The federal government won’t be celebrating Presidents’ Day on Monday like the rest of us. For some reason, the federal government still refers to the third Monday in February as a commemoration of George Washington’s Birthday.
That is how the holiday started. As History.com reports, “Originally established in 1885 in recognition of President George Washington, the holiday became popularly known as Presidents Day after it was moved as part of 1971’s Uniform Monday Holiday Act, an attempt to create more three-day weekends for the nation’s workers. While several states still have individual holidays honoring the birthdays of Washington, Abraham Lincoln and other figures, Presidents Day is now popularly viewed as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents, past and present.”
Here at Kuhn Flooring Gallery – a full-service flooring company proudly the need for quality installation and flooring in Boca Raton, Pompano Beach and surrounding communities – we’re going to keep the focus on George Washington, who it turns out was rather a stylish fellow.
If you visit Mount Vernon, Washington’s Virginia home, you will be greeted with fashionable furnishings, elegant architecture and a wonderful use of color.
A great example of Washington’s flair can be seen in the Front Parlor, which dates back to the earliest floor plans of Mount Vernon. According to the website for the historic site, Washington renovated the room in the 1750s. In fact, they say that, “Washington continually updated the room with the introduction of fashionable Prussian blue paint starting around 1785, an elaborate neoclassical plaster ceiling in 1787, and a newly imported English Wilton carpet in 1797. Architecturally, the front parlor is one of the most elaborate rooms in the Mansion. The door frames, paneled walls, and mantel combined to make it a stunning example of colonial Virginia mansion interiors.”
The carpet that Washington installed more than 200 years ago still looks beautiful thanks to the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association (MVLA), a private 501(c)3, founded in 1853 by Ann Pamela Cunningham, to preserve and maintain Mount Vernon. With its color and pattern, the parlor’s carpeting would be perfectly on trend in 2018!
Mount Vernon is the nation’s most visited historic estate, located on the banks of the Potomac River, roughly 15 miles south of Washington, D.C. Mount Vernon’s mission is to preserve and manage George Washington’s beloved home and to educate people throughout the world about his remarkable life and legacy.
According to the official Mount Vernon website, “Until the addition of the New Room, the Front Parlor was one of Washington’s favorite rooms in the mansion.” Maybe that’s why he was so particular about the carpeting for the room.
It was Washington himself, you see, who directed the purchase of this particular carpet. When he was heading home to Mount Vernon to begin enjoying his retirement (something many of our customers can relate to!) in March 1797, Washington sent a letter to his secretary Tobias Lear asking him to buy a carpet for the Front Parlor:
“[L]et me request you to provide for me as usual new Carpeting
as will cover the floor of my blue Parlour.
That it may accord with the furniture it ought to have a good deal of blue in it;
-and if Wilton is not much dearer that Scotch Carpeting—
I would prefer the former.”1
Wilton was what you might call one of the top designer brands of Washington’s day. According to the Mount Vernon website, “The jacquard-woven Wilton that sat in the Front Parlor was one of the next most expensive and desirable British carpets imported to North America during the eighteenth century. It was also an extremely high-status furnishing.”
It’s nice to know that Washington was able to enjoy his time at Mount Vernon after all he did for our country. If you are as particular as he was about the décor of his beloved home, we invite you to visit our gallery of flooring and custom window treatments, located in Coral Springs or Lighthouse Point.
We design, supply and professionally install exceptional residential and business flooring solutions and window treatments. Whether you are looking for hardwood engineered flooring for a Boca Raton condo or durable commercial flooring in Pompano Beach, we will be glad to assist you in making a selection that best suits your needs and satisfies your style.
