1. What are the five words that best describe your style? 

Collected, colorful, curated, unexpected, and fun.

2. Describe your journey to a career in interior design. 

As a child, I was always rearranging my room and my friends' rooms. My mom always let me and enabled my creative side to blossom. I majored in business and was in the nonprofit world for a while before finally following my dream of entering the interior design world. I remember feeling so fulfilled in my personal life but lacked joy in my professional life — during, after and before work, all I did was look at design magazines and dream of one day immersing myself into that industry! At the time, I had a mutual friend in the interior design world, and she introduced me to my mentor and past boss, Erica Burns. I owe her everything. She took a chance on me, allowed me to start with no experience, and taught me everything that I now know. I worked for her for five years and then launched my own firm after my first child almost five years ago.

3. What (or who) has been the biggest influence on your aesthetic? 

My grandmother’s home was filled with antiques and my mom’s home was always filled with color. Both of them have equally influenced my design aesthetic. 

4. What's a project you're currently working on that's especially exciting and/or inspiring for you? 

We are working on a full home renovation in Georgetown. The client is going for a colorful, Parisian, modern aesthetic, which is new to me. It's been so inspiring and fun!

5. What's the first question you ask your clients when starting a new project? 

This is somewhat two-fold. I always start with asking my clients how they want to use a space. The functionality of a space dictates the design choices. I also always encourage my clients to fall in love with and be obsessed with every element of a room. There is always a “trust me” factor that I encourage, but at the end of the day I want my clients to fall in love with all of our design choices. 

Designer Q&A: Anne Pulliam