Coffee Table Candy: White House as Dream House

The White House fascinates us because it's first a home, a home for the most important living American figure &mdash full of bathrooms, creaky furniture and walls that need repainting. Authors Ulysses Grant Dietz and Sam Watters trace the evolution of the most iconic American home in Dream House...

The authors of Dream House compare the White House to other American homes and explain how each change suited the then-president, "saving the most withering criticism for Jackie," writes Christopher Petkanas in a review for The New York Times. Everyone thinks Jackie Kennedy restored it to how past presidents lived, writes Petkanas about the book's theory, but, quoting Grant and Watters, "in fact, she restored it to how she thought they should have lived.”

Now that's some juicy White House-plus-home décor gossip we can't wait to set out on our coffee table.

(Images: Amazon, Customer image gallery for Dream House on Amazon)

Comments (4)

Considering when the Kennedy's moved in that the White House looked like a cheap and frumpy old hotel filled with drab old department store furniture from the days of the Trumans and Eisenhowers - Mrs Kennedy absolutely did the right thing to bring some history and elegance into that old barn.

To think that if she hadn't accomplished this - the visiting leaders of the free world might be sleeping on West Elm platform beds, dining at Ethan Allen tables and sitting on Pottery Barn sofas!

posted by bepsf on October 5th 2009 at 3:59pm
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I am not sure that I agree with this idea that Jackie saved design and style at the White House. Perhaps more Camelot spin.

There is a historical review panel that must approve all of the furnishing in the public rooms of TWH. The key is that Jackie interpreted "how past presidents should have lived"

posted by Peter knockstead on October 6th 2009 at 6:49am
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"There is a historical review panel that must approve all of the furnishing in the public rooms of TWH. "

The HIstoric Panel is there now - but it didn't exist prior to 1961.
That historic panel was instituted by Mrs Kennedy.

posted by bepsf on October 6th 2009 at 11:14am
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The whitehousemuseum.org is an EXCELLENT reference!

posted by omartiger on November 2nd 2009 at 10:20am
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