apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

"Malia Obama will do her homework on the desk used by Abraham Lincoln when he wrote the Emancipation Proclamation!"

Lucky b****.


Kidding.

you know they'll get a portrait of that that will be around forever.

Williams-Sonoma stock just went up 10%, right? And don't they know...the owners of Anthropologie (and Urban Outfitters) are big-time Republicans?! So it's "American Classics" for the White House, great.......

the question is where are they going to put this: http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&_dynSessConf=-6529021787554592626&id=880134&parentid=DECOR_WINDOW_PRINTED&pushId=DECOR_WINDOW_PRINTED&popId=DECOR_WINDOWS&sortProperties=&navCount=18&navAction=&fromCategoryPage=true&selectedProductSize=&selectedProductSize1=&color=pin&colorName=PINK

This bit of news is fascinating but, unless I'm missing something, the photos and specific pieces have nothing whatsoever to do with the decor choices actually being made.

Michelle Obama will single-handedly revive the American retail industry. No doubt.

Yeah, visualingual. This looks like another excuse for an Anthropologie roundup. I can't really think most of this appeals to Michelle Obama. A few pieces here and there mix in well with actual antiques, but I don't think it bodes very well for us or her legacy if she buys the whole store.

I doubt this news means the White House will be mistaken for your local PB any time soon. It just means that Smith, like many, MANY designers working today, knows how to weave retail finds into even the most visible of jobs...

But I am guessing the Chicago founders of Crate & Barrel are having a cow.

But, seriously, the Lincoln desk should be in a museum.

It's nice to see that crossing the aisle isn't just limited to Capitol Hill.

Rock on with your bi-partisan selves, First Lady and Mr. President!

Sounds like the White House is going to have peoples heads turning! Sassy and Cozy! I LOVEEE Anthropologie! Does this mean tat The first Lady dish choose with be old fashion 50's like. AWESOME!

Thank you for letting me post!
Melissa with Yourfurniturelink and Mortise & Tenon LA

the ditte sofa (is that what it's called) is lovely. i have it in green but the yellow one shown looks quite like one used by Mr. Smith in a famous photo (possibly the cover of one of his books?) You know the one with the suzani draped over it surrounded by the caliber of antiques he used to decorate that Merrill Lynch office, no doubt!

Nice way to spend money in a recession.

What, no Bloomingdale's Furniture on Five? Did they not see the Big Window Challenge?

Why are they even announcing what brands will be used? Has the White House become the next great frontier in product placement?

I do appreciate that the Obamas are trying to exercise some degree of financial restraint here, but I can't help but feel a bit queasy that a lot of their stuff is made in China, Vietnam, India, etc. I believe they would have a better chance finding solid, contemporary American-made pieces at Room and Board...

i think american made furniture would be great........

every first family gets to redecorate. it's their turn.

This post has brought up a range of interesting issues! On the topic of American made furniture: Good luck finding much - A cursory Google search indicates Stickley, Harden and Crate and Barrel (really?) are the most recognizable brands "made in the USA". And I was thinking Herman Miller and Knoll, but I guess not. TBW, this isn't the first time American made decor has been mentioned re the White House. Jacqueline Kennedy was an absolute renegade in terms of having the White House given a thorough restoration, with historical accuracy made a priority. She had the WH officially designated a museum (at least the public rooms), Congress established a curatorial team, and antiques and decorative arts of US origin were mandated....but....Mrs. Kennedy had French silks smuggled into the WH for upholstery and drapery anyway, because, you know, that's what she really wanted! So Mrs. Obama and Mr. Smith, if you could channel a bit of Jackie O, we'd all be grateful.

First Michael Smith and now this. The owner of Anthropologie is a right-wing homophobe who donates money to anti-gay and anti-choice politicians, the Williams-Sonoma empire leans heavily Republican, and Pottery Barn sucks anyway. I agree the Obamas should opt for American-made furniture and that Lincoln's desk shouldn't be within a mile of any child no matter how adorable and well-behaved!

Hey Obama, even after the GOP basically told you to go Cheney yourself, you're still going to shovel money into their shoddy, overpriced crap-machine?!

I'm so sad.

