White House renovation is on the move with the plans of First Lady Melania Trump tapping famous interior designer Tham Kannalikham announced on February 2. Every first family moving in the White House is a reserve to do changes in their living quarters.
The New York-based interior designer Kannalikham said in a statement published in Architectural Digest, "I am honored by the opportunity to be working with the First Lady to make the White House feel like home."
Kannalikham is a Laotian-American who grew up in California and graduated from Fashion Institute Technology. The British Architect and interior decorator Ben Penthreat is vouching for Kannalikham's reputation in eighteenth-century building interiors expertise. In a gala hosted by the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art, Penthreat was amazed by Kannalikham's work on Greek Revival library at Seaforde, the brawny 1820 stone mansion in County Down, and the Lady Anthea Forde's brooding.
Senior Adviser to the First Lady Stephanie Winston Wolkoff said in a statement on Women's Wear Daily, "Mrs. Trump has a deep appreciation for the historical aspects of the White House and with Tham's traditional design and expertise, they are focusing on a seamless integration of elegance and comfort into where the President, the First Lady and [their son] Barron will be spending their family time and calling their home." The First Lady may still be residing at the Trump Towers in New York, but she aims to fulfill her duty in representing the President and taking care of the White House, expressed by Wolkoff.
On CNN Style, it was reported that traditionally, the first family is able to renovate their private living quarters in the White House but limited to the historic rooms such as the Oval Office, the Green Room, and the Lincoln Bedroom. Upon executing the renovation, this will also be supervised by the Committee for the Preservation of the White House. The First Lady is also allowed to get items from any store that will be added to the White House or borrow from the preserved items from the previous family curated by the White House.
Tham Kannalikham expertise and the taste of First Lady Melania Trump is a good combination. With them working together, will be a newly decorated White House fit for a Trump living.
