Some people like spring to spring inside their house, as well as outside. And why not accommodate summer, fall and winter? According to District designer Annie Elliott, the changing seasons allow homeowners to “shake things up, to take a fresh look at your house, move pieces from room to room and maybe add something new you’ve picked up.”

We tapped Elliott to demonstrate these possibilities in a Chevy Chase family room that she decorated for lawyers Ada Fernandez Johnson and Mike Johnson and their three children. The designer’s company, Bossy Color, specializes in helping homeowners overcome their fear of bright and bold.

“I encourage people to buy what they love — a funky lamp, a quirky sculpture — and use that as the starting point for personalizing a room,” she says.

Elliott and her team left the Johnsons’ sofa, Oriental rug and window shades in place, while substituting a tall, leather Crate and Barrel wing chair and a glass-topped coffee table from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams for older pieces. These furnishings serve as the anchors for a changing array of side tables, lamps, pillows and accessories, some belonging to the family but most lent from area stores and boutiques.

Elliott started the redecorating process with the fireplace, the focal point of a room. “Hanging a mirror there is a cop-out. I’d much rather see a collection of large objects if you don’t have the right piece of art.” For the spring-themed room, the designer arranged sepia-toned photos on the hearth; for summer, she clustered a group of paintings in different sizes on the mantel.

One room, four seasons : http://wapo.st/1lOCW51