First lady Laura Bush gave future first lady Michelle Obama a tour of the White House residence, which features an off-white, peach and sage color scheme. Mrs. Obama will have the opportunity to redecorate as she she sees fit for her own family when they move in in January. A new day has dawned. The message of hope and change has prevailed in a historic presidential election.
Now, as the new first family -- Barack, Michelle, Malia and Sasha Obama -- prepares to leave their Chicago home, they have to start thinking about what changes they are going to make when re-decorating the inside of the White House.
Just as former first lady Mamie Eisenhower's feminine and frilly decor, with its "Mamie pink" accents in flowered slipcovers and draperies, gave way to Jackie Kennedy's light-blue curtains and blue-and-white furnishings, so too will the Bush's current color scheme of off-white, peach and sage make way for the personal touch of our new first lady, Michelle Obama.
As a wife, mother and new style icon of our country who's known to shop at budget-friendly stores such as Target and JCPenney, Mrs. Obama has a grand task of decorating her new home to fit the needs of not only herself and her presidential hubby Barack, but also their young daughters.
Michelle and I share a similar passion and sensible approach to spending that's in tune with the economic times. She is a great role model of someone who is capable of achieving high style the low cost way. This fact is best reflected in her personal style. To my eye, Michelle not only has a practical Midwest sensibility, but also she exudes a certain vibrancy, flair and funk.
So with that, I am proposing a new presidential decor style for the Obamas that merges the existing traditional design style of the White House with the more hip and modern style of Michelle Obama. I call it Colonial Funk.
Here are a few Colonial Funk design suggestions I'm offering up to the first family. (Feel free to use these ideas in your own house, too!)
To show off the family's hip and youthful side, Michelle could transform one of the sitting rooms in the second-floor residence into a chic lounge to host evening cocktails or small social gatherings. How can they do this? By using classy, modern and sophisticated colors like charcoal grays, blacks, silvers and whites. They can add depth and texture to a focal wall by using damask style wallpapers, and for a sleek seating option, some Lucite furnishings. Lighting should be unique and ambient.
With the major pressures of the presidency and constant media attention, the Obamas are going to need a "soothing suite." To decorate, Michelle can take some color cues from some of her own wardrobe choices, such as taupe, amber, and light and dark browns. The furniture in this room should be comfortable and simple. Accessories should remind them of their South Side Chicago home -- family photos and mementos for sure, but they should also transfer some of the artwork from their walls to remind them of less hectic times and bring a sense of calm to the room.
The Obamas will undoubtedly have the needs of their children in mind throughout the transition. I envision a kids playroom full of hope and vibrancy. Taking cues from Michelle's love of jewel and gem tones, I can visualize hues of orange, teal, emerald green and yellow on the walls to evoke the children's spirited and feminine side. Mix in some Jonas Brothers posters and maybe some Disney decor and I think the kids will be happy. Knowing the Obamas view education as a high priority, I think Michelle will probably want to balance out the play space with a little work space as well. She can achieve this by creating educational imagination stations throughout the room that allow her girls to have fun and learn at the same time.
Here I would love to see Barack tap into his roots and fuse African handcrafted furnishings, art and textiles with a modern sensibility, so when the world is pulling him in many directions, he will not forget where his family history has evolved from and the history he has made. The room should have ornate, hand-carved dark wood chairs, unique African masks adorning the walls, black-and-white photos of Kenya and possibly portraits of his Kenyan relatives.
• Purchases made to decorate the executive mansion need to be approved by Congress. So, while the first family may lead the way when it comes to redecorating, apparently it's the legislative branch that writes the checks.
• The decoration of the White House, especially during the holidays, is a group effort including "the governors' spouses in each of the fifty states," as well as the Knitting Guild of America, and the Society of Decorative Painters.
• The White House was home to just 43 families in the last two centuries. It receives more than 6,000 visitors a day, in over 100 rooms and nearly three dozen bathrooms on four floors (plus two additional basement floors).