Ooops, the leader of the USA has furniture made in China. Someone should put a stop to this, 200 years from now everyone will wonder why the furniture from 2009 is falling apart.

Thank you, Henrietta, I love you. And while we're on this tangent, the founder, president and primary shareholder in Urban Outfitters /Anthropologie is Richard Hayne. A very sinister character, Mr. Hayne. He supported Rick Santorum, ok? But Obamas, I still love you and hope you enjoy your really expensive-for-being old school garage sale, pseudo "bourgeois bohemian" merchandise. BTW, I did not make that term up, David Brooks did in his book "Bobos in Paradise".

Thank you, blueyes!

you know, i'm having a hard time getting excited about white house redecorating in the midst of such hard economic times. in the area i live in, a lot of people i care about have lost jobs, yet the obamas are spending $100,000 to redecorate?

yeah, other first families have done it, too, but couldn't he set a good example and NOT do it, considering the recession?

ugh.

Ms. Abigailbelle, I hear you and I'm living it too. As one of the thousands re-engineered by Amex, I thank AT for giving me a daily diversion from my real task at hand. Oh well, back to reality!

wow and I though that the right wing was intolerable.

thanks blueyes and henrietta the terrible for reminding us that intolerance is just as harsh on the left.

Yeah abigailbelle, he should. Cuz, y'know what? Interior designers and people who work for Pottery Barn & Anthropologie would probably like to keep their jobs too. Didja know that a MASSIVE reason we're so deep into this recession is because people haven't been buying things lately, including retail decor items?

seaside, you can say that again.

Didja know that a MASSIVE reason we're so deep into this recession is because people haven't been buying things lately, including retail decor items?

The main reason there's a recession is that the housing market imploded and the finance industry collapsed. This disaster took place on top of a budget crisis incurred by the Bush administration's plutocratic tax policies and miliitary adventurism. The United States is being kept afloat by foreign bankers. We could at least make and buy our own damn furniture.

Oh, and your interior design profession? Staffed by many women and gay people whose rights as American citizens are under assault by the likes of Richard Hayne. You may not be troubled by such things, and that's your privilege. But don't pretend it's a virtue.

And you are entitled to your opinion, Henrietta, but don't pretend that your opinions or political leanings represent the views of ALL women (or gay people). As Camille Paglia (lesbian, pro-choice feminist, and Obama supporter to boot) stated: "There is plenty of room in modern thought for a pro-life feminism...The one fundamental precept that Democrats must stand for is independent thought and speech. When they become baying bloodhounds of rigid dogma, Democrats have committed political suicide."

Hmmmm, if they had just shopped at (American made, rights activists, money-where-their-mouth-is) Mitchell Gold Bob Williams, they could have avoided all the Anthropology finger-pointing. Seriously, given the minefield that company is, the choice is surprising.

Henrietta--

You left out of one of your tirades-- er, I mean, posts-- that the rising price of oil took many people's disposable income away, and that didn't help the state of things at all, either. But anywho...

And Henrietta, say what you will about politics. But when you say "and Pottery Barn sucks anyway", you have gone TOO far. ;)

Hey everyone, when you move, do YOU keep all the previous owners' furniture, curtains, rugs, paint colors, etc??? Don't think so.
They're not focusing on the public rooms. This is the private residence where the family LIVES. Goes home after a long day and chills out. They want what they want. I think it's kind of awesome that even some of their furnishings from Chicago are being used. This isn't a political issue. It's a family in a new house issue.
The public rooms are pretty much all staying the same. Actually Obama kept almost everything (including the rug)in the Oval that Bush had.

All I can say at this point is, provocative conversation is healthy but personal attacks aren't necessary, nor appropriate....and...Damn US Weekly for even writing that article in the first place!

mmwitzke, what on earth are you talking about?

P2, I can speak with some authority since I own Pottery Barn furniture, to my eternal regret!

Oh mother tell your children
Not to do what I have done
Spend your lives in sin and misery
In the House of the Pottery Barn

i forgot to add self righteous and occlusive.

AMEN kgenesius! It is their space, their private residence. I personally believe it should be no one's business. Their private life is their private life and what they do with the money previously allocated for renovations and their own personal finances is their matter. It's their home! Lay off.

