October 13, 2008 \\
Most famouse House in the Land
With all this talk on elections I thought it’d be interesting to highlight the White House. All presidents have made their mark: William Howard Taft put in the Oval Office, Franklin Roosevelt contributed the White House movie theater and an indoor pool (in which Nixon covered), and Harry Truman added a balcony to the back of the house. I like this quote from our current First Lady, Barbra Bush, when talking about what kind of rug George W. wanted in the Oval Office:
“George said he knew this was going to be a job of decisions,but he didn’t realize he was going to have to make a decision on what kind of rug to have in the Oval Office. So he did what he thinks is the smart thing for a leader to do—he delegated it to me.”
In 2004, Architectural Digest did an article entitled:
Nancy Reagan and Jacqueline Kennedy:The Private Quarters of Two First Ladies During their Reigns at the White House
It was a very interesting article describing the process the two women went through with the interior renovations of the white house. Both hired designers and both made their special niche in American History with their changes.
The First Lady’s Dressing Room
The First Family Bedroom with Chinioserie Hand painted-Wallpaper
Jacqueline Kennedy wanted the West Sitting Hall to resemble her Georgetown living room, hence the nice sitting area by the window.
This is Nancy Reagan’s office. She wanted to keep the existing furniture, but refurbish it (already thinking Green). The only two new pieces are the mirror and day-bed. I love the botanical prints.
It’ll be interesting to see what our next First Lady will do.
