White House: East Wing

As I mentioned in a previous post on the White House, unless you are on official State business, you will enter through the East Wing, seen above. This allows for the extensive security to be hidden around the side and rear of the building.

The entire house was decorated for the holiday. I loved the red berries and ribbons in these iron urns decorating the porte cochere.

Inside the vestibule is access to the first ladies' offices. The wood paneling is beautiful and a handful of presidential portraits decorate the space.In the holiday decorations, I especially liked the use of these magnolia garlands.From this hallway, you enter into the east colonnade which was originally open when constructed in the 1902 renovation. It was enclosed in 1942 when the east wing was expanded.These transoms let light into the spaces adjacent to the colonnade which includes the family theater.

The length of the colonnade was decorated with these enormous beautiful wreaths, each made of a different fruit.

The east colonnade leads you though this archway into the Visitors Vestibule, decorated for Christmas with more uplit glittered branches. Centered on the archway is an enormous bronze bust of President Lincoln. I liked the playfully decorated trees in this area the best.

These spaces lead you to the ground floor Main Hall in the original block of the White House, off of which are the Library, Vermeil Room and China Room which I discussed last week.

I hope these photographs I've shared over the past weeks have helped you become familiar with the White House. If visiting Washington, I highly recommend trying to get a tour to see this lovely house, rich with so much history!