Compare Which Presidents Had the Most Tasteful Office Decor
The Oval Office is the closest thing in the United States to the throne room. This is the holy of holies of the presidency. Most of us know this from news broadcasts, photos published in the media, and numerous images in pop culture, and we know there is a table, a few flags, a couple of sofas, and a landline phone. But while the room has served a similar function for over a century, it has changed a lot over the years. (Usually every four to eight of them.)
The space has evolved over the decades in accordance with aesthetic themes. The Oval Office, occupied by William Taft, was different from the Oval Office of Harry Truman or the Oval Office of Richard Nixon. It just so happens that presidents love redecorating – and you can compare and contrast the styles and tastes of the various denizens of the Oval Office over the years – from 1909 to the present – thanks to the American Home Shield . The insurer has collected many documents. images of the room in the 20th and 21st centuries and transformed them into graphic images of the most significant office in the country, which you can view here . The settings allow you to compare any two Oval Office images in the drop-down menu, or scroll through them like a gallery.
It offers an exciting window into how the Oval Office has changed over the years.
1909-1954: dull, green and unattractive
A century ago, the Oval Office was a disappointing place, at least visually. Throughout administrations, from William Howard Taft to Franklin D. Roosevelt, walls were dark green. That was Taft’s approach — he hired designer Nathan C. Wyeth to spearhead the redevelopment that gave the office its famous oval shape, and subsequent presidents were not inclined to do redecorating.
Just imagine with what fortitude Roosevelt had to lead the United States through the Great Depression and World War II, surrounded by so much … greenery.
1945-1969: it gets a little better!
If you ever need a tidbit about Harry S. Truman, and someone else has already mentioned this snippet about the headline , feel free to point out that he also saved the Oval Office from its status as a pathetic pea-soup-colored prison. (Though you do need to know even more koe-that a key point Truman in world history).
Truman ordered the walls to be repainted in a delightful turquoise color and became the first president to cover the floor of his office with a carpet emblazoned with the presidential seal, a tradition that has since survived and disappeared. (A big authority on interior design, this is Harry Truman.)
The military Dwight D. Eisenhower did little to change the design of the office, but John F. Kennedy became a little more eclectic. He brought in French interior designer Stéphane Boudin to give the site a more continental look with a dark red carpet and white sofas.
1969 – present: modern look
With my money, it was Richard Nixon who introduced the presidential aesthetics that we are all familiar with today: a lot of gold and blue, and there is a pronounced eagle on the presidential coat of arms.
Subsequent presidents took a more measured approach – Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter used the same carpet stripped of the presidential crest – but Ronald Reagan brought it back in 1981 and it remains prominent to this day.
By the time Bill Clinton began in 1993, the office sharply reminded of Nixon’s feelings: the gold, the bold blue, and those polarized candy-striped sofas that together scream “stars and stripes forever!” Kaki Hockersmith designed the Clinton office, and as noted by AHS, his rug was recently pulled out from under the mothballs and adorns Joe Biden’s office.
You will notice that the most noticeable change in the post-Clinton era comes from the rug. The Texan George W. Bush preferred lonely stars. Barack Obama’s style was a little more restrained, and Donald Trump adorned his cabinet with flags, informing the world of his super-patriotic status. On the other hand, Joe Biden’s office is very similar to that of Bill Clinton, which I think can be attributed to liberal solidarity.