Obama's Oval Office makeover
Has the famous room's new "neutral" decor upped the comfort factor at the expense of tradition?

The video: While the First Family vacationed in Martha's Vineyard last week, designers were busily giving the world's most iconic executive office a face lift in "neutral tones." (View the result below.) Custom coffee-colored sofas face off across a minimalist coffee table (tiled in walnut and mica), while the formerly eggshell-colored walls sport handmade gold striped wallpaper. The biggest change: A new rug adorned with quotes from Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, and other luminaries. Though the redo's cost is estimated at $20,000, press secretary Robert Gibbs insists no taxpayer money was used.
The reaction: Critics are split on the shift away from red, white, and blue formality to more contemporary "comfort." The Oval Office now resembles an upscale hotel conference room, scoffs New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, and the timing's a bit bone-headed: "Obama clearly needs a reminder about what really counts as the Democrats prepare to get their clocks cleaned." Interior designer Mario Buatta, as quoted in The Washington Post, finds the sofas too casual and notes a relative lack of "regard for... history and tradition." Watch a commentary-free overview of the makeover below:
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
July 6 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include paying for school lunch by enlisting, and the banality of evil
-
5 biting editorial cartoons about 'Alligator Alcatraz'
Cartoons Artists take on dangerous green things, historical precedent, and more
-
A journey into the deep past on beautiful Arran
The Week Recommends New Unesco Global Geopark played a 'key role' in the birth of modern geological science
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?
Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?
Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
-
Democrats vs. Republicans: which party are the billionaires backing?
The Explainer Younger tech titans join 'boys' club throwing money and support' behind President Trump, while older plutocrats quietly rebuke new administration
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?