White House Interior Design - A Modern Suggestion

Alas, we may never know the true answer to our election-time posit regarding Barack and Michelle Obama's White House decorating style. The power couple has elected to let a professional handle it, and they chose a star.

Known for stratospheric budgets and A-list clients like Cindy Crawford and Steven Spielberg, designer Michael S. Smith has accepted a post as the re-designer of the Obama's private living quarters. We like the choice. 

Sure Smith represents the elite and expensive, but we don't have a problem with the Obama's spending $100,000 of private money to live in a home that reflects, energizes and relaxes them. No president has just moved into the previous guys digs and kept it all the same. Besides, this is a much smaller chunk of money than the $493,000 Laura Bush just spent on a set of china, and it will go to decorate the whole private section for a family of four. Not bad.

That said, we could not agree more with the views Dominique Browning put forth in her Wall Street Journal article, "Extreme Makeover: White House Edition."  In it she calls on the Obamas to put their money where their campaign rhetoric was, and start America's green revolt where we all need to, at home.

Among her suggestions were the following gems:

• White House energy audit with public accounting
• LEDs instead of fluorescents (they use 1/3 of the electricity, without the mercury)
• Implementation of American technology for a gray water system, solar roof wrap, and geothermal energy.

Is it possible for American's to get as excited about green renovations (what might they be? Can I get them too?) as they have about puppy choices and soon will about interior design options? We don't know, but we certainly hope so - as audacious as that may sound.