If youre concerned with reducing your carbon footprint while remodeling your patio or building a new home, theres good news: cedar and other wood products are an economical and eco-friendly building resource alternative to cement.

Concrete, which requires fossil fuel for production, releases a ton of toxic carbon dioxide into the atmosphere for every ton produced. Wood, on the other hand is a natural resource grown only with natural materials sun, rain and soil right in our backyard.

One Planet Living

Issaquah Cedar and Lumber provided sustainable cedar for construction of the Grow Community on Bainbridge Island. This multifamily green housing project is one of nine endorsed One Planet Living Communities in the world and the second to be built in North America. This is part of a trend, spurred by popular demand from homeowners, for developers to commit to building a community that supports these ten principles:

Building with wood: Good for the air we breathe

Working forests play an integral role in controlling toxic carbon emissions. The commercial forests in Washington and the harvested wood products they produce absorb and then store about 25 percent of the regions total emissions.

Forests are giant carbon sinks, actively cleansing the air we breath. Growing trees, particularly during the first few years after planting, suck toxic carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and turn it into clean solid carbon and atmospheric oxygen. This is done through photosynthesis.

When trees are harvested and made into lumber, the wood continues to store carbon permanently and keep it out of the air we breath. In fact, about 50 percent of the weight of the wood used to build our houses, cabinetry and furniture is the toxic gas, safely sequestered as nature intended it to be.

The forests in Washington that are producing cedar and other wood for lumber adhere strongly to widely certified standards of sustainable forestry. This means growers are committed to:

Cedar proven to be most eco-friendly for siding and decking

A recent study performed by Canadas leading forestry research laboratory, FPInnovations-Forintek, measured the environmental impact of various building materials from cradle to grave.

Complex analysis was conducted on Western red cedar decking and siding, wood-plastic composite decking, brick, fiber-cement and vinyl against a range of measurables such as resource use, water use, energy use, transportation and waste created. Western red cedar products substantially outperformed other materials in every category.

The life cycle study covered four stages of production: resource extraction and manufacturing (cradle-to-gate manufacturing), transportation to customer, installation and use, and end-of-life disposition (landfilling). Products were measured and evaluated against six criteria that include information about the environmental impacts associated with a product or service, such as raw material acquisition, energy use, carbon footprint, emissions to air, soil and water, and waste generation.

Western red cedar has been a bestseller at our store for years, says Stacy Kovats, marketing director at Issaquah Cedar and Lumber. Our customers trust its strength, durability and beauty for building everything from fences and decks, to home siding.

Additionally, all of the products at Issaquah Cedar and Lumber are locally sourced and produced on-site by people who live in the community. That means building with wood is not only good for the environment but also supports the local economy.

Issaquah Cedar and Lumberhas been in business forover 115 years. We supply the Puget Sound area with the highest-qualityWestern red cedar products and materials, including decking,siding,beams,shakes, shingles and custom-milled cedar materials.

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Building with wood can lighten environmental footprint - The Seattle Times

This press release was orginally distributed by SBWire

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Alan Cherry's Exteriors: The Premier Siding Installer in South Jersey - Digital Journal

It remains unclear how seriously any of those individuals are being considered.

Since Kelly took his position as President Donald Trump's right-hand man, he is expected to have an outsized role in the process of finding his replacement.

"I think he will have a great deal of say in who goes over to replace him because he has had this position," a source close to Kelly said. "He now has a very soft spot in his heart for the Department of Homeland Security," the source added, saying that it's "now his baby."

Kelly is especially concerned about his replacement continuing the trajectory he feels he got the department on, particularly on issues like morale of the workforce, the source said.

Multiple sources close to the White House and the administration expect the process will take some time, and that having acting DHS Secretary Elaine Duke, who was confirmed this spring as the deputy secretary, reduces the pressure to speed things up.

"Elaine Duke is a steady hand at the wheel so you don't need to rush this process, because she's very, very steady," said a congressional aide. "She can run the ship well, so they can take their time."

Here's a look at some of the options being discussed.

Jeff Sessions

Given Trump's public berating of Sessions in recent weeks, there was speculation that the President could move Sessions to the opening at DHS to get him out of the Justice Department without firing him.

Doing so would eliminate what was a growing source of frustration for the President -- namely Sessions' recusal from the investigation into Russian election meddling and the special counsel at DOJ -- and puts an experienced hand atop an agency key to Trump's immigration and counter-terrorism agenda, all without firing a man who was defended aggressively by members of Congress and conservative organizations.

