Alexandra is a designer and craftswoman trained in the English tradition. She was apprenticed in the London studios of master craftsman who taught her the skills, patience and the attention to detail that have helped her reach the highest standards in water and oil gilding, decoupage, faux finishes, antique framing and decorative design.
Alexandra began her career as a craftswoman, working on antique and hand-made contemporary frames for major art exhibitions and private clients. Her uncompromising stand on quality and mixing classic and modern design have won her commissions from Prince Charles, the Governor of the Tower of London and Sir Elton John.
Alexandra's pieces are inspired by the places she visited as a young woman: Prague, Venice, Rome, Petra, Seville and Istanbul among them. She has learned the same techniques used by the artisans who created the awe inspiring interiors in these famous cities that are so admired today and uses in her work the traditional designs found in the pottery, textiles, and architecture of Europe, and the Near East.
With an eye for modern living, Alexandra creates interiors and pieces that will fit with any style of décor, and are functional and hardwearing: all pieces are varnished and heat resistant.
Most of all, Alexandra likes to work with clients to create personal and unique spaces and objet d'art that can be designed for family events or to match the theme of a newly decorated room. She welcomes commissions and the opportunity to apply a variety of special finishes to your home.
Elizabeth Clifton O'Leary
Liz was raised in Kentucky and was a regular guest in the antebellum plantation homes that grace the landscape in that beautiful part of the world. The stately southern mansions, set in the green pastures of horse country, instilled in Liz a love for classic architecture and rich colors. An historian, Liz studied the creations of eighteenth century Europeans and came to appreciate the mathematic and scientific principles that The Age of Enlightenment brought to contemporary design and its influence on the architecture in her home state. Liz has learned that classic design elements set the parameters in a room within which modern decoration and exotic art can best be exhibited.
Above all, Liz relishes the opportunity to consult with her clients on the color of the structural elements and fabrics in their homes. Many people intuitively know when the color in a room is not right - it 'feels' wrong, it puts you in a bad mood, or keeps you awake when you want to sleep - knowing how to get it right, every time, is Liz's specialty.
As well as her skills and experience in interior design and color consultation, Liz brings her love of furniture to The English Accent collection. Liz has created remarkable pieces using the beautiful natural colors and grains of exotic hardwoods, such as bubinga and wenge, that are testament to the year she trained under master furniture designers John Dunnigan and Rosanne Somerson.
Liz, a graduate in furniture design from Mount Vernon College, Washington DC and in Interior Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design, has been practicing interior design and architecture for more than ten years. She has completed residential projects on the East Coast from Washington, DC to Cape Code and Boston to Nantucket. More recently, she has been working with leading environmental architects to bring her love of all things natural and her strong sense of social responsibility to her profession. Liz now focuses on serving a growing clientele of home lovers in the Washington, DC greater metropolitan area