Every US president eventually puts his own mark on the Oval Office, decoratively speaking, and the White House unveiled the Obama makeover on Tuesday, just hours before a major presidential speech on Iraq from his famous Resolute Desk.
US president Barack Obama takes a peek under the famous Resolute Desk at the Oval Office.
Design experts were weighing in immediately, of course, on the calming melange of browns and tans, with a generous helping of leather and an assortment of stripes: Was it all a little too No-Drama Obama? Or was it livelier, cooler, more chic and elegant than before?
First, the changes: While the president and his family were away on vacation in Martha's Vineyard, workers installed new striped wallpaper, new sofas, re-upholstered chairs, new lamps and a coffee table - and a new rug bearing quotes around its borders from famous Americans.
The updates have a more modern, easy-to-live-in look - for example, the new brown leather desk chair, or the mahogany armchairs by the fireplace, now re-upholstered in caramel-colored leather.
Or the plush sofas, custom-made in New York and covered with a very soft-looking light brown cotton with red, white and blue threads running through it.
Click on to get a feel of the world's most famous seat of power.
This Feb. 5, 1961 file photo shows a view of the Resolute desk in President Kennedy's Oval Office at the White House in Washington. Built from the timbers of a British warship, the desk was installed in the Oval Office by John F. Kennedy, and since has been used by Presidents Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.
This Jan. 22, 1990 file photo released by the White House shows President George H.W. Bush's Oval Office at the White House in Washington. Bush's redecoration of the Oval Office included a new rug with a gold Presidential Seal, new draperies, a coffee table, and two tall armchairs. Presidents typically put their own touches on the Oval Office early in their terms.
This Sept. 3, 1993 file photo shows President Clinton's Oval Office at the White House in Washington. The Scott Group of Grand Rapids, Mich., made President Clinton's Oval Office Rug, seen here, and President Obama's new Oval Office rug as well.
This Friday, Feb. 29, 2008 file photo shows President Bush's Oval Office at the White House in Washington. Presidents typically put their own touches on the Oval Office early in their terms. Bush brought in a rug designed by his wife, Laura. It included radiating stripes, which he often said suggested to him the optimism of a sunrise.
This Dec. 29, 2009 file photo shows President Barack Obama's Oval Office at the White House in Washington. Every president eventually puts his own mark on the Oval Office, decoratively speaking. The White House unveiled the Obama Oval Office makeover on Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2010
Renovations to the Oval Office, including a new carpet, drapes, wallpaper and furniture, are seen, Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2010, at the White House in Washington. The famous Resolute Desk remains.
Renovations to the Oval Office, including a new carpet, drapes, wallpaper and furniture, are seen, Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2010, at the White House in Washington. The famous Resolute Desk remains.
Renovations to the Oval Office, including a new carpet, drapes, wallpaper and furniture, are seen, Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2010, at the White House in Washington. The famous Resolute Desk, foreground, remains. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Family photos are displayed in the Oval Office behind President Obama's desk, Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2010, at the White House in Washington.
Renovations to the Oval Office, including a new carpet, drapes, wallpaper and furniture, are seen, Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2010, at the White House in Washington.
Renovations to the Oval Office, including a new carpet, wallpaper and furniture, are seen, Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2010, at the White House in Washington. The famous Resolute Desk, foreground, remains.
In this combination of photos, President Barack Obama's Oval Office is shown on Dec. 29, 2009, left, and after renovations on Aug. 31, 2010, at the White House in Washington. The Oval Office setting now sports a new look - one that pays homage to Martin Luther King Jr. and four previous presidents. While the president and his family were away on vacation in Martha's Vineyard, workers installed new wallpaper, a new rug, new sofas, lamps and a coffee table. Officials gave photographers a look hours before the speech was to be delivered on Tuesday.
