A New Look for the Oval Office

New York Times ^ | August 31, 2010 | SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

[reaganaut1]

The Oval Office has gotten a makeover.

When President Obama addresses the nation on Iraq on Tuesday night, he will do so from newly redecorated digs. The look, which includes new and reupholstered furniture and new paint and wallpaper, is more modern and tends toward neutral hues of brown and taupe, rather than the gold and yellow tones favored by his predecessor, George W. Bush.

Gone is the sunburst rug that Mr. Bush loved so much; designed by his wife, Laura, he used to say it evoked a spirit of optimism. In its place is a more muted, mostly wheat and cream-colored carpet featuring the presidential seal in the center, and ringed on its edge with five quotations selected by Mr. Obama – four from former presidents (Lincoln, Kennedy and both Roosevelts) and one from the Rev Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Mr. Bush’s yellow brocade couches have been replaced with two custom-made sofas of brown cotton that resembles velvet. They face a boxy table, fashioned from American walnut and mica, that features a fruit bowl – not flowers – as its centerpiece. There is a lone navy blue pillow on one of the couches, which pulls in the blue from some new, modern table lamps.

The new wallpaper is striped, gold and yellow, but the pictures – portraits of Lincoln and Washington – have remained, as has the grandfather clock. Mr. Obama reupholstered Mr. Bush’s two mahogany chairs and kept the desk, called the Resolute, that every chief executive since Rutherford B. Hayes — with the exception of Johnson, Nixon and Ford — has used.

The makeover was not done at taxpayer expense; the White House said the costs were covered by the White House Historical Association, a non-profit group

[aruanan]

have been replaced with two custom-made sofas of brown cotton that resembles velvet.

Still trying to come up with some of that slave ancestor cred.

[lady lawyer]

This is more tasteful than I expected. Honestly, I expected animal prints and purple metal flake.

[KansasGirl]

LOL. Me too.

[tiredoflaundry]

It doesn't look “presidential”. Actually it's a bit “blah”.

[ROCKLOBSTER]

Did anybody hear something just then?

[sniper63]

Empty desk = empty suit.

[agere_contra]

Honestly, I expected animal prints and purple metal flake.

You're not going to like what they've done with the Lincoln bedroom then.

[GnuHere]

Yuck.

[Never on my watch]

It looks like one of Moochell’s dresses with the wainscoting boob-belt.

[ladyjane]

Why do some men just love the brown/gold earth tones? These people are Vulgarians.

[isthisnickcool]

Ah, another “charity”. This time it is the White House Historical Association. As I have been doing for many years here, I invite you to take a look at data on another nonprofit. In this case we have a very well funded organization ($30+ million in assets) that pays it’s main handler about $390,000 a year. That is what he was paid in 2008 which is the latest IRS 990 filing. The entity apparently has a lot of volunteers. So many people are listed as “directors” it is almost comical. It appears that this is one of those Washington nonprofits that churns directors in and out so people can say “I was a director of the White House Historical Association”.

So here you go, take a look under the hood. I present to you the latest IRS 990 filing by the White House Historical Association:

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0BwVPffo1S7JYMzZhZTZjNDMtZGFmNy00MWYwLWI0OGEtYzA3NTZjMmVmMDIy&hl=en&authkey=CPTtvoAM

[MinuteGal]

You can tell this room was designed by a faggy decorator. They love all shades of brown from dark to light, it's almost their trademark.

The room now looks like the lobby of a hunting lodge in the North Woods. All it needs to be complete is a couple of fake potted palms set in old car tires plus some antlered deer heads and a few rusting rifles hanging on the walls.

There's no doubt that Obama will provide the guests in this room with ample servings of hot cocoa and carmelcorn.

Leni

[itssme]

“That desk isn't for work. It supports Skippy's feet.”

---

So true. It allows Skippy to show us the soles of his shoes, in lieu of “the finger”, as a muslim display of hatred and disrespect toward someone.

Skippy thinks he is gettin’ over on us with his fingers and his feet...while we get under his skin.

[presently no screen name]

Ugly Bland indeed. The look is old and not inspiring. Did they change the flag colors, also?

[Jaxter]

"A few weeks ago Drudge had a picture of the White House with a big tarp draped over the outside of the oval office."

The first thing I thought of when I saw that picture is that they were spraying the place because of all the insects that 0bama attracts (flies, bees, etc). Now I'm sure of it. If this is the case let me ne the first to call the scandal Fumigate.

[ravingnutter]

Two views of what the Oval Office looked like when Obummer moved in Jan 2009:

It went from tasteful to tacky.

[fatnotlazy]

Just looked and yep, I was right. Boring as hell.

[Ezekiel]

But I must say, as the article suggests, it sure looks pretty dismal. Brown upon brown upon brown.

Kind of like Inauguration day.

[fatnotlazy]

“The Oval Crib”

***

LOL.

[sissyjane]

It was beautiful. Not now!