Obamas office gets a fresh look

The Oval Office has gotten a makeover. The look,which includes new and reupholstered furniture,is more modern and tends toward neutral hues of brown and taupe.

The Oval Office has gotten a makeover. The look,which includes new and reupholstered furniture,is more modern and tends toward neutral hues of brown and taupe,rather than the gold and yellow tones favoured by President Barack Obamas predecessor,George W Bush.

Gone is the sunburst rug Bush loved so much; designed by his wife,Laura,he used to say it evoked a spirit of optimism. In its place is a muted,mostly wheat and cream-coloured carpet with the Presidential seal in the centre,and ringed on its edge with five quotes selected by Obama.

The new wallpaper is striped,gold and yellow,but the pictures portraits of Lincoln and Washington have remained. Obama reupholstered Bushs two mahogany chairs and kept the desk,called the Resolute,that every chief executive since Rutherford B Hayes with the exception of Johnson,Nixon and Ford has used.

The makeover was not done at taxpayers expense; the White House said the costs were covered by the White House Historical Association,a nonprofit group. It did not say how much the cost was,except that it was in line with what Obamas two most recent predecessors spent.