The White House interior is never static.  Each new first lady has an opportunity to make history through the décor and furniture she chooses. How then will Michelle Obama furnish her new family home?  According to a statement she released when designer Michael Smith was appointed as the White House decorator, her vision is to “create a family-friendly feel”.  She’ll be presented with catalogues of antique furniture and art available from the White House collection, but how will that combine with her desire for “incorporating some new perspectives”?  The words of her husband’s stirring inauguration speech about the hard work ahead might just provide some inspiration.

A hard-working house has come to mean one that provides comfort, practicality, retreat and beauty. We can assume Michelle will desire their personal kitchen to be harder working than the room’s name currently conveys. She may appreciate the flexibility of a room in which the family can not only cook, but do homework, send emails, enjoy fireside chats and share family meals. A room such as this would certainly become the hub of the house.

The “atmosphere of being” offered by a space in which each member of the family can coexist while carrying out differing activities can become priceless in the midst of a jam-packed schedule.  Such a space requires subtle zoning  - keeping the room as one, at the same time defining its many parts.  This is where the hard work of design comes into play.

Barack Obama’s mother-in-law resides in the White House to help with the kids: where will she sit to read the girls a story? A conversation bed inspired by the work of our Chinese ancestors might provide the solution; it provides a protected yet light permeable zone for reading and learning activities.

In a sociable room how does a cook preserve the space they need to prepare and serve food uninterrupted?  The breakfast bar and island configuration is one such way to direct visiting friends to a perching place where eye contact can be maintained with the cook.

President Obama’s inauguration speech reflected on the “greatness earned by the makers of things”. In this context, it is highly skilled artisans who know how to change a texture, colour or surface height to give maximum potential for the activity carried out at any given piece of furniture. Carefully combined, these pieces create a space that waits expectantly for individuals to dwell as a sociable group. In other words, a space that creates an “atmosphere of being” - where everyone can be themselves and be together at the same time.

- Leila Byrne, UK

See the entire concept presentation here.

A scene from Spielberg’s Artificial Intelligence. While the situation seems perfectly normal on the surface, the kitchen table represents an emotional connection between the family.

“We need to find a place where we are safe; We walk into that which we cannot yet see. Say it plain, that many have died for this day. Sing the names of the dead who brought us here, who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges, picked the cotton and the lettuce, built brick by brick the glittering edifices they would then keep clean and work inside of. Praise song for struggle; praise song for the day. Praise song for every hand-lettered sign; The figuring it out at kitchen tables.”

How welcome it was to hear Elizabeth Alexander’s phrase (as above but with an ‘at’ in the middle) near the end of her poem at Obama’s inauguration. It reminded me of the domestic role of the kitchen table. It serves as the centre of family communication, a subliminal peacekeeper, gently designed to encourage conversation. Older generations might think these experiences belong in the dining room. Today, such communication most often occurs in the kitchen.

In holistic design terms, the value of a decent-sized, well-positioned table is on a par with prepping space, storage cupboards and sink cabinets. In psychological terms, it occupies the number one spot for creating family well-being. If ever a piece of furniture deserved a place in the family, it would surely be a table.

There is a saying, ‘what is good for the family is good for the nation’. Curious as to the contemporary symbolism attached to the kitchen table, I set out to explore.  Images on Google are plentiful, kitchen tables in films feature numerously and references to kitchen cabinets and sinks add interesting companions. There seems to be a kind of barefoot element to references for things that emanate from the kitchen table, implying things done simply or by the boot straps, with a down-to-earth approach. Examples of contemporary books include: Kitchen Table Counseling: A Practical and Biblical Guide for Women Helping Others; and Making peace at the table and building healthy eating habits. According to Google, there are 767 books on making peace around the kitchen table, including one by my namesake, John Gray.

