Presidential Home Decor Style Guide

To honor Presidents Day, we reflect back on the presidential design style that has endured through the ages. It is a reflection of leadership that allowed America to thrive over the past 230 years. The holiday was created in 1879 to celebrate George Washington’s birthday and later, Abraham Lincoln’s as well. With every new president, the decor of the White House goes through a redesign. Staying mainly focused on the presidents of the last 6-7 decades, we can see some consistencies that would account for an overall presidential style. Following the decor choices of the Kennedy’s, Reagan's, Clintons’, Bush’s, and Obama's we get a sense of the Presidential style that has been around for two centuries since The White House’s construction.

Presidential colors of red, white, blue, and gold seem to remain consistent in some sense through every change of the guard. Below we see different photos of the Oval Office. In succession, Regan, Biden, and Obama. The consistencies that make up a Presidential style can be summed up as:

• Classic
• Elegant
• Polished
• Sturdy wood furniture
• Neutral and subtly rich colors
• Americana antique art
• Molding

Entrance or Foyer

Although not the official White House foyer, the Treaty Room entrance is what a classical Presidential style entrance would look like.

• Art: Here we see Sir Jacob Epstein’s 1946 bust of Winston Churchill stand on the side table.
• Accents: Official U.S. flags, Americana paintings, and always fresh flowers.
• Flooring: Inlaid wood patterned polished floors.
• Color: Warm cream tones with white trim provide a timeless and welcoming feel.
• Furnishings: Solid wood pieces of side tables, benches, and storage cupboards are the style generally seen in presidential rooms.

Office

A President’s personal office in the White House is filled with a mixture of historical and personal items. You can decorate your home office in a Presidential style by following some of these tips:

• Floor: A 1930s Hereke carpet is shown here in Obama’s Presidential office. Choosing a large similar rug can pull your presidential home office together.
• Leather: Couches, chairs, ottomans.
• Colors: Subdued earth tones, tans, beiges.
• Light: An elegant chandelier plays to the presidential feel of grandeur.
• Accents: Fill with personal and meaningful memorabilia, family photos, and other significant collectibles. Ornate mirrors.
• Furniture: A family heirloom or an antique vintage desk such as Treaty Desk in the President’s office which has been in the White House since 1869.
• Art: Hang works of historical significance.

Family Room

For the largest room in your home, the family room or the living room, following along in the presidential style means a decor look of elegance, one that welcomes guests, and invites conversation and introspection.

• Colors: Smoky browns, greens, golds, and blues.
• Furniture: Comfortable sitting pieces can be a mixture of upholstered and leather materials. Use both solid colors and subtle floral patterns.
• Coffee and side tables are generally made of polished wood.
• Art: Images of nature, particularly of American scenes, adds to the overall presidential decor look.
• Lighting: Let in natural light through windows adorned with full heavy drapery in solid, rich tones. Add table lamps for evening ambiance. And a full classic ornate chandelier for overhead splendor.
• Accents: Can be gold, brass, or copper-toned metals. Fresh flowers and candelabras.
• Rug: Large area rug in an antique style completes the room.

Dining Room

A presidential personal dining room, not the ones used for state dinners, is a bit more toned down and less formal. The stately grandeur remains with the use of royal colors, gold accents, and ornate items of furnishings and drapery.

• Furniture: Well-designed, high-quality polished wood tables, chairs, sideboards, and storage pieces are what’s called for in a presidential-style dining room.
• Lighting: again we see a decorative chandelier, some stylistically simple table lamps or floor lamps are appropriate as well. Wall sconces in straightforward antique styles would also add a nice evening ambiance to the room.
• Curtains: Full ceiling to floor-length in rich colors and heavy significant fabrics.
• Walls: Crown molding around the room's perimeter definitely speaks of presidential style. A more masculine style wallpaper such as bold stripes works well in this decor design.
• Accents: Minimal, with art pieces, fresh plants, antique vases of flowers, candle holders, and one or two gold statues or figurines.
• Floor: Wood floors and large simple, single-colored area rug completes a Presidential dining room style.

China

One rule that applies to all presidential families is that they must design a set of White House china for their administration (Obama state china example below).

• Following in this vein, be sure to deck out your presidential dining room with a set of elegant china.
• If you have one that has been handed down in your family put it to use.
• Or venture forth and acquire a set through diligent secondhand shopping.

Bedroom

• Colors: Burnished golds, ochre yellows, soft whites for both walls and furnishings is one Presidential look. Another could be soft robin’s egg blues and ivories.
• Furniture: A canopy bed is definitely a presidential bedroom requirement. Lines are clean, simple, sturdy, and straightforward.
• Sitting: Seats are covered in sturdy fabrics while cushioning is comfortable and relaxing. Colors remain soft, neutral, with nothing overpowering or too contrasting.
• Lighting: Continues to be consistent throughout the home, where even in the bedroom we see a classic beaded chandelier for the overhead illumination. Simple side table lamps and other floor lights are concise in design and elegant in style.

Here’s a look at a home in Texas that has installed their interpretation of a presidential bedroom decor style.

Outdoor

Expansive lawns, paved walkways, gardens, and beds of colorful flowers. All these elements contribute to making up the look of a presidential-style outdoor area.

• Modern, cleaned lined outdoor furniture.
• Classic colors in natural shades of earth, tan, white, and wrought iron metals.
• Statues or other land art elements may be included.
• Large pots of colorful flowers dot the pathways and landscape.
• Manicured lawns and hedges.

Again, here we see an example of one Texas homeowner's version of a Presidential home outdoor decor style.