But the White House has denied that option is under consideration.

"There are no conversations about any Cabinet members moving in any capacity, and the President has 100% confidence in all members of his Cabinet," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said when asked about the rumor on Monday.

Mike McCaul

The Texas congressman, who's also the chairman of the House homeland security committee, is considered a strong contender for the position given his experience and border-state ties. He also would likely face an easy road to confirmation among his peers in the upper chamber.

He also has had a good relationship with Kelly during his tenure, the aide said.

"How the administration has leapt from one chaotic episode to the next and seeing how Trump loyalists like Sessions and (New Jersey Gov. Chris) Christie have been treated by the President will likely cause pause," the well-placed source said.

And like during the initial process of selecting Trump's secretary of homeland security last November, McCaul faces fierce opposition from groups advocating for the restriction of immigration and hard-line enforcement of immigration laws.

NumbersUSA, which lobbies and mobilizes for strict immigration laws, put out a statement of opposition just at the suggestion of McCaul's name.

"Congressman McCaul's record in the House suggests that he doesn't have the inclination or experience to continue and improve on the great start that General Kelly has had in leading DHS to be a pro-worker institution," said NumbersUSA President Roy Beck. "His actions in recent years put him in the bottom third of Republican representatives in terms of immigration enforcement and policies that achieve Pres. Trump's priority of putting American workers first."

Elaine Duke

Duke's time serving as acting secretary could end up serving as an audition of sorts, with former DHS officials singing her praises as a longtime civil servant.

Duke has a nearly three-decade career in government, the last eight of which were spent at DHS. She has expertise in acquisition and management. Duke was confirmed as deputy secretary in April on an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 85 to 14.

James Norton, a former DHS official in President George W. Bush's administration who worked with Duke, said her experience with acquisition and reorganizing DHS' emergency management after Hurricane Katrina make her a strong candidate.

"One of the biggest struggles for DHS is acquisition and to have someone at the top that understands that process is good," Norton said. "From the standpoint of a new cybersecurity organization (being debated in Congress), which would be the biggest reorganization of DHS since Katrina reform, she's well suited to that."

Norton also noted that her acting stint makes her one of the highest ranked women in the Cabinet, especially in the national security space.

"I think it's an opportunity to perform on a big stage," he said. Another former DHS official calls her a "bureaucrat's bureaucrat" who "doesn't make waves" and is respected on both sides of the aisle.

Kris Kobach

The Kansas secretary of state has been a prominent advocate of aggressive immigration policies at the state level, having helped write Arizona's controversial immigration law -- and has long been supported by the immigration hawks for a role in the Trump administration.

But another person close to Kelly called Kobach a "non-starter," and he is not seen as confirmable in the Senate, according to the congressional source. Kobach does have a role in the administration, as co-chairman of Trump's commission on voting integrity, and that tenure alone has brought controversy and court challenges.

The White House did not rule out Kobach as a possibility, but asked on Tuesday about the suggestion, Sanders indicated it wasn't in the works.

"I'm not aware of any movements for him," Sanders said, adding the White House would share personnel announcements as they come up.

Tom Cotton

The Arkansas senator is a national security hawk, a war veteran and has authored a bill favored by immigration restriction groups to cut back on non-skills-based immigration to the US. The White House has been working with Cotton and his co-author on the bill for possible re-introduction.

Cotton does not have a long history of working on DHS-related issues outside of that, however.

Asked by CNN on Tuesday at the Capitol if he was being considered, Cotton ignored the question and did not offer any denial.

Thomas Homan

The acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has established himself as a favorite of Trump's, accompanying him on Air Force One last week to speak at an event on Long Island before law enforcement on the administration's anti-gang policy.

Trump praised Homan at that event, saying he has "done an incredible job."

"He's a tough guy. He's a tough cookie," Trump said. "Somebody said the other day, they saw him on television, and somebody -- they were interviewed after that -- they said, he looks very nasty, he looks very mean. I said, 'That's what I'm looking for.'"

Homan is a long-time law enforcement officer, having worked as a police officer, on the border and on the ground in immigration enforcement. A former DHS official who worked with Homan suggested that Trump likes their New York connection and that he has served on the front lines.

But there is also concern about whether Homan would be able to be confirmed in the Senate. Homan has served as the face of Trump's harshest immigration policies, saying undocumented immigrants "should be afraid" of law enforcement under this administration, which may be difficult for purple-state Republicans to get behind. Homan would also face tough questioning about the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program from Republicans like South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who support the program.

