Meet the Latest Four White House Decorators

In honor of President’s Day, you’ll find scores (maybe four of them?) of posts delineating little-known facts and quirks of our past and present leading men. But for the design lovers we’ve found the fun side of politics, in the form of rugs, and paintings, and curtains, and couches…

White House decor was a hot topic of speculation upon the occasion of the latest POTUS’s inauguration. Would the Oval Office be decked out in gold plating? Would the country’s most famous “house” be outfitted in gaudy, opulent furnishings according to the more-is-better school of thought?

Alas, no over-the-top Trump decor has been installed in The White House (to the best of our knowledge). But we can shed a bit of light on the interior designers who have been granted the privilege of decorating The White House.

Ready to meet them?

Kaki Hockersmith – Clinton Administration

Known for her innovative and pure interpretation of American design, Kaki Hockersmith is a member of several prestigious committees and associations in her home state of Arkansas and around the country. She’s worked on many high-profile design projects, most notably The White House during the Clinton Administration. As a member of the Committee for the Preservation of The White House, she supervised the renovation of the Oval Office, Treaty Room, Solarium, Music Room, Family Dining Room, the Blue Room, the Grand Entry Hall, and several other areas.

Additionally, Kaki was appointed by the Navy to redesign sections of Camp David; she’s also responsible for Twentieth Century American Sculpture, a collection of exhibitions displayed in the Jacqueline Kennedy Garden.

Kenneth Blasingame – George H. W. Bush Administration

Designer Kenneth Blasingame, hailing from Fort Worth, Texas, worked closely with First Lady Laura Bush to decorate The White House according to the Bushes’ preferences. He outfitted the Oval Office in neutral shades, accented by images of their shared home state and portraits of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Kenneth also redesigned several other spaces in the presidential residence, including the Green Drawing Room, Roosevelt Room, Family Theater, and Vermeil Room.

Michael S. Smith – Obama Administration

When Barack Obama took office for the first of his two terms, he appointed Michael S. Smith of Los Angeles (currently residing in Madrid) to redecorate The White House. As a member of the Committee for the Preservation of The White House since 2010, Michael possesses an “updated traditional” sense of style and a profound respect for the past, combined with a self-described “modern eye.” This distinctive blend of styles served as the inspiration for his design of the Oval Office and residential quarters, featuring largely neutral shades offset by Native American accessories and homage to John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Tham Kannalikham – Trump Administration

The most recent White House designer is somewhat of an enigma. Tham Kannalikham, a New York-based designer, is largely mysterious; her foreign birthplace, portfolio, and personal life remain under wraps (though some sources say she is Laotian-born). Tham’s Instagram account is private, her website password-protected; the few pieces of public information on her include her past employer (Ralph Lauren), her style preferences (mid-century modern, with an affinity for William Haines, and a love of classical architecture), and her firm commitment to her clients’ privacy (evident in her lack of web presence), which may be the reason that First Lady Melania Trump hired her.