architecture

Thursday, December 30, 2010

White House: China Room

The China room on the ground floor is now also referred to as the Dining Room. Architects McKim, Meade & White had designated the room a cloak room in the 1902 renovation, but in 1917, Mrs. Woodrow Wilson requisitioned the room to display the growing collection of presidential china. The room has a red color scheme based on the elegant 1924 portrait of Mrs. Calvin Coolidge, Grace. The shelves that display the china are red velvet, the curtains are red silk taffeta and the room is finished off with an early 20th-century Indo-Ispahan rug. The room has more of the salvaged wood paneling, which was again, painted under the Boudin redecoration. I love the regency style chandelier!
Before paneling, the room had smaller built-in cupboards which you can see below in 1948. I guess thats fitting as there was less china at the time! The cupboards were created more shallow however, after the paneling, and a few of the larger items could not be included. I call that a major oops!
This image below shows the Boudin Kennedy-era redecoration. The paneling was glazed grey with white details.
As the collection continues to grow, parts of it are housed in the corridor in pieces of furniture.
I loved the china of President Harrison, with the edge band of navy blue with raised gilt stalks of corn!
Included in the same case was President's Harrison elegant cut crystal.

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