The "elliptic salon", with the Yellow Oval Room above and the Diplomatic
Reception Room below it, formed the most elegant architectural feature of
James Hoban's plans for the White House. The Blue Room has always been used as a reception
room except for a brief period during the administration of John
Adams when it served as the south entrance hall. During the
Madison administration, architect Benjamin Latrobe designed a suite of classical-revival
furniture for the room, but only some
working drawings remain; the furnishings were destroyed in the fire of 1814.
When President
Monroe redecorated the "large oval room" after the fire, he used the French
Empire style, which is the present decor. Monroe ordered a suite of French
mahogany furniture through the American firm Russell and La Farge, with offices
in Le Havre, France. However, the firm shipped gilded furniture instead,
asserting that "mahogany is not generally admitted into the furniture of a
Saloon, even at private gentlemen's houses".
Eight pieces of the original suite can be seen,
including a bergerè, an
armchair with enclosed
sides. A gilded bronze clock
also remains.
The color blue was introduced during the administration of Martin
Van Buren in 1837; he redecorated the oval salon and began the tradition
of the "blue room".
The marble-top center table, that has been in the
White House since it was purchased by President Monroe in 1817, stands
beneath the French chandelier. This early 19th-century chandelier
is made of gilded-wood and cut glass, encircled with acanthus leaves. George P. A.
Healy's 1859 portrait of John Tyler hangs on the west wall above the Monroe
sofa. It is considered to be the finest in the series of Presidential portraits
Healy painted for the White House under a commission from Congress.
A renovation and refurbishing of the Blue Room was initiated in the
early 1990's by the Committee for The Preservation of the White House and
completed in mid-1995. The sapphire blue fabric used for the draperies and
furniture covering is similar in color to fabric used in the room in 1800's.
The silk upholstery fabric retains the gold eagle medallion on the chair backs
which was adapted from the depiction of one of the Monroe-era chairs in a
portrait of President James
Monroe.
The blue satin draperies were
derived from an early 19th century French source.
The walls were hung with a light gold
paper
adapted from an early 19th century American paper
with borders adapted from two early 19th century French
papers.
The upper border is a blue drapery swag;
the lower border along the chair rail blue
and gold with rosettes.
Installation of a new oval carpet, based on early 19th century designs,
completed the renovation project. The design was
adapted from an original design for a neoclassical English carpet of about
1815, the period of the furnishings acquired by President James Monroe for the
Blue Room.