This year’s spotlight project for Portland interior designer Kelley Harrington was to assist in holiday décor for the White House.
She took a plane to Washington, D.C., where she decorated two 18-foot-tall Christmas trees in the State Dining Room. On December 2, First Lady Jill Biden commended her and 300 other volunteers.
Without your efforts, this would not be feasible, Biden stated. Watching you all change this place has been amazing. You exchanged family time for hours of glueing.
A Season of Peace and Light will be the White House Christmas theme in 2024. More than 28,000 ornaments, over 2,200 paper doves, 83 live Christmas trees with almost 10,000 feet of ribbon, and about 165,000 lights used for garlands, wreaths, and other decorations are all part of the festive display.
The White House Blue Room entryway is framed by trees in the Cross Hall.AP
According to Harrington, who worked with a small team of volunteers for three days to decorate the State Dining Room, the decorations are substantial yet fitting for the White House’s scale, style, and architecture.
Paper goods, which Harrington also uses at home, were used to create the majority of the eccentric décor. Harrington’s dining room is filled with paper garlands that were stitched together by her late mother, and they all come together at the chandelier.
Harrington remarked, “Handmade ornaments make me feel sentimental.” Decorating for the holidays doesn’t have to be all glamour and flash.
“What we were focused on in the State Dining Room was right up my alley,” she added, adding that she favors handmade decorations that reflect the history, affection, and participation of family members.
She claimed that the entire White House visit was filled with “pinch me” moments.
Speaking at a gathering in the White House’s East Room in Washington on Monday, December 2, First Lady Jill Biden thanked the volunteers who assisted in decorating the White House and delivered her Christmas greeting to the country.AP
Harrington was wearing a traditional black dress that her late husband had given her on their first Christmas together 36 years prior when she first met Jill Biden. She donned a bracelet her late sister had given her and her mother’s earrings.
She answered, “I brought them with me.”
Harrington understood the importance of the White House’s antiques and other furniture because he worked as a residential interior designer and decorator. The State Dining Room’s silver-plated sconces were gilded during Jackie Kennedy’s 1961 White House renovation.
The sconces’ red paper shades were laser-cut by Harrington’s team. Additionally, they trimmed six-foot-wide ribbons that trailed down on either side of the fireplace mantle with velvet rick rack trim.
Harrington applied online at whitehouse.gov in August to volunteer as a holiday decorator. She was one of over 3,000 applicants with a variety of backgrounds and decorating experiences from all over the United States.
In order to avoid traveling the next day, Thanksgiving, she arrived in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Nov. 27. She visited monuments and museums during that vacation. I had a lot of catching up to do because I hadn’t visited D.C. in forty-two years, she added.
Harrington attended the Monday reception with Biden while working at the White House on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Harrington, who had made one tour of the White House in 1982, described it as a whirlwind.
Does she advise folks to apply? “Yes,” she said. She said, “Just be ready to work hard, join a team, spend a significant portion of the day on your feet, and be receptive to guidance from the design leads.”
She remarked that it was touching to be a part of something so happy and upbeat with individuals from throughout the nation. We had one thing in common: we loved decorating and helping to make the historic White House a magical place for everyone who lives, works, and visits.
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Janet Eastman writes on trends and design. You can follow her on X@janeteastman and contact her at 503-294-4072 and [email protected].
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