Truly elegant design is as liveable as it is beautiful. At least, this is the design philosophy employed by Michelle Obama when she spearheaded the redesign of the White House dining room during her time as First Lady of the United States. Michelle's updated dining room decor is comfortable and approachable while maintaining the stately atmosphere of the earlier design. A large degree of this shift can be attributed to the change in dining chairs.
In memory of the 15th anniversary of Barack Obama's election, the Obamas' interior designer Michael S. Smith shared before and after images of the dining room in the former President's home. Among other changes, Smith replaced the earlier dining chairs which were 'very heavy and uncomfortable' with newer, more streamlined, and neutral chairs. The new chairs were designed in collaboration with the White House Historical Association and Baker Furniture based on an original design in the White House collection.
