[Albion Wilde]

What changed is that it used to be a beautiful Federal room, in which the furnishings and paintings reflected American history. In this "redo", the carpet if African-style design, looks like it came from Walmart, the paintings are modern abstract crap, and the red drapes are, again, the Obama's favorite earthy-orangey Kenyan color instead of the clear red or maroon shades associated with the rest of the White House and American tradition. None of the "improvements" harmonize remotely well with the Federal style gold leaf mirror frame, the regency sideboards and the crystal chandelier.

I'm not faulting them for wanting some African-American influence somewhere. But it could have been done much more artfully and coherently in a room that could have been entirely furnished with African-American HISTORIC influences, which abound in museums in the south, in Annapolis Maryland and so forth. Instead, she just made a confused mess of jarring styles having little or no relation to one another.

[Cecily]

“Instead, she just made a confused mess of jarring styles having little or no relation to one another.”

Just like the “designers” did with most of the Mooch’s wardrobe.

[lepton]

The same rug and paintings are in both pictures.