President Barack Obama likes to say the White House is the “people’s house.” Now, the people are getting a look at the rooms where he lives.
Exclusive photos published Tuesday by Architectural Digest are giving the public its first glimpse of private areas on the second floor of the White House that Obama, his wife, Michelle, daughters Malia and Sasha and family dogs Bo and Sunny have called home for nearly eight years.
Los Angeles-based interior designer Michael Smith decorated the rooms, as well as the Oval Office. A mutual friend in Chicago introduced him to the Obamas after the 2008 election.
The first lady said Smith managed to reflect her family’s tastes while respecting the history of the White House.
“Above all, it has truly felt like a home for our family,” she told the magazine.
Other photos show the Yellow Oval Room; the Treaty Room, where Obama retreats late at night to read briefing material for the next day; a sitting room and a dining room. The rooms are adorned with a variety of modern and contemporary art borrowed from major art institutions, such as the National Gallery of Art and Smithsonian museums.
Architectural Digest has also published photos of the private living quarters of Presidents John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.
Amy Astley, the editor in chief, said the Obamas’ personal style, and the history and diversity of the nation, are reflected in their art and decor choices. The Architectural Digest issue with photos of the Obama living quarters is scheduled to appear on newsstands on Nov. 8, Election Day.
Decorated in beige hues, the master bedroom has an antique canopy bed decked out with fine Italian linen. Identical, footed tables at either side of the bed, one bearing family photos and one stacked with books. Matching, upholstered chairs and a sofa form a sitting area.
Smith called the bedroom the Obamas’ “sanctuary.”
“You really want to make sure that the president of the United States gets a good night’s sleep,” he told the magazine.
That’s something Obama apparently gets. “I have a phone right by my bedside and every morning somebody calls and says, ‘Mr. President, it’s your 7 a.m. wake-up call,'” Obama said during an appearance last week on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
how much of it will they try to steal and take with them, like the Clinton criminals did.
I don’t think they can fill their U-Haul truck with too much. And, beside every American citizen will be watching. I do not live in DC, but I have friends and they will be at the gates of the White House in Jan., 2017 watching !
everything , like the Clinton . but with Obama they may not return because nobody dare to ask or say anything for fear being accuse of dis discrimination, he is a black one. But wait and see, the one spent the most the money without thinking ,acts like a kid first time he puts his hand in a cooky jar, and takes as much as they can. without manner or thinking of other
O-Bozo really thinks he can sing. He needs to get a job. As for MO, all she can do is sit their and look ugly !
You hit the nail on the head with this post!
I hope that when Donald J.Trump goes to our White House, that he has them check everywhere for camera’s & recordings set up by Obama so he can listen in on meetings & conversations as I do not trust Obama at all .
It would be a great idea to check all rooms and even the outdoor area for detecting cameras and mikes.!