From Taft to Obama, The Oval Office in Its Many Forms

The Oval Office in the White House has undergone a countless number of renovations over the years with new carpeting, furniture, and drapery installed for every U.S. President. Every President is given a renovation budget of $100,000 , but they don't typically reach that amount even when they use the funds to install solar panels or to construct a bowling alley.

In the past few presidencies, Obama used roughly $50,000, George W. Bush used a little over $60,000, and Clinton used a little under $40,000. While the color of a rug might not seem like such a big deal in the grand scheme of things, a President's approach to the renovation can affect their image to the media. Obama's "less optimistic" renovations caused some in the media to see him as austere, while Nixon's royal blue and gold-colored rug was said to reflect his sense of "exulted importance."

Who knows, though? Maybe it was just a rug. Either way, take a look at how the Oval Office has morphed over the years with the below photo gallery, starting from William Howard Taft, the 27th President of the United States.

· The Off-White House [Slate]
· The Oval Office [The White House Museum]
· An Illustrated History of the White House's Interior Design [Curbed DC]