Homan has not been formally nominated for his position atop ICE and thus has not faced the Senate confirmation process.

One person close to Kelly said: "Trump loves the guy -- (but he) has some limitations as a manager."

James Loy

One of the people close to Kelly also suggested that Loy could be in the mix. Like Kelly, Loy is a veteran of the military, having served as commandant of the US Coast Guard.

Loy also was deputy secretary of DHS from 2003 to 2005 and was the administrator of the Transportation Security Administration before that.

He retired from government in 2005 and went into the private sector.

Loy did not respond to a request for comment as to whether he'd consider going back into government.

Rick Perry

The person close to Kelly also said Trump's energy secretary could be in the mix.

Perry was governor of Texas, a position that put him on the front lines of border security. In 2014, he deployed the Texas National Guard to the border to help with a surge of undocumented immigrants.

Asked about the possibility of a job switch for Perry, Shaylyn Hynes, a Department of Energy spokesperson, said, "While Secretary Perry is honored to be mentioned, he is happy where he is and very focused on carrying out the mission the President gave him when he was chosen lead the Department of Energy."

Rudy Giuliani

The former mayor of New York has been a perennial shortlist candidate for running the department going back to the Bush administration, but has never been formally nominated for the job. He gained nationwide prominence during the aftermath of the 9/11 attack and has built a career in the private sector around his expertise.

CNN's Ryan Nobles, Jim Acosta and Rene Marsh contributed to this report.

Originally posted here:
9 people who might be the next DHS secretary - CNN

Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly's move to take over as White House chief of staff leaves a Cabinet vacancy that must be filled "as quickly as possible," according to a key Senate Democrat.

"With the threats facing this nation, I urge the president to nominate a qualified secretary to replace General Kelly as quickly as possible," Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., the top Democrat on the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, said Friday evening.

Kelly, a retired Marine Corps general, was one of the few members of Trump's Cabinet to receive a speedy confirmation. Others dragged on for months, in part because Democrats used procedural powers to slow-walk the nominations. Thus the decision to replace former chief of staff Reince Priebus with Kelly could lead to difficulties for Senate Republicans, who are already pressed for time to pass key planks of their legislative agenda before the end of the year.

Deputy DHS Secretary Elaine Duke will serve as acting secretary while a replacement is found.

McCaskill isn't the only senator with an eye on the nomination. Kelly's successor will move through confirmation hearings overseen by Republican Sen. Ron Johnson who, like Priebus, hails from Wisconsin.

"Reince Priebus is a good friend," Johnson, chairman of the Homeland Security panel, said Friday. "I thank him for his service and wish him the best of luck going forward. Secretary Kelly is an outstanding leader who has served his country honorably and I know he will do an excellent job at the White House. I look forward to working with the administration as they choose a new leader for the Department of Homeland Security."

Trump considered an array of contenders before tapping Kelly to lead DHS. The list of possibilities reportedly ranged from traditional Republicans such as Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, who leads the House Homeland Security Committee, to less conventional options such as Milwaukee County (Wis.) Sheriff David Clarke. Rudy Giuliani and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie were also regarded as contenders for multiple Cabinet posts, though they didn't end up receiving jobs in the administration.

Kelly, as head of DHS, was responsible for broad aspects of Trump's immigration and border security policy. Nevertheless, his reputation and experience working with lawmakers during his time as a top commander in the military allowed him to enjoy a "love fest" of a confirmation hearing.

That goodwill didn't stop Democrats from challenging some of his policy decisions once he took office, however. As Trump searches for a successor, he may have to balance between finding a nominee who can be confirmed quickly, but also be trusted to implement his agenda and appeal to Trump's core base of voters.

Senate aides declined to speculate about how the confirmation process might unfold. "We don't have a nominee," a Senate Republican aide told the Washington Examiner.

Here is the original post:
Claire McCaskill wants DHS replacement 'as quickly as possible' - Washington Examiner

Marcus Hutchins, the British researcher who stopped the May WannaCry hack, has been arrested by the FBI in Las Vegas for allegedly playing a role in creating the "Kronos" malware that targeted bank accounts, per The Guardian. The WannaCry attack crippled healthcare operations in the UK and hit dozens of countries.

About Kronos: It spread between 2014 and 2015 through emails with malicious attachments, such as compromised Word documents, with the aim of getting banking credentials. New infections occurred through 2016.

Hutchins' charges: The Department of Justice released the allegations about Hutchins' role in the Kronos hack, claiming he helped create, spread, and maintain the hack. Hutchins faces six counts of hacking-related charges. There is another, unnamed co-defendant, who allegedly tried selling the malware on AlphaBay, a darknet marketplace, which was shut down July 20 when the FBI and European authorities seized its servers.

