Rich Colors Turned a “Gray Blank Canvas” into a “Cozy, Classical, and Cosmopolitan” Home

Written by

published Feb 4, 2025

Rich Colors Turned a “Gray Blank Canvas” into a “Cozy, Classical, and Cosmopolitan” Home

Written by

published Feb 4, 2025

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Home Type

Location

Style

Bedrooms

Square feet

650

Sq ft

650

Jillian Elliott is both an artist and florist, but has also been passionate about interior design since she was a child. “As a teen, I adored redecorating my room and my mother was kind enough to give me free rein to do so within strict budgets — she was the person who first introduced me to the joys of thrifting, antiquing, and finding unique pieces for a good deal in general,” Jillian writes.

Credit: Jillian Elliott

I have painted the walls, multiple light fixtures, and some vintage chairs in the dining room; reupholstered other dining room chairs; switched out knobs on the closet and drawer pulls on my Anthropologie dresser; and installed hooks for my purses, among other things!

“She was, and is, an avid collector of antiques with many collections, and I have inherited her collector gene,” Jillian continues. “In university, I had initially intended to study interior design, but ended up opting instead for fashion design and merchandising. Apparel is still a love of my life, and I have a large collection of thrifted clothing that lives among my mostly thrifted home goods.”

Credit: Jillian Elliott

"Although I have primarily dark wood furniture, I do enjoy mixing wood tones and think the medium wood of my dining table really lightens the space a bit," Jillian writes. "The mirror on the far wall I thrifted in high school for $8; the candlesticks on the table were a gift from a client when I worked in Bermuda; the placemats were crafted by university students in a shop supporting higher education from a trip to Oaxaca; the dining room end chairs were gifted to me by a friend who was inheriting her grandmother's dining set and I reupholstered the seats with a beautiful honey bee jacquard fabric that I have been saving for the right project since university; the folding dining chairs were my mother's from the '70s and used to have red backs and seats that I painted a glossy black; and finally both the blue and patterned curtains are from Anthropologie."

Jillian describes the 650-square-foot, one-bedroom Brooklyn apartment she’s rented for over a year as a “gray blank canvas” before she moved in. But after adding “rich colors, heaps of travel memorabilia, my various collections, and beautiful comfy furniture,” she describes it as “[c]ozy, classical, and cosmopolitan.”

Credit: Jillian Elliott

“While I have decorated every apartment that I have lived in, this is the first space I have been able to make entirely mine (and my cat’s). I was greatly inspired by my grandmother’s home, as it was one of my favorite places to go when I was a child. Everything in it was so comfortable and well-thought-out with really rich textures, colors, and patterns. Her sofa in the front sitting room was my favorite and had a pattern that reminded me of the sofa that I purchased for this apartment, although in a very different colorway. I built most of my decor in this space around that purchase and existing elements such as the tile in the bathroom and kitchen,” Jillian writes.

Credit: Jillian Elliott

"Let everything have its own place, and collect things that bring you joy," Jillian advises.

“I gravitate toward saturated earth tones, as they help me feel grounded in the city and I feel like they always coordinate with one another. I love how color can so easily differentiate the spaces in an apartment and make an otherwise banal space feel interesting and cozy. My interior decor exists primarily of things I have collected while traveling, thrifting (sometimes while traveling), travel photos, art, art supplies, and books (most of which I’ve read but all of which I intend to). Having a quiet, beautiful space to spend my free time in is an essential oasis from the city and work.”