When the Obama first family visited Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts recently for their annual family vacation, the Oval Office at the White House received a renovation.
The new rug adorning President Barack Obama's Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C. was made in the USA- in Michigan, and from sustainable materials that include repurposed wool, according to the company that made the floor covering.
U.S. Company Produces Oval Office Rug
In addition to the rug's constitution (so to speak) using recycled materials, it was important for the White House to choose a company within the United States to create the carpet, an oval-shaped wheat, cream and blue carpet which will go down in history. Scott Group Custom Carpets, of Grand Rapids, Mich., donated the 23-foot by 30-foot oval rug used in the newly redecorated Oval Office. The company also supplied rugs used by former President Bill Clinton and rugs used in the White House State Dining Room.
Production of the Historic Rug
According to the U.S.-based Carpet and Rug Institute, 30 employees from the Scott Group worked on the highly detailed rug for 570 hours. The rug, which includes quotations selected by President Obama from former presidents and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., includes 48 individual yarn colors.
The rug was made using a cotton backing and 100% natural wool, sourced from New England and New Zealand. Most of the material used in the rug was repurposed from other projects; however some virgin yarn was used. Some of the wool is undyed as well. The rug received CRI´s "Green Label Plus" certification for indoor air quality and meets the environmental quality standards for LEED certification.
Famous Words for a Famous Rug
Famous American quotes by Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and John F. Kennedy adorn the rug, lending a truly patriotic theme. however, one of the quote, originally attributed to Martin Luther King, Jr, was recently reported to be wrongly attributed. The quote, which reads ""The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice" is actually an 1853 quote correctly attributed to abolitionist and Unitarian minister Theodore Parker. King often referenced the quote and over time it became wrongly attributed to him.
Americans can be proud knowing not only that no tax dollars were spent on the new Oval Office rug, but that it's not only environmentally friendly and American made, but patriotic as well.
Mary McCarthy - Mary T. McCarthy is the blogger at pajamasandcoffee.com and Editor of Chesapeake Family magazine.