Note: Ryan Kalember of Proofpoint said "This could very easily be the FBI mistaking legitimate research activity with being in control of Kronos infrastructure. Lots of researchers like to log in to crimeware tools and interfaces and play around."

Original post:
Trump's missing vote - Axios

Homeland Security Secretary John Kellys move to White House chief of staff is ushering in a cloud of uncertainty at the department that has led some of President Donald Trumps most controversial undertakings from its roundup of undocumented immigrants to his travel ban and proposed border wall.

It may also set the stage for a brutal confirmation fight if President Donald Trump tries to replace the retired Marine general with an outspoken opponent of illegal immigration instead of a seasoned bureaucrat or lawmaker.

Story Continued Below

A person close to Kelly said it's unclear who will replace him.

But several White House and former DHS officials proffered a slate of names of possible replacements for Kelly, with Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, the Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, emerging as a leading candidate.

Other potential picks include Thomas Homan, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, who accompanied Trump on Air Force One on Friday, and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, an outspoken opponent of illegal immigration who is helping to lead the president's controversial commission on alleged voter fraud.

Separately, department staffers have been talking about the possibility that the role might go to Attorney General Jeff Sessions, according to two sources with contacts at DHS, but a person close to the Trump administration said he's unlikely to get the job.

Which direction Trump takes could have a dramatic effect on soothing or stoking the uncertainty gripping his White House.

Sign up for Morning Defense, a daily briefing on Washington's national security apparatus.

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"So much of Trump's agenda is tied to DHS," said one Republican lobbyist close to the White House. The consultant added: "Kelly was one of the best decisions he has made thus far. Considering how central DHS is to his agenda, he's got to make another great decision."

Homan got praise from one former DHS official, who called him a career tough guy who plays right to Trump's sweet spot. ICE is the agency leading Trumps street-level enforcement push, and Homan traveled with Trump on Friday to Long Island, N.Y., where the president spoke about the link between street gangs and illegal immigration.

Kobach, on the other hand, would ignite a firestorm among Democrats, who accuse him of carrying out an agenda of denying voting rights to minorities. Seth Stodder, who held assistant secretary roles at the Homeland Security Department from 2015 to this year, said a Kobach pick would be radioactive.

It would be one hell of a confirmation hearing, Stodder said, adding that he would probably oppose the nomination himself. I just cant imagine that happening.

Picking Sessions, meanwhile, would empower Trump to select a new attorney general who could exert more control over the Russia probe, perhaps an ally like Rudy Giuliani. But that option would likely set up a major clash with senators of both parties.

One source familiar with the process cautioned that it's "very early," and things could change in the coming hours and days.

For now, the department announced Friday, Kelly will remain in his DHS role through Monday. After that, Deputy Secretary Elaine Duke a Kelly confidante and well-respected leader will become acting secretary.

Duke, who previously worked as DHS undersecretary for management from 2008 to 2010, would be a capable choice in the eyes of some former DHS officials. Juliette Kayyem, a former assistant secretary for Homeland Security in the Obama administration, called her smart but not overly political, a good mix for the department. Still, shes skeptical Duke would get the nod.

[You] couldn't meet a nicer person who has nurtured and managed that department for three different presidents, Kayyem said. Trump doesn't want nice.

Blain Rethmeier, the sherpa who guided Kelly through his confirmation hearing, said that nobody is better or smarter on the policy than Duke, but that she isn't a known brand to the public.

Trump's choice for the next secretary will be crucial, and not only because of the agencys sprawling portfolio, which includes border security and visa processing along with airport security and disaster relief.

Kelly successfully piloted the presidents immigration crackdown under his watch: ICE has arrested roughly 75,000 undocumented residents to date. At the same time, reports of people trying to enter the U.S. illegally have fallen dramatically. Now Kelly's departure for the West Wing will leave a void as the department deals with the details of enforcing Trumps travel ban, his proposed border wall and terrorist threats against aviation.

Kelly is seen inside and outside the White House as a capable manager. Even some Democrats see him as the most palatable member of the Cabinet. But that is likely to change once he enters the White House, where he'll become a political target for the left.

McCaul, meanwhile, may have the easiest path toward being confirmed as Kellys replacement.

