From Fdr To Trump: How The Oval Component Subdivision Decor Has Changed

President Obama's component on the left, President Trump's on the right. (Photo: Getty/Facebook)

Donald Trump is breaking pretty much every Presidential precedent, but inward 1 way, at least, he's similar (almost) all the others: He's owning the Oval Office, redecorating it inside days of moving into the White House. 

But for a human being who never does anything modestly, his Oval House makeover is, together with thence far, surprisingly l0w-key: Trump has kept President Obama's striped wallpaper (it's gold, together with thence that may explicate why he's allowed it to stay), together with just swapped out the slice of furniture together with curtains (he ditched Obama's crimson ones for, hold off for it, golden ones). He did select a flashier rug, amongst a sunburst-like blueprint to a greater extent than or less the Presidential seal, but it's non genuinely new: It was originally used during the Reagan era (and briefly inward the Bush Oval Office).

Photo: Getty/Facebook

Perhaps Melania made the choices? 

Historically, the Oval Office decor has been to a greater extent than a reflection of the First Lady's sense of savor than the President's: Typically, soon after the inauguration, the novel adult woman of the White House swoops inward to cook the interior her ain (and stake her husband's claim on the place). As a report inward the Journal of Interior Design explains, "the [First Lady's] role inward overseeing the decor is oft cast equally preserving history. However, the room is oft genuinely redecorated for aesthetic purposes or to communicate a novel message together with non because the room is worn or out of style." 

This tendency started amongst perchance the chicest First Lady inward USA history: Jackie O. In fact, JFK's Oval Office decorating scheme changed twice—the 2d fourth dimension over the weekend he was assassinated. Jacqueline Onassis brought inward a celebrity decorator, which laid upwards the precedent for Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, together with Michelle Obama to practise the same. 

That said, the Oval Office has been evolving since the 1930s, starting amongst FDR, according to the Journal of Interior Design study (from which these photos together with facts were culled).

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1934-1945)
Designer: Eric Gugler (architect)

FDR was the firstly president to occupy the present-day Oval Office. In 1929, the West Wing went upwards inward flames, together with FDR's predecessor President Hoover opted to rebuild it just equally it before. But Roosevelt decided to movement the Oval Office to a location amongst to a greater extent than low-cal together with easier access to the residential wing of the White House.

But it was his married adult woman who did the decorating. Eleanor Roosevelt made the novel component a piffling larger (two feet longer together with ii feet wider) together with recruited architect Eric Gugler to blueprint the space, which was inspired past times FDR's passion for Georgian architecture. Why the dramatic drapes? The USA was inward the midst of economical uncertainty, together with thence the President's component needed to take a rigid sense of leadership. The solution: eagle emblems! 

Harry Truman (1945-1953) - Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-1961)
Designer (Truman era): Charles T. Haight (architect)

Truman lightened things up, trading the nighttime greenish of FDR's scheme for a paler greenish palette. First Lady Elizabeth Truman worked amongst architect Charles Haight to install the novel curtains together with rug, afterwards used past times Eisenhower, Kennedy (early inward his term), together with Johnson. In fact, Eisenhower was 1 of the few 20th-century presidents who didn't redecorate at all. He stuck amongst the aspect at the Truman's married adult woman had installed. 

Truman didn't halt amongst drapes together with carpeting: He also outfitted the Oval Office amongst televisions together with novel furniture, designed to cook him aspect similar a modern president.

John F. Kennedy (1961-1963)

Designer: Sister Parish together with Stephane Boudin

At the showtime of his presidency, JFK kept FDR's blue-green carpeting together with drapes. But on the weekend he was killed, he had a cherry-red carpeting installed, a alternative that disturbed subsequent president Johnson, since it reminded him of the assassination. 

Jackie Kennedy was the firstly of the firstly ladies to select a celebrity decorator: Sister Parish, a socialite together with interior designer known for her province solid trend (and said, at the time, to live the most famous decorator). 

Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-1969)

Designer: None

At first, Johnson kept Kennedy's cherry-red rug, but afterwards reverted to FDR's blue-green carpet, paired amongst Kennedy's pale curtains. He removed the Resolute Desk, a gift from Queen Victoria during President Hayes' tenure, solely because it was besides little for his 6-foot-3.5-inch frame. 

Richard Nixon (1969-1974)

Designer: Sarah Doyle Jackson

Would you lot aspect anything other than golden curtains from the firstly president of the 1970s? 

Gerald Ford (1974-1977) together with Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)

Designer (Ford era): Clem Conger (curator) together with Edward Jones (architect)

Designer (Carter era): Carleton Varney

Ford installed pumpkin-colored drapes, golden curtains, together with a pale golden carpeting amongst bluish florettes, inward an endeavor to create a "warmer" feeling, after the tumult of Nixon, a decor scheme that Jimmy Carter chose to keep. Ford was the solely president who abandoned the presidential emblem altogether, together with he did agency amongst all of the room's eagles, except the plaster 1 on the ceiling. 

Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)

Designer: Ted Graber

During his firstly term, Ronald Reagan kept the Ford-era decor. But for his 2d term, he spiced things upwards amongst this pale yellowish carpeting amongst a sunbeam design, made past times Stark Carpet Co. at a toll of $49,625. 

George H.W. Bush (1989-1993)

Designer: Mark Hampton

After years of yellow-and-orange decor, the firstly Bush president redecorated amongst cool tones: He installed a low-cal bluish rug, at a toll of $28,500, along amongst low-cal bluish drapes. The color scheme was a nod to Bush's alma mater, Yale. 

Bill Clinton (1993-2001)

Designer: Mark Hampton

In a throwback to the Ford era, Clinton opted for yellowish drapes together with a violet bluish rug, a prescient alternative considering the color of his mistress's famous dress.

George W. Bush (2001-2009)

Designer: Kenneth Blasingame

George W. Bush kept it classy amongst neutrals together with splashes of blue. Although this sunbeam rug, a symbol of optimism, is similar to the 1 from the Reagan era, it was genuinely new; inward fact, he removed Clinton's carpeting on his firstly twenty-four lx minutes menstruum of office, a not-so-subtle hope that his presidency would live unlike from his predecessor's. The toll of his novel rug? $61,000. 

Barack Obama (2009-2015)

Designer: Michael Smith

Even President Obama's Oval Office was inward keeping amongst his agenda: He together with the First Lady wanted an eco-friendly design, which is why they chose a carpeting made of recycled wool (with several quotes from powerful historical USA figures woven into the border). As a nod to Michelle Obama's anti-obesity platform, the flower arrangement on the java tabular array was replaced with a bowl of cherry-red apples.

Although the Obamas chose a well-known decorator, Michael Smith, they waited until belatedly 2010 to cook some of the changes, since the economic scheme was suffering when Obama took office. As the report authors note, "The Obamas together with Smith selected elements carefully; choosing the novel decor that intentionally branded America's firstly African American president equally a modern style-conscios leader without pregnant toll to the public." 

The component isn't without some elaborate elements though: For the firstly fourth dimension inward history, the walls were adorned amongst a hand-painted wall covering, rather than just existence painted.