The table, with its 15 multiple meanings and deviations (according to dictionary.com) allows you to ‘table a motion for peace, present figures or a graph to explain statistics, put an idea on the table, be under the table, i.e. drunk, or turn the tables and gain the upper hand or simply receive table service in a restaurant’.

Before 900 AD, a ‘table’ referred to either a plank for eating off, or a tableau for writing on. Both of these definitions are applicable to our current project, speculating on the creation of a socialable kitchen for the Obamas.

With all of these symbolic connotations, what is the role of the kitchen table in the White House? What would Obama think about our initiative to turn the Oval Yellow Room on the second floor into kitchen? Historically, the Yellow Oval Room has been used by first ladies to entertain female dignitaries on occasions of peace initiatives. This could provide an authentic environment for an oval kitchen table where all have full eye contact with everyone else sitting around the table. Regardless, The kitchen table will always be there waiting for the First Family to gather round for all of the nation’s most important decisions.

Most American families would leap for joy at the thought of free room service for four years. But really, how long could you last before that urge of cooking your own meal sets in?

Alas, the majority of the population will never get the chance to test such a theory. However, in this post-Bush, Obama White House era, everything is rightfully under scrutiny. It seems very clear that the newly elected president and the first lady have been endowed with strong nurturing skills. Discipline, respect and transparency are the family trademarks.

More than most, they know that maintaining a daily bonding process will now be more critical than ever. It won’t be easy. No longer can Barack step out for a brisk morning walk with his wife or take the kids out for some ice cream. Spontaneity is not part of the Secret Service vernacular.

Hence, it has often been said that the White House is ‘a bubble of isolation’. Can we replace these words with ‘an inner sanctuary’? After all, Obama is now a work-at-home dad. The family needs their own active space, a place where they can connect on all levels. In essence, a room for all reasons. It is living, dining, cooking, playing, laughing, being – in a single, open family environment.

Traditions like whipping up pancakes on a Sunday morning or telling stories by the fire do not have to hibernate during Obama’s presidency. This room should not have to echo the museum-like qualities of the other White House rooms.

This proposal looks to redesign the existing Yellow Oval Room on the second floor. This new family room will be the nest of the White House. It will ultimately reflect the ideals of the modern American family. The room embraces democratic planning and offers the opportunity for quiet contemplation or social engagement, depending on the time or whim of the day.

The design embodies a sustainable language that echoes the family’s heritage and world-centric perspective on things. The value of this room comes not from its material wealth, but rather its nurturing capability, to which all American homes can aspire.

- Kevin Hackett, San Francisco

See the entire concept presentation here.

A    Ethanol Fire (non-wood buring) By: Eco-Smart Fire;
Above mantel: flat screen TV behind Lincoln portrait
B    Iranian Peace Rug (pressed wool) By: Melina Raissnia
C    Organic Sushi Daybed By: Pie
D    Seating: Ligne Roset Möel upholstered with hemp fabric
E    Doggy bed
F    Nutmeg tree: producing fruit for cooking and reminder of childhood in Indonesia
G    Sculpture by Hawaiian artists: Saturo Abe & Sean Browne
H    Herb garden
I     Kenyan tapestry and instruments from ancestors
J      Social round dining table (can be enlarged to accommodate extended family)
K     Standing furniture with storage for dining accessories
L     Herb garden
M    Tea service and wet bar
N    Wall storage units located close to dishwasher

O    Cork floor - ergonomics, durable, and easy on spine
P     Breakfast/Sandwich zone with tambour & counter
Q    Energy rated refrigerator and freezer
R    Wall oven and microwave
S    Pantry storage
T    Built-in formal dining banquette with privacy wall
U    Recycled glass bar with social seating
V     Wash-up zone: raised dishwasher, sink counter with storage
W    Prep & cook zone: Gaggenau vario steamer, gas rings with backsplash andtelescopic swivel downdraft
X    Central island: main prep counter (lava stone) with EVO flat round cooking plate for family
cooking with ventilation hood
Z    Private reading/media pod encased in felt