The Texas Republican competed for the secretary role in November. He introduced an immigration bill on Friday that would provide $10 billion for Trumps border wall, a pot of funds that would pay for a mix of wall, fence, technology and aerial surveillance over four years, while boosting Border Patrol by 5,000 agents the level Trump called for in a January executive order.

McCaul even published an op-ed on Fox News in December that pledge his support for Trumps signature project.

We are going to build the wall. Period, he wrote. In the process, I pledge to stand side-by-side with the Trump administration to throw out Obamas reckless immigration policies and start enforcing our nations laws.

He followed up Friday with another Fox op-ed that praised Trump's approach to foreign policy as "strong and decisive."

"The Trump White House relishes American exceptionalism and enjoys promoting Western values," McCaul wrote, citing examples such as his handling of ISIS. "It clearly understands that there is no such thing as leading from behind when it comes to tackling the most pressing international security issues."

Still, the congressman faced backlash from border hawks when his name was floated for the DHS role after the election. Activists in favor of lower immigration levels tweeted under the hashtag "#NeverMcCaul" and derided him as soft on the issue.

Daniel Lippman contributed to this report.

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Who will replace Kelly at Homeland Security? - Politico

The Sharif family, however, is unlikely to lose its grip on power for long.

The Supreme Court ruled last week that Nawaz Sharif had been dishonest to Parliament and to the judicial system and was no longer fit for office. He stepped down, quickly selecting his brother to replace him.

Speaking after the vote, Abbasi denied he was only a temporary prime minister. "They say, 'Oh he's only here for 45 days.' I say I may be here for 45 days or 45 hours, but I'm not here to keep the seat warm," he told reporters.

"I intend to work and get some important things done if the cabinet supports me in this."

The younger Sharif, who is currently serving as the chief minister of Punjab, can't take office immediately as he isn't yet a member of Parliament.

He's expected to run in -- and win, handily -- a September by-election for the former prime minister's seat in Punjab, in a district loyal to his brother's Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party. The vote is similar to a special election in the United States.

Opposition leader Imran Khan, a cricketer-turned-politician, has criticized the nominations of Sharif and Abbasi, calling them both corrupt and called for cases of corruption against them to be reopened.

Shoo-in

So, while Shahbaz Sharif waits to be elected to Parliament, in steps Abbasi.

He needed a simple majority, and as the PML-N, which nominated him, holds 188 of the Parliament's 342 seats, he was expected to win easily.

Following his confirmation, Abbasi will now nominate a cabinet, to replace the one that was dissolved on Friday by the courts.

Analysts say Abbassi, a party loyalist, is unlikely to object to a short-lived stint in the top job, with this kind of horse-trading common in Pakistani politics.

"He'll step up to the plate. He's a politician's politician," said Ahsan Butt, an assistant professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government, GeorgeMason University in Virginia.

"(He's a) reliable character as far as the PML-N is concerned," added Butt.

Clean sweep

Just as Abbasi's elevation to the job was considered a foregone conclusion, so is the Punjab by-election.

It's a fairly safe PML-N seat so, barring any surprises, the younger Sharif is expected to coast to victory there.

"The PML-N is very strong in that region, they've controlled it even when they're not in control nationally," says Butt.

"It's a traditional party stronghold. One or two opposition parties will field candidates, but they'd be lambs to the slaughter."

Following the election, Parliament can confirm him as the new leader, with the US-educated Abbasi stepping aside.

As a sweetener, the short-term replacement could be offered another cabinet position, or his existing role -- until last week he was the minister of petroleum and natural resources.

He could even keep the portfolio during his brief tenure as Prime Minister, says Butt.

General elections, to be held next year, could then see the younger Sharif returned to power.

If he is re-elected and sees out a full term, he would be the first civilian prime minister in Pakistan ever to do so.

Dynasty diverted

Six months ago, the obvious successor to Nawaz Sharif, who had ruled the country since 2013, was his daughter, Maryam Sharif.

But her elevation to power looks to have been scuppered by the corruption scandal that brought down her father.

The leak sparked mass protests in Pakistan and calls from opposition political groups for a panel to investigate Sharif and his children over their alleged offshore accounts, eventually bringing him down.

And the ongoing investigation into Maryam, her husband Safdar Awan, and her brothers Hassan and Hussain, is likely to extend past the deadline for nominations for next April's general election. They have denied any wrongdoing.

Analysts say her uncle, who will likely already be Prime Minister by then, will stand and, given the ongoing popularity of the PML-N, win the vote.

The Sharif name has already proven to be remarkably resilient.

The recently-deposed Sharif has served as prime minister twice before. He saw his first term end prematurely amid allegations of corruption, and his second end in a military coup which saw him jailed, then exiled, before returning to perform yet another political comeback.

