Michelle Obama reveals her 'modest' $600k changes to White House State Dining Room - months after her florist quit amid reports of 'infighting' between designers 

  • Michelle Obama unveiled her 'modest' remodel of the White House State Dining Room on Tuesday
  • The remodel cost $595,000 and is the first time the room has been changed since Hillary Clinton did so in 1998
  • There are new chairs, a new rug, new draperies and a new color scheme
  • The unveiling comes just months after White House head florist Laura Dowling quit her post
  • She was escorted from the building right after this with some claiming she and Obama fell out over the first lady's family dining room remodel

Michelle Obama has given a touch-up to the White House State Dining Room, the latest interior design change that will endure long after she leaves the building at a cost of $595,000.

Her modest changes to the room where many dinners and other events are held follow this year's more dramatic remake of the Old Family Dining Room and the unveiling of the Obama china service.

The change, which has been years in the making, comes just months after head florist Laura Dowling quit her post and was escorted from the building by security.

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Changes: Michelle Obama unveiled the new White House State Dining Room on Tuesday 

Changes: Michelle Obama unveiled the new White House State Dining Room on Tuesday 

New colors: Blue was added as well, meant to represent the water in Hawaii near where |president Obama lived

New colors: Blue was added as well, meant to represent the water in Hawaii near where |president Obama lived

Change: Everything was selected with the approval of the Committee for the Preservation of the White House in consultation with first lady Michelle Obama

Change: Everything was selected with the approval of the Committee for the Preservation of the White House in consultation with first lady Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama
Laura Dowling

Interesting: The reveal came just months after head florist Laura Dowling (right) left her post over possible disagreements with Obama (left)

DailyMail.com reported that Dowling had been pushed out by 'jealous' rivals from her post.

Sources close to Dowling suggested she was upset at having to leave and blamed her demise on the intense rivalry that exists within the small coterie of decorators and designers that serve the White House.

'She is very sad about leaving the White House,' said one source on condition of anonymity.

'She was very proud to work there and this has come as a shock. It's all about jealousy - Laura has not put a foot wrong.

'She was very hardworking and she has always been professional and passionate about her work. She and her husband have said they can't talk about it now.

'But they've said that when the time comes they will reveal what really happened.'

Ms Dowling's muted departure was in stark contrast to tributes afforded to other departing White House fixtures such as the Obamas' personal chef, Sam Kass, who was praised for his 'extraordinary legacy' when he left last December.

Her celebrated predecessor, Nancy Clarke, lasted more than 30 years as chief florist, serving six presidential administrations.

Ms Dowling took over the top job in 2009 after competing against several leading designers to create a lavish arrangement for a mock state dinner.

She described her style as 'new floral aesthetic' with a 'chic look of elegance' inspired by woods, meadows, forests and gardens. 

Her website promises arrangements that transcend 'fads and trends', however rival florists who continue to provide bouquets to the White House told The Washington Post her 'fussy style' fell out of favor with Mrs Obama. 

They pointed to the recent refurbishment of the White House Family Dining room, which includes abstract paintings and a 1950s-inspired carpet, as an illustration of how the First Lady's tastes have moved on.

Ms Dowling is said to have resigned on February 13 - just days after the 'thoroughly modernized' room was unveiled. She was escorted from the White House by security, sources said.

Luxurious: The new chairs are done in a brown, grid-patterned 'horsehair' fabric and trimmed with brass nail heads

Luxurious: The new chairs are done in a brown, grid-patterned 'horsehair' fabric and trimmed with brass nail heads

Intricate: A detail of new drape in the State Dining room of the White House

Intricate: A detail of new drape in the State Dining room of the White House

Former: The room was last done by Hillary Clinton in 1998 (above) while her husband was in office

Former: The room was last done by Hillary Clinton in 1998 (above) while her husband was in office

Dowling
Obama and Dowling

Claims: Dowling (left, right with Obama) was escorted from the building right after she quit with some claiming she and Obama fell out over the first lady's family dining room remodel

It wasn't until six weeks later that Mrs Obama's office issued an official statement to say: 'As chief florist, Laura Dowling and her team treated guests of the White House to their beautiful floral arrangements.

'Ms Dowling's creations were always lively and colorful, reflecting not only the season but the unique and historic rooms which they graced.

'No two arrangements were ever the same and each one left guests with a lasting impression of the elegance and history of the People's House.

'We are grateful for her contribution over the years and wish her well.' 

As for the new dining room, there are silk draperies with vertical stripes of peacock blue and ecru replace curtains made of ivory silk brocade and designed with flowers, baskets and ribbons. 

The blue in the draperies echoes the "Kailua" blue that trims the modern-inspired china service the first lady unveiled in April and recalls the waters that surround President Barack Obama's home state of Hawaii.

Mahogany side chairs and arm chairs, custom-made in North Carolina, replace a set that was upholstered in a golden yellow fabric.

The new chairs are done in a brown, grid-patterned 'horsehair' fabric and trimmed with brass nail heads. They were modeled after arm chairs that President James Monroe acquired for the East Room in 1818 from a cabinetmaker in Washington's Georgetown neighborhood, according to White House curator William Allman.

The gradual refurbishment has been under way since new custom-made, wool rugs arrived in 2012. The rug design used elements of the room's ceiling to create a border of continuous wreaths and a blue-green mottled field designed with oak leaves. Two rugs were made so they can be switched out for cleaning.

An advisory panel, the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, approved the upgrades.

More change: In February, Mrs. Obama unveiled an updated look for the Old Family Dining Room (above), a smaller dining room adjacent to the State Dining Room on the first floor

More change: In February, Mrs. Obama unveiled an updated look for the Old Family Dining Room (above), a smaller dining room adjacent to the State Dining Room on the first floor

The $590,000 tab was paid by the White House Endowment Trust. The private fund is administered by the White House Historical Association for the maintenance and upkeep of White House rooms that are open to the public, such as the Blue, Red and Green Rooms, the East Room and the State Dining Room.

The State Dining Room was last refurbished in 1998, during the administration of President Bill Clinton.

In February, Mrs. Obama unveiled an updated look for the Old Family Dining Room, a smaller dining room adjacent to the State Dining Room on the first floor.

She exchanged its sunny yellow walls and drapery and light-toned rug for gray walls, contrasting red draperies and a wool rug in a weave of black, white and gray. Four works of American abstract art, a favorite of the Obama family, were also donated to the permanent White House art collection and put on display in the Old Family Dining Room.

 

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