ANOTHER BLOG ABOUT THE OVAL OFFICE

I am sure the Oval Office redo is already old news, but I feel I need to throw my two cents in anyway.  First, I must say that I DO understand it is the Oval Office and therefore needs to be somewhat restrained.  And I also understand we are in the greatest recession since the Depression and no one wants to see Obama spending a fortune on an elaborate Oval Office redesign.  However, why bother at all when you end up with this?  And I hear the cost is equal to any other Oval Office redesign.

I don't get it. Especially when you are using Michael S. Smith (not confirmed or denied by the White House, however it is generally assumed he is the designer). Why bother? I was quite impressed with the choice of Smith when announced, as he does work which is quite refined and traditional yet also bold and fun. He is not a stuffy designer despite being traditional. However, this, I would say, is not Smith at his best. Overall I am disappointed. Maybe Obama wants to be seen as a 'man of the people', but I think this is going a little too far. This dull beige den furniture does not belong in the Oval Office...in my humble opinion.

 

Here is some of Smith's better work. I don't know about you, but I see NOTHING of this great design in the Oval Office space:

I hate to say it, but I do believe good old Bush (W) did it better.  This design is quite refined, as I feel appropriate for the location, however its not homey, its elegant and also throws in some color and pattern lacking the the Obama version.

Even though I do not care much for Clinton's version, at least it has some grandeur, some style, and some color!

So there.  My two cents.  Anyone else have any thoughts on the matter?