# Oval Office Makeovers Obama's 'Audacity of Taupe' Palette Pales the White House By Katie Cordrey | Published 2010-09-04 | Social Good Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/audacity-of-taupe References: [thecaucus.blogs.nytimes](http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/31/a-new-look-for-the-oval-office/) & [huffingtonpost](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/the-audacity-of-taupe_b_703628.html) In a redecorating move that Arianna Huffington has called 'the audacity of taupe,' Barack Obama's design team has produced a yawn-worthy achievement. Gone are the Laura Bush-designed sunburst rug and the [yellow-color accent chairs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/taptap-chair) -- taupe has arrived. Wheat and cream-colored carpet hosts a presidential seal. It's made of 25% [recycled wool](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dune-rug), of course. The recycled rug is ringed with quotations chosen for their tried and true inspirational (or meme) value. It's good to know that inspiration has found a way to wiggle into the Oval Office's 'audacity of taupe' extremely boring makeover. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.5/10 - Popularity: 59% | Activity: 9% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 70% men, 30% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Social Good](https://www.trendhunter.com/socialgood) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Eco-friendly Interior Design:** The use of recycled wool in the Oval Office carpet creates opportunities for sustainable interior design innovation in numerous industries - **Color Accent Innovation:** The shift to taupe in the Oval Office highlights the potential for creative color accents in interior design across numerous industries - **Presidential Inspiration:** The use of inspirational quotes in the Oval Office rug creates potential for incorporating inspiring messages in design across various industries ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Interior Design:** The Oval Office Makeover highlights potential for eco-friendly, innovative, and inspirational design in the interior design industry - **Textile Manufacturing:** The recycled wool used in the Oval Office carpet highlights opportunities for sustainable manufacturing practices in the textile industry - **Home Décor and Furnishings:** The trend towards using creative color accents and inspirational messaging in interior design presents opportunities for innovation in the home décor and furnishings industry ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Seasonal Tonal Acoustic Products](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/woven-image.md) - [Color-Focused Furniture Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/2026-pantone-color.md) - [Ukranian All-Beige Homes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/allbeige-home.md) - [Unconventionally Named Off-White Paints](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/climate-change-1.md) - [High-Rise Design Renos](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/watergate-piedterre.md) - [Re-Imagined Furniture Identities](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/herman-miller-2024.md) - [Modern Housing Color Palettes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/furniture-linoleum-collection.md) - [Limited-Edition Artistic Collections](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/pantone-partnered.md) - [Expertly Curated Color Palettes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/2025-color-collection.md)