Elizabeth Kannan’s design aesthetic can be traced back centuries to America’s colonial past. Growing up in Andover, Massachusetts, she lived among some of the finest examples of colonial architecture. “It was a master class in early American design,” she recalls. “This growing interest, coupled with graduate studies in decorative arts, formed the foundation of a career strongly influenced by classical architecture, furnishings and interiors.”

The designer’s passion for the era was further developed when she worked as a curator for the Dietrich American Foundation in Philadelphia, where she was surrounded by some of the finest examples of 18th-century American furniture and interiors. “This experience was my introduction to connoisseurship,” she recounts. “It sharpened my eye and taught me how to discern scale, color, patina and a host of elements that come together to create an interior that sings.”

Kannan launched her boutique firm in 1996 with a project on the historic campus of the University of Delaware. Today, she specializes
in residential interiors, working with senior designer, Stacey White, and an intern. “We consider ourselves part of a collaborative team along with the architect and landscape architect,” she explains.

Since the inception of her business, Kannan has lived in historic homes in Bedford, New York, and in Chevy Chase Village. “I look to the original bones of a house to guide my vision for its interior decorative scheme,” she reveals. “I believe that a seamless integration of vision and execution is imperative to delivering a home that is unique, beautiful and satisfying.”