![]() Made by Scott Group in Grand Rapids, Mich., and given by an anonymous donor. Oval Office rug: His $38,000, dark blue rug had a large center medallion of the presidential seal. White House china: The Bushes added to the flatware collection by ordering duplications of the late-19th century gilded silver flatware in the collection for formal dinners. The Bushes took worn, Kennedy-era green felt wall covering off the walls and made the room a lighter, airier space. Major improvements: Four rooms were redone in the private quarters: sitting room, sun porch, a former exercise room that became a guest bedroom and the Treaty Room, which serves as the president's private office. Oval Office rug: His blue-gray rug had the presidential seal in shades of gold, made by Hokanson of Houston. White House China: The Reagans ordered 220 19-piece Lenox place settings in scarlet and gold for $210,399, paid for by a private foundation. ![]() The movie theater was redone and plumbing updated. Many antiques were pulled out of warehouses. A total of $822,641 was raised from private sources to pay for it. Major improvements: Renovation and redecoration of several dozen rooms in the family quarters upstairs took 10 months. It featured a 4-foot presidential seal in brown, gold and green with radiating rays. Oval Office rug: The terra-cotta rug by Stark Carpet of New York cost $49,625 and was paid for by an anonymous donor. Here are some choices and changes made by recent administrations: Its two sources of income, according to association president Neil Horstman, are the $33.8-million White House Endowment Trust, which is used to refurbish White House public rooms and conserve collections, and the $6-million White House Acquisition Trust, which is used to acquire fine and decorative arts for the permanent collection. In addition, the White House Historical Association, a nonprofit educational institution, provides money for preservation. The president and his family often pay for things themselves. ![]() (This figure was $50,000 until 1999.) Sometimes friends and supporters make private donations. As part of this appropriation, the president is granted $100,000 for refurbishment and maintenance of the family quarters every four years. Congress has appropriated $1.6-million a year for the repair and restoration of the White House, according to Sally McDonough, press secretary to Laura Bush. The costs of maintenance and furnishings are covered by a variety of sources. The White House is always undergoing preservation. "I don't think any family is ever prepared for the public attention that is focused on them when they move in here," says former White House curator Betty Monkman. The top two floors become the private living quarters of the first family, a much-needed sanctuary. The historic State Floor, with its iconic Blue, Green and Red rooms as well as the spaces off the lower Ground Floor Corridor, are public rooms overseen by the Committee for the Preservation of the White House. 26 on a History Channel program, The White House: Behind Closed Doors. George and Laura Bush give a rare tour of the place Nov. ![]() Preserving and refreshing the White House has been the job of the dozens of families who have lived there. In 1993, Little Rock designer Kaki Hockersmith was installing gold curtains in the room while Bill Clinton was being inaugurated at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. Now the Oval Office is redecorating project No. Until the 1970s, presidents changed little of the decor in the nation's most powerful office. 20, 2001, he got a phone call from then-White House chief usher Gary Walters with a crucial question: Which of the rugs in storage did he want for the Oval Office? Bush was getting ready for his inauguration on the morning of Jan.
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