Photos: Wikipedia (Top), New York TimesThis fun article in the New York Times Home and Garden section today details some of the history of decorating in the White House. Of course there is a lot of attention paid to the changes the first family makes in redecorating, in particular to the expense involved but also to the actual selection of furnishings.
Both photos above show the White House dining room. The second photo above shows the Nixons enjoying a meal - or at least, anticipating enjoying a meal - there is no food on their plates yet. What I love about this photo is:
A) the Zuber wallpaper, and
B) that the mirror above the mantle is a more refined version of the one we have in our living room.
Zuber is a French wallpaper company that specializes in hand block-printed wallpapers in their own proprietary designs that have not changed in hundreds of years. (For some reason their site is dead right now but hopefully the link will begin working again.)
It is so old-world looking and works particularly well in dining rooms or other large, simple spaces with little complex geometry to their walls (i.e., places with big, blank walls you would otherwise need to add interest to with artwork, mirrors, etc.) It should be hung over a layer of canvas so that it can be removed and reused in future homes, should the need occur, due to its extremely high value.
This Wikipedia entry on the President's Dining Room describes the installation, removal, reinstallation, and careful preservation of its Zuber wallpaper:
When the room was created as the President's Dining Room in 1961 the walls were covered in an early nineteenth century woodblock-printed scenic wallpaper, manufactured in France by Zuber et Cie, depicting views of North America. It is similar to the wallpaper installed in the Diplomatic Reception Room but instead of early citizens, European tourists, and Native Americans, it depicts imagined battles of the American Revolution.
During the Ford administration, First Lady Betty Ford had the wallpaper removed and the walls painted a soft yellow. Rosalyn Carter had the scenic wallpaper reinstalled. In 1996, during the Clinton administration, the room was redecorated. The woodblock wallpaper was carefully covered with fabric covered wooden baffles and the walls were then hung with a pale green Italian watered silk moiré fabric. During the second term of George W. Bush, the walls were recovered in an off white color of silk lampas selected by interior decorator Ken Blasingame.
In my design experience, we have hung Zuber paper in several clients' dining rooms and it creates such a visually interesting environment, while projecting a sense of dignity and history.
This Wikipedia entry on the President's Dining Room describes the installation, removal, reinstallation, and careful preservation of its Zuber wallpaper:
When the room was created as the President's Dining Room in 1961 the walls were covered in an early nineteenth century woodblock-printed scenic wallpaper, manufactured in France by Zuber et Cie, depicting views of North America. It is similar to the wallpaper installed in the Diplomatic Reception Room but instead of early citizens, European tourists, and Native Americans, it depicts imagined battles of the American Revolution.
During the Ford administration, First Lady Betty Ford had the wallpaper removed and the walls painted a soft yellow. Rosalyn Carter had the scenic wallpaper reinstalled. In 1996, during the Clinton administration, the room was redecorated. The woodblock wallpaper was carefully covered with fabric covered wooden baffles and the walls were then hung with a pale green Italian watered silk moiré fabric. During the second term of George W. Bush, the walls were recovered in an off white color of silk lampas selected by interior decorator Ken Blasingame.
In my design experience, we have hung Zuber paper in several clients' dining rooms and it creates such a visually interesting environment, while projecting a sense of dignity and history.
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