Melania Trump's White House Renovations
Like anyone who has renovated her home, Melania Trump will be able to show off some new touches when she welcomes guests to visit the White House this Friday for the second state dinner of Donald Trump's presidency.
A renewed fabric covering the wall in the Red Room, repurposed curtains in the Green Room, and restored furniture in the Blue Room. Those are just a few of her home improvement projects from the last four years on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue that the first lady has overseen for the best museum quality of her.
Some of the projects have been pending for some time.
Sunlight streaming into the Red Room had left some of the wall fabric "so faded it was almost pink," said Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association, which helps fund the maintenance of some rooms in the 132-room mansion. First lady Jacqueline Kennedy founded the private non-profit organization in 1961.
"Those rooms should always look their best and it was very faded and really, really had to be spruced up," McLaurin said.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, his wife Jenny, and the other guests at the three-course state dinner will have the opportunity to tour the renovated public rooms on Friday.
In her caregiver role, the First Lady, whoever she is, meets regularly with the Chief Custodian, Chief Curator, and other White House staff to find out which improvements should top the to-do list.
Melania Trump, who maintains a relatively low profile as first lady, has turned her interest in history to oversee restoration projects.
"Our family is grateful to live in this true symbol of our nation's history, but we are even more honored to participate in the restoration and enhancement of our country's sacred landmark," she said at a reception in May.
The first lady designed a new carpet for the Diplomatic Reception Room, the main entrance to the South Lawn, after constant footsteps left marks on the old one, McLaurin said. The replacement has a border showing the flowers of all 50 states, a touch added by the first lady.
The White House also revamped the curtains in the Green Room by shifting the material from back to front, eliminating the need and cost of completely replacing the curtains, McLaurin said.
Last year, the first lady returned to the Blue Room with several restored pieces from a 53-piece furniture set known as the Bellange suite.
Decor upgrades are a bit more of a hassle in the White House than typical homeowners.
Renovation ideas are shared with the Kennedy-created White House Preservation Committee, which provides advice on preserving public rooms.
The committee requests funds from the historic association, whose board generally authorizes spending of $ 1 million to $ 1.5 million on such projects each year.
The White House serves several purposes: it is an office for the president and his staff, a home for his family, and a living museum. About half a million tourists visit it each year, apart from top officials, world leaders and others who attend receptions and other events.
"The White House wears out a lot," McLaurin said.
Recovering history
The furniture in the Bellange Suite was brought to the White House in 1817 by President James Monroe, a former United States Ambassador to France. But in 1860, almost all the pieces were sold at auction.
One hundred years later, Jacqueline Kennedy arrived and was horrified to discover that the White House was furnished with reproductions of a New York department store, McLaurin said. She created the historic association, advisory committee and hired a curator to help the White House collect and display only the best, McLaurin said.
The White House has managed to recover 10 pieces from the original suite, made in Paris by Pierre-Antoine Bellange. The rest of the collection is "lost to history," McLaurin said.
The Bellange restoration project began during Michelle Obama's time as first lady and was completed last year, costing the historic association more than $ 450,000 since 2013.
The wood, metal and lighting inside an elevator that carries the president to and from private homes has also been restored.
What's next on the list? New upholstery for the chairs and benches in the busy diplomatic reception room.
Mrs. trump also renovated a bowling alley in the White House residence that dates back to the Nixon administration and was last renovated in 1994 under the presidency of Bill Clinton.
During the Obama years, the red carpet was replaced in the Cross Hall, or corridor, on the state floor.
Michelle Obama also oversaw projects with the goal of leaving the mark of her family in the White House, as is the case with every presidential couple. She replaced the carpet, curtains, and high-backed chairs around the table in the state dining room.
Barack Obama's wife also updated the Old Family Dining Room, a smaller room adjacent to the State Dining Room, swapping out its sunny yellow walls and drapes and a light-toned rug for gray walls, contrasting red curtains, and a contemporary patterned rug. .
Four works of American abstract art were also added to the Old Family Dining Room, including one that made Alma Thomas the first African-American artist in the White House collection.
