The Obamas Re-Invented Entertaining at the White House – TownandCountrymag.com

Were it not for the 22nd Amendment, which limits presidents to two terms, we would now almost certainly be reflecting on the final months of Barack Obamas presidency, its historic resonances and forward-looking ideals. Its a soothing reverie, and one that can, blessedly, come to life as you turn the pages of a lavish new book by the Obamas decorator.

Michael S. Smiths Designing History (Rizzoli, written with Margaret Russell) is by far the most comprehensive illustrated record of the executive mansion and an engaging account of Smiths deep dive into the history of the White House, as he helped the Obamas update the stolid mansion with a more contemporary and open aesthetic, easing the burdens of a young first family living in the glare of history.

Not since the Kennedys has a family had such a transformative effect on the White House.

With the Obamas in residence, the house of the people became a place to entertain in a more casual manner, which fit their personal style. Glittering parties were, however, part of the program, naturally, and Smith recalls events that included everyone from Aretha Franklin to Lin-Manuel Miranda, who previewed what would become a number from Hamilton.

Bettmann

Most institutions are highly resistant to change, and there was a strong sense in America that if you broke tradition, the dignity of the presidency itself was being assaulted, Smith writes.

The Obamas never accepted that notion. Being conventional wasnt their style, and they recognized their ability to bridge the formality of the building with relevance and accessibility for all.

This premise served as a guide rail for Smiths close collaboration with Michelle Obama, and together they brought about the most thorough rethinking of the important state and family rooms since the landmark restoration by Jacqueline Kennedy in the early 1960s. By adding contemporary art to these monumental spaces, Smith counterbalanced the sense of history. And not since the Kennedys had there been a family that had such a trailblazing, transformative effect on the White House, he writes.

The Yellow Oval Room in particular captures the Obamas looser but no less dignified way of entertaining. Once Franklin D. Roosevelts private study, Kennedy, in collaboration with decorator Stphane Boudin, reimagined it as one of the most beautiful and romantic places in the White House, Smith writes.

White House Photo / Alamy Stock Photo

Peter SouzaAlamy

Nancy Reagan also favored the Yellow Oval, and she gave Smith tips on where to place the furniture in a series of late night calls, one of which lasted four hours. The Obamas loved the drama of its views across the South Lawn to the Washington Monument, and they went with a less formal floor plan, with walls in the Virginia-born English decorator Nancy Lancasters buttah yellow color and graced with works by Barnett Newman and Alice Neel, as well as two Czannes from the White House collection.

Designing History: The Extraordinary Art & Style of the Obama White House

$54.00

On the state floor of the mansion, which is mostly open to the public for tours, the Old Family Dining Room has long been the most private chamber. Its far more intimate than the neighboring State Dining Room, yet still imposing, so Smith again turned to contemporary art to create a groundbreaking aesthetic. Where somber 19th-century portraits and landscapes once dominated, the Obamas hung works by Robert Rauschenberg and Josef Albers.

This room, the scene of Eleanor Roosevelts Sunday scrambled egg dinners, became the setting for President Obamas official luncheons and, in another White House first, the annual Passover Seder. It was also, Smith notes, for the first time included on the White House tour, at the Obamas request.

The longest-surviving architectural interior in the White House is the wood-paneled State Dining Room, which was designed for Theodore Roosevelt by Charles McKim and once featured mounted hunting trophies. Smith gave the room a refreshing, Kennedyesque chalky white look: white coffered walls punctuated by straight-falling curtains with a Kailua Blue accent inspired by the waters of the presidents home state.

Association

The designer marveled that the room had rarely been used in recent times (these days, state dinners are often held in tents on the South Lawn), in part because the Teddy Rooseveltera chairs are practically impossible to move. Smith solved the problem with lighter mahogany reproductions, which still surround the dining table. He notes that the chairs fit Michelle Obamas considerate mandate that any change must improve the house for the future.

The change she requested that didnt work out well, at least at first, was decking out the Truman Balcony, which overlooks the South Lawn, with comfortable furniture and hurricane lamps. The lamps kept imploding, and we couldnt figure out why, Smith says. Eventually we figured out that it was the air pressure from Marine One landing just yards away. They replaced them with plexiglass lamps, a solution that was sensible and elegant, just like the Obamas.

This story appears in the September 2020 issue of Town & Country. SUBSCRIBE NOW

Matt Tyrnauer is a writer and director. His docuseries The Reagans will air on Showtime later this year.

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The Obamas Re-Invented Entertaining at the White House - TownandCountrymag.com