Annie Elliott — My Neighbor Saw Me Naked and Other Reasons You Need Drapes: The Essential Decorating Handbook - with Jason Reynolds episode artwork

EPISODE · Dec 29, 2025 · 1H 3M

Annie Elliott — My Neighbor Saw Me Naked and Other Reasons You Need Drapes: The Essential Decorating Handbook - with Jason Reynolds

from Politics and Prose Presents · host Politics and Prose

Should my drapes have a pinch pleat or a rod pocket? What rug material will stand up best to my pets and children? How tall should my side tables be? Where should I put the TV?! There are so many decisions that go into designing a home--and the choices can be overwhelming. Sometimes, you just want to be told what to do. Designer Annie Elliott is here to do just that: offer simple, direct answers to your every design quandary.As she says in her introduction: "While there exist dozens--nay, hundreds!--of gorgeous coffee table books, there is no book that gives it to you straight. No book that provides only the most important things you need to know as you feather your nest. (By which I mean, those things that result in the biggest and most costly mistakes if you get them wrong, and the most tasteful interiors if you get them right.)" That is, until now.In her twenty-plus years running an interior design business in Washington, DC, Annie has collected dozens of best practices when it comes to decorating, and now she's compiled them all into the perfect pocket manual. With chapters on everything from window treatments to accessories, plus a "cheat sheet" of helpful dimensions, readers will be armed with all of the expert intel they need to turn their house into a stylish, functional home.Annie Elliott has run an interior design firm in Washington, D.C., for more than twenty years. She studied English and art history at the University of Pennsylvania and earned an MA in art history from Williams College. After a career in museum administration, Annie founded bossy color, which later became Annie Elliott Design. Annie’s work and insights have appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and many other print and online publications, and she regularly appears on NBC4 to discuss design matters of great importance. Annie lives in D.C. with her family.Elliott is in conversation with Jason Reynolds, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books for children and young adults. A 2024 MacArthur Fellow, Jason is best known for his novels All American Boys (co-written with Brendan Kiely), the Track series, and Long Way Down, which received Newbery, Printz, and Coretta Scott King Honors. Among his many accolades, Jason was named the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by the Library of Congress for 2020-2022. He is on faculty at Lesley University, for the Writing for Young People MFA Program and lives in Washington, DC. You can find his ramblings at JasonWritesBooks.com.https://politics-prose.com/book/9781648294709?ic_referral=vDjX-FWgvxGILyNtsrTmmOKKRA6ioo8-bZ6Z1DdU6ZgwM4669cfPGfm6LQ23gpXmakcYUzu-LRO0N7CzKdDwLttFU7O_dLomYjx6TTyBfXOc-oVnngNJAqk4-Dp9DIwe34qQ7Mk

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Annie Elliott — My Neighbor Saw Me Naked and Other Reasons You Need Drapes: The Essential Decorating Handbook - with Jason Reynolds

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