8 years ago, renown Los Angeles-based interior designer Michal Smith decorated Obama’s private residence in White House. Smith was introduced to the Obamas by a mutual friend in Chicago following the 2008 election. “They were unbelievably charming, gracious, and thoughtful, and those qualities were reflected in the design of their home, the decorator says. “It’s very welcoming and comfortable, with books everywhere, and I immediately grasped the spirit of their family.” The overall decor is chic and elegant with a modern flair by mixing and matching abstract and contemporary paintings by varieties of artists and designers, reflecting Obama’s progressive spirit. One of my favorite rooms is Yellow Oval Room. We are going to focus on the decor of this room today.
While The Yellow Oval Room is an oval room located on the south side of the second floor in the White House, the official residence of the President of the United States, first used as a drawing room in the John Adams administration, it has been used as a library, office, and family parlor. Today the Yellow Oval Room is used for small receptions and for greeting heads of states immediately before a State Dinner.
Designer Michael S. Smith specified a Donald Kaufman paint for the Yellow Oval Room. Then he mellowed the Yellow Oval Room with smoky browns, greens, golds, and blues, the color palette that gives the room a fresh and modern feeling.
Smith and Obama worked together on the room mixing bold modern art with a marvelous Oushak rug. “Mrs. Obama often talks about bringing new voices into the national conversation, and that idea informed many of the decisions we made,” Smith told Architect Digest. “We selected artists and designers who would never have appeared in the White House before.”
In the above picture, artworks by Paul Cézanne and Daniel Garber flank the mantel.
Here are some photos of Yellow Oval Room in under different presidents through American histrory. You can see how decor has evolved through years.
To learn more about history of Yellow Oval Room, please click here.
To see Obama’s current White House private residence, please click here
Happy Sunday
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