All the Inauguration Day Design Stories You Need to Know – Architectural Digest

After what will go down as one of the most contentious presidential transitions in American history, January 20, 2021, marks the start of President Joe Bidens term. While theres been plenty of focus on both the outgoing presidents departure and the Biden administrations agenda for its first 100 days, there are plenty of design components to Americas grandest political tradition worth taking note offrom cleaning the countrys most famous residence to projects marking the historic occasion.

A Brief Interregnum and the Bidens Moving Plans

Protocol dictates that a new presidents personal effects cant be loaded into the White House until after he is officially sworn in. As during other inaugurations, that means that a 90-person moving team will remove the last of the Trump administrations possessions and load in the Biden familys belongings, some of which have been waiting in a Maryland storage facility, in a matter of just five hours.

A compressed transition period, an abandonment of certain transitionary traditions, and the realities of a pandemic have made matters even more challenging for the incoming first family. As The New York Times reports, the Bidens didnt have the chance to meet the White Houses residence staff and prepare for their arrival, missing out on an opportunity to plan out life at their new home. Though the briefer transition timeline and lack of logistical coordination pose definite challenges, theres hope that the Bidens familiarity with the White House could make the move at least a little easier.

No Decorator? No Problem!

The Times also notes that the Bidens have no current plans to consult an interior decorator to help them bring the new administrations White Houses aesthetics to life. However, the White House curators will help the first family avail themselves of the executive mansions permanent collection of furniture if they so choose, sharing information about inventory and White House room layouts with the Bidens.

The West Wing Gets a Deep Clean

With last year proving that the president and various others in the West Wing arent magically immune from COVID-19, wiping the slate clean between presidents will feature an unprecedented level of deep cleaning throughout all 55,000 square feet of the White House.

In a statement shared with ABC News, the Government Services Administration says it will thoroughly clean and disinfect the building spaces between the administrations and ensure that everything is up to standard, including all furniture and flooring, not to mention any conceivable surface that could bear a trace of the coronavirus. Government contracts indicate that $127,249 is earmarked for 2021 Inaugural Cleaning, with an additional $200,000-plus allocated for an uptick in janitorial and housekeeping work at the White House.

A Big Budget for Carpet and Curtains

In addition to that unprecedented spending on hygiene, it sounds as if the WhiteHouses carpeting is going to get cleaned up and made over. ABC News cites a $115,000 government contract to correct the current floor condition for West and East Wing offices, plus the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, by installing new carpeting. Thats on top of a reported $44,000 earmarked for Inauguration Carpet Cleaning, and another $29,523 for curtain cleaning. Though that number might seem astronomical out of context, it tracks with a $42,000 carpet cleaning contract from January 2017, two weeks before Trumps inauguration.

Joe May Not Be Riding His Peloton to D.C.

Like the rest of us, Joe Biden has had to get creative with his exercise routine amid the pandemic. But some worry that Bidens Peloton spin classes could pose a national security threat. If he wants to bring his Peloton with him (and who wouldnt?), it might require some modification to meet cybersecurity standards. That would likely mean removing the camera and microphone, as well as keeping the bike away from sensitive areas where important government business takes place. If hes the kind of guy who pedals and talks to people, that could be problematic, former deputy NSA director Richard Ledgett Jr. told the Times.

The Inaugural Gift of Crystal

Though Biden will no doubt receive congratulations and presents from various heads of state in the days and weeks ahead, the first official gift marking their time in office will come from much closer to home for the former Delaware senator. As it has since the inauguration of George H.W. Bush, Lenox Corporation will present an inaugural gift of crystal for the incoming president and vice president. Both gifts are the work of Pennsylvania craftsman Peter ORourke, who used archival illustrations to create 17-inch crystal vases depicting the White House (for Biden) and the Capitol (for Harris) over a working period of five months.

Corning Glass Museum Celebrates a Shattered Glass Ceiling

Once she takes the oath of office, Kamala Harris will go down in history as Americas first female vice president. To commemorate the occasion, the Corning Museum of Glass released a congratulatory video that features the shattering of a (literal) glass ceiling, only for the pieces to be swept up and transformed into something else. May that positive transformation be a sign of things to come.

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All the Inauguration Day Design Stories You Need to Know - Architectural Digest