lee.

By Tania Lee

It is, simply put, a better book. Don’t worry, though: it’s still amusing enough to read in the tub.

Blue and white book cover with watercolor illustrations
The new book! I love the little lamp on the spine – by Tania Lee, of course :)

The subtitle is MUCH better than the original: The Essential Decorating Handbook. Simple yet descriptive. As my mother said (I’m paraphrasing), “Maybe this book will be to decorating what Strunk & White is to grammar.” One can only hope!

The book will be released on August 12, but it would be FABULOUS if you could pre-order one or two (or several) right now. It’s available through all the usual places, including Politics and Prose. Links to order are here.

Watercolor of antique chest and modern chair

My Neighbor Saw Me Naked is an excellent host/hostess gift, wedding present, congratulations-on-your-new-abode gift, etc. And it’s still purse-sized, so obviously you need one at the ready.

Thank you for reading, for bearing with me as I blog less often to attend to matters mentioned earlier, and above all, for making the world a better place by making your corner of it beautiful.

Annie Elliott Design is based in Washington, D.C. If a reimagined, joy-filled home is on your must-have list for 2025, please contact us today. I’d love to speak with you about your project.

If you would rather not receive blog notices in your in-box, you may unsubscribe here.

Category: How-toTag: Artisan, book, decorating guid, decorating handbook, furniture, Hachette, how to decorate, paint colors, wallpaper

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“Much of the wallpaper [in the Victorian era]—fabric, too—was made with arsenic,’ explains Elliott. ‘There are worse ways to go, I suppose.’”I loved speaking with @allisonpduncan @vogueliving about the art of using two wallpapers in one room. Happy Wallpaper Wednesday!#interiordesign #wallpaper #vogueliving #designopinions #annieelliottdesignSlide 1 📸  by Stacy Zarin Goldberg, Design by Annie ElliottSlide 2 📸 by Leslee Mitchell, Design by Kim ScodroSlide 3 📸 by Donna Dotan, Design by Ariel OkinSlide 4 📸 by Gordon Gregory, Design by Jenny Holladay
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