Now it seems likely that his brother will keep the name relevant in Pakistan's power circles, and political analyst Butt says it would be foolish to rule out a comeback for Maryam at some point.

"I won't say (her political career is) dead in the water. In Pakistan politics, forever is a long time."

Originally posted here:
Pakistan chooses new leader, but Sharif family waits in wings - CNN

Ornamental ponds are beautiful way to transform your yard into a relaxing oasis for entertaining or just enjoying the end of the day. The trick is to choose equipment that will ensure sparkling healthy water with minimal upkeep. At Aqua UV we do the research, design innovations and do testing so you can just sit back, relax and enjoy your pond.

A UV Sterilizer eliminates the algae, ugly green water, that makes it difficult to see and enjoy your fish. A larger benefit of UV is that it controls bacteria and parasites reducing the spread of fish disease.

The Ultima IIs patented design does the work of two filters, removing debris and nitrifying ammonia from fish waste. Simply backwash once a week.

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360 Interiors is an established interior design company based in the North West, and we have worked extensively in the Manchester, Liverpool and Preston areas but we have recently completed projects in London and abroad. We offer a personal and flexible service whilst providing innovative design solutions to both residential and commercial clients.

All of our interiors are designed to our client's brief and budget, from initial concept to completion. The design is meticulously thought about, to create stunning yet functional spaces, making all of our interior design projects unique. We have excellent relationships with our suppliers to enable us to offer individual design solutions to our clients at competitive prices.

So whether you are looking to update a room, completely redesign and redecorate, or simply need our house doctor service to help sell your home, we have the knowledge and expertise to make it happen. Each interior design project, large or small, is approached with the same level of professional integrity and creative flair.

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Interior Design Manchester | Interior Designer Manchester ...

President Trump incited outrage this week after it was reported that he allegedly told a group of members at his New Jersey golf club that the reason he visited so often was because that White House is a real dump, according toGolf.com.Trump has since tweeted that the report is totally untrue.

Michael S. Smith, the Obamas White House decorator, is speaking out about the presidents statement and his own feelings about Americas most famous home.

RELATED:7 Photos That Show the White House Is Definitely Not a Dump

I had the great privilege of working in the White House for eight years, and everyone I know who visited was filled with a sense of awe and patriotism from the moment they walked into that storied structure, Smith tells PEOPLE exclusively. The designer, who has decorated homes for countless high-profile clients and been honored as a member of Architectural Digests AD100, outfitted the Obama familys private quarters including their dining and sitting rooms, the Treaty Room, the Yellow Oval Room, the master suite, as well as bedrooms for Malia, Sasha, and Michelles mother, Marian.

He notes of his time at the White House, I was always deeply aware of the extraordinary events that had taken place within those walls over the yearsevents that defined our countryand how every decision by any former president, and the actions of his family, become an essential part of the living history of our nation.

Before beginning the decorating project, he told AD, he read every letter and note from Abigail Adams,Jacqueline Kennedy, Sister Parish, Stphane Boudin, Kaki Hockersmithanyone who had ever contributed to the history of this building.He even had calls withNancy Reagan and a lunch withLee Radziwill, Jackie Kennedys sister.

Of course the first familys residence is much more than a home. Smith adds, The White House itself is part office, part museum, part residence and its gloriously emblematic of the best of American style. It is beautifully cared for by a remarkable staff, and its rooms are filled with the treasures of presidents past.

This sentiment was shared by many who reacted to Trumps reported dig on social media. Former White House photographer Pete Souza,shared a photoof the famous faade on Instagram, writing, What a shameful thing to sayIt belittles the honorable men and women who make the White House the exemplary historical place it is. And Chelsea Clintontweeteda message of gratitude to the White House staff for all you do every day.

RELATED:Inside the Obamas Private Quarters at the White House: It Has Truly Felt Like a Home for Our Family

Smith allows that, Each successive president and his family have left their own historic imprint on the White House, just as President Trump and his family will. Melania Trump reportedly hired decoratorTham Kannalikham to bring a seamless integration of elegance and comfort into where the president, the first lady, and Barron will be spending their family time, a senior advisor to the first lady told WWD.

Smiths takeaway is one likely shared by each previous White House decorator: Im extremely proud of the warmth and inclusiveness that defined the White House during the years in which I was involved, he says.

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The Obamas' Interior Designer Responds After President Trump Allegedly Called White House 'a Dump' - PEOPLE.com