Yeah Henrietta, the cause of the recession is pretty damn clear by now as it has taken up 80% of all news coverage for the past 5 months. But thanks for the econ lesson.

My point was that people turning their finances inwards and saving is healthy, but we do need to still spend money to keep the economy afloat. The fact we have stopped doing that to a large degree has (obviously) had a HUGE impact on the labor market. I, like probably all of you, have many friends who previously worked for retail stores and are now collecting unemployment. People are scared of being laid off so they're saving, but those whose jobs are more secure (like a newly elected president) can flood some money into the economy and shouldn't be torn apart as setting a "bad example".

Oh and the snide women and gay men comment? That was spectacularly self righteous. Not to mention completely missing the point. You'd think the larger picture would be easier to see atop such a high horse.

I actually work for anthropologie and you guys have no idea what you are talking about. The CEO,of anthropologie Glen Secks is openly gay himself.....I have met him personally .....

kellylc,

Didja know that a MASSIVE reason we're so deep into this recession is because people haven't been buying things lately, including retail decor items?

This is what you said, and I responded to what you said. People not buying things is more of an effect than the cause of the recession, but of course you are right that it makes a very bad situation worse.

My remark about women and gays was not directed at you, and it had everything to do with the controversy surrounding Anthropologie. I never disputed the Obamas spending money on a renovation, although I don't like their choices, and ultimately how they decorate their house is not at all important. But I do object to the baleful influence of Neanderthals like Hayne, and that's that.

Yes, Senk is CEO, but Hayne is Chairman of the Board, President, Director, and Founder. This from FORBES:

Top Executives at Urban Outfitters, Incorporated

Glen T. Senk Director/CEO
Freeman M. Zausner Chief Administrative Officer
Richard A. Hayne Chairman of the Board/President/Director/Founder
Tedford G. Marlow Divisional President
Margaret Hayne President, Divisional
Glen A. Bodzy Secretary/General Counsel
Robert Ross Controller
John E. Kyees CFO
Scott A. Belair Director/Founder
Harry S. Cherken Director


Glen T. Senk

Director/CEO
Urban Outfitters, Incorporated
Philadelphia , PA
Sector: SERVICES / Apparel Stores
Officer since April 1994

Director , Bare Escentuals, Incorporated
San Francisco , CA
Sector: CONSUMER GOODS / Personal Products

51 Years Old
Mr. Senk, 51, has served as Chief Executive Officer since May 2007, and prior to that, as President of Anthropologie, Inc. since April 1994. Mr. Senk was named Executive Vice President of Urban Outfitters, Inc. in May 2002, and assumed responsibility for the Company's Free People division in May 2003. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Senk was Senior Vice President and General Merchandise Manager of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. and Chief Executive of the Habitat International Merchandise and Marketing Group in London, England. Mr. Senk began his retail career at Bloomingdale's, where he served in a variety of roles including Managing Director of Bloomingdale's By Mail. Mr. Senk serves as a member of the Board of Directors for Bare Escentuals, Inc. and Tory Burch, Inc.

if only moveon.org featured interior design....

I *adore* that Lark bed from Anthropologie. I *really* adore it. It's totally the bed I want in my room right now.

American-made furniture is absolutely available, you just have to go outside of national chains. All the more important to support small businesses and artisans in this challenged economy.

Like my father! www.probstfurniture.com

I agree with kgenesius and leen...

As a full time student and full time worker, I know money is hard to come by. Numerous economist have said we need to spend money. Saving money is healthy, hording is not.

I'm glad the Obama's are out and about spending money. I have tried all year all by myself to boost the economy by shopping for housing decor and clothes, but unfortunately I can't do it alone :-) I appreciate the Obama's support on this one.

... I understand lots of people have lost their jobs. I worked for Bombay before they went out of business... I don't think that should be prevent anyone from shopping. Turning around and donating that money to social services isn't going to help the unemployed, its going to keep them unemployed and not create jobs. The worst thing we can do is to stop spending.

Also, I don't understand what the big deal is about buying American made. What if they don't like the furniture that is American made? Would you have a ugly dinning room table just because it was made in America? Yes, buying American is preferable, but if you like it and it's made in another country, who cares!

Can Michelle and I be BFFs? I LOVE her style - from J. Crew to Anthro. You go girl!