A-gays aren’t cheap. And A-gay designers? Well, they’re even fancier. So Michael Smith, who’s on the White House’s preservation committee, likely spent a handsome penny retrofitting Obama’s Oval Office — though not, the White House will have you know, much more (or less?) than previous presidents. And none of it from taxpayers! All the materials are American made, so it’s not like Sarah Palin can attack him for that.
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How Much Did Homosexual Designer’s Oval Office Makeover Cost?
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The Milkman
I like the wallpaper.
Not super crazy about the sofas or the coffee table, but the chairs are okay.
I’d like to see the carpet.
Yeah, I don’t mind if each president has a chance to do a little redecorating in the oval office during his presidency. One redecoration per 4-year term seems reasonable.
Mike
The wallpaper is okay. The carpet is boring (and nowhere near as nice as the carpet George Bush had made). The coffee table is just ugly. Overall it’s a surprisingly poor job.
Baxter
The coffee table is horrendous and the quotes around the carpet are a little too Chicken Soup for the Soul for my taste. It also just looks very…beige.
Tofer David
The whole thing is awful. I mean how many shades of brown can we fit in the oval office? No pun intended either.
The couches are ghastly and I am not sure what the hell that coffee table is. Not too impressed with the wallpaper either. This all looks very motel 6, either that or a nice hotel Marriott at the airport.
Sad. At least taxpayer money didn’t cover it.
Ted B. (Charging Rhino)
The NYT said the committee raised 53-MILLION-DOLLARS to rehab the Oval Office…what happened to the other $52,920,000?
CJ
THE RUG: The center seal is great. I always love that. And, the “quotes” from famous people is a great idea. But, it’s a little boring otherwise. Too much empty brown space in my opinion. I agree with Clinton, George Bush had a great rug. I loved the stripes on his rug. Clinton’s dark blue rug was terrible.
Hate the cushy sofas. They look out of place. They belong in a family room, not the Oval Office.
Love the 2 leather chairs. A BIG improvement over Bush’s blue striped chairs.
Hate the 2 lamps. Awful. Incredibly out of place.
Hate the table. Same as the lamps. What were they thinking?
Wallpaper: Very nice! A very big improvement over the big white walls.
Curtains – no change.
Check out these pics:
http://www.whitehousemuseum.org/west-wing/oval-office.htm
A.G.
I would like to see a Nate Berkus version.
Brian
I just threw up in my mouth a little.
L.
Shown side-by-side images, I can see changes.
Otherwise, a casual glance and I wouldn’t even have known it was supposed to look different.
And whatever says the AD lady, that is *not* “very modern”. By a long – let’s say 50-year – shot.
(I actually like the coffee table, but not in that place; and the lamps are killing kittens somewhere.)
Dallas David
I like the colors just fine. I dunno about the 1980’s sofas in the middle and the 1800’s chairs along the perimeter. You’d think they’d do one style or the other.
It would be interesting to know just how many people actually sat in those sofas, and what people put on that coffee table. And when the Obamas move out, what happens to that furniture?
It’s not like they’ll ever find another round room in which to put that rug.
Just thinking . . .
Michael
Looks like a La-Z-Boy showroom to me. Was it purchased on a tax-free weekend? Hideous.
Michael
@Dallas David: When you leave office, you take whatever is yours. The rest goes into a warehouse to be re-used, if desired, by the new occupants of the White House. This stuff may have come with an extended return privilege, and the receipt should be maintained under a sofa cushion, for ready access.
Ben
I get it. This is Obama’s plan to fix the deficit. No doubt those sofas will collect a ton of loose change.
jason
Obama’s concession to gay rights is to have a gay fashion designer refurbish the Oval Office.
Queer Supremacist
@jason: And he helped them turn it into a McMansion, on the taxpayer’s dime.