In January 2017, President Barack Obama, along with Michelle, Malia, and Sasha, transitioned
out of the White House, but they didn't return to their former Chicago home.
Instead, they remained in Washington D.C.
Let's take a peek inside the $8.1 million mansion that the Obamas call home.
Barack and Michelle's digs may not be as enormous as the White House, but it's certainly not
a shack.
According to the house's 2014 real estate listing, their home boasts nine bedrooms and
eight and a half bathrooms for a total of nearly 8,500 square feet.
The house sits on a quarter-acre of land and backs up to mature trees and, further away,
a creek.
From the 2014 photos of the exterior of the home, it has all the markings of a classic
Tudor, with its white-washed brick facade and steeply pitched roof, which appears to
be slate.
The family's house also sits up from the street, making it look even more stately.
A simple curved path of steps leads you to the front entry.
It's somehow both cozy and incredibly impressive all at the same time.
"People ask, do I miss the White House, and it's like, no I don't miss the house because
we took what was important in that house with us."
The former first lady confirmed to Oprah Winfrey that the new home she and her family bought
is quite peaceful.
She revealed that she has plenty of time for reflection, something that was next to impossible
during the eight years her husband was president.
"We're finally going to get some sleep, and take some time to be with our family, and
just be still for a little bit."
It's hard to know how the Obamas feel about living so close to the 45th president, Donald
Trump, and First Lady Melania, but nevertheless, they're practically neighbors.
Michelle told Ellen Degeneres in an interview on her show,
"[We] live in the neighborhood, down the street from the White House."
While that sounds like it might be a little awkward, the former first lady said it's really
not as weird as you might think.
Michelle told Oprah Winfrey that it's a few miles away from the White House.
In reality, it's about 8 miles away, but with D.C. traffic it could take over 20 minutes
to end up at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
As it turns out, the Obama family actually lives even closer to First Daughter Ivanka
Trump and her husband, President Trump's senior advisor Jared Kushner.
According to The Washington Post, it's only about a three-minute walk between the two
residences.
When speaking to Oprah about her new life and her book Becoming, the former first lady
revealed a few details about the family's house near Capitol Hill, saying,
"It's a beautiful brick home, and it's the first regular house, with a door and a doorbell,
that I have had in about eight years."
On The Ellen Degeneres Show, Michelle said that having that door and doorbell has been
quite the adjustment, and not just for their family.
She told Degeneres that, quote, "people actually trip out" when she opens the front door.
Apparently, their pets are also getting used to their new place.
Michelle added,
"And the dogs, Bo and Sunny, don't know what a doorbell is.
So the doorbell rings and they're like, 'Mmm, I've never heard that before.'"
When Degeneres asked who was responsible for putting the house together, Michelle explained,
"I did, with the help of my team and we had a decorator, but I picked out the house.
I, you know, I was responsible.
Because [Barack] was being president when we had to move, so he didn't really have time
to go house-hunting."
Thankfully, Michelle has good taste in homes.
According to the house's 2014 listing, the mansion was built back in the late 1920s and
features three stories, three fireplaces, and stunning hardwood floors throughout the
majority of the home.
Although Michelle hasn't revealed just how much she redecorated the house since taking
ownership in 2017, you can bet it's stunning.
The family's interior designer for the White House told Architectural Digest,
"They're drawn to elegant, simple things."
According to the expert, the Obamas incorporated a mix of bold modern art as well as neutral
colors.
It's highly possible they did the same with their new home.
With the former first lady being quite the healthy foodie, it's no surprise she picked
a home with a well-equipped kitchen.
What better place to do your meal-prepping and cooking than in a stunning modern kitchen
with what Zillow called "state-of-the-art stainless steel appliances" in 2014.
The bright white cabinetry against light gray walls and marble countertops made this space
feel light and airy in its listing photos.
In addition to a large center island, the kitchen also boasts a small workspace and
a breakfast nook, though Michelle may prefer to have her own meals outside.
When speaking to Oprah in 2018, Michelle revealed what it was like to be home alone for one
of the first times in about eight years, saying,
"I go downstairs and open the cabinet in my own kitchen, which you don't do in the White
House because there's always somebody there going, 'Let me get that.
What do you want?
What do you need?', and I made myself toast.
Cheese toast."
The former first lady then brought her toast outside, where she sat on the stoop overlooking
her backyard alongside her dogs.
She poetically stated,
"And it's that quiet moment of me settling into this new life."
In Barack and Michelle's house, you certainly have your choice of sitting rooms.
Before they purchased the house, one sitting room featured a conversational furniture arrangement
beside a fireplace with a traditional white mantle.
A less formal sitting room in the home had a full wall of windows and French doors leading
out into the backyard.
While the less formal room also had the conversational seating and fireplace, a TV sat above the
mantle in place of a large piece of art.
So, if you're wondering where the former president and first lady binge-watch all their shows,
it might just be in this room.
But those aren't the only two places you could sit in the home back in 2014.
Another small sitting area featured enough seating for at least five people and overlooked
the expansive outdoor space.
Also, if you wanted to spend some time lounging outside, you could certainly hang on the patio.
With a quarter-acre property and a nearly 8,500 square-foot home, this is the perfect
house for someone who likes to take it easy.
Apparently, Barack didn't get so lucky when it comes to his personal closet space.
With a joking shrug, Michelle told Ellen Degeneres,
"He still talks about this.
He got so shortchanged on this whole deal.
He doesn't have enough closet space.
Sorry."
Clearly Michelle was the one who needed maximum closet space for her seriously amazing wardrobe.
But his personal closets aren't the 44th president's only complaint about their Washington D.C.
home.
Michelle added,
"He's got the smallest room for his office."
The 2014 real estate listing doesn't list a study or office as part of the home's features,
so it's possible Barack is using one of the eight bedrooms as his workspace.
He may have gotten the smallest area of the home, but that doesn't mean it was Michelle
who got the biggest.
She revealed,
"Sasha actually killed in this house.
She has, like, this two-room suite.
It's all decked out.
She's got like a living room area and a bedroom, and she designed it.
So, [Barack's] really hatin' on her."
As Michelle admitted, Sasha deserves it.
After all, she is "the baby."
As the 2014 real estate listing shows, Sasha's suite was once a nursery and playroom, but
it's safe to assume this space has been updated!
You might be thinking that if Sasha has the best room, her older sister, Malia, must have
the second-best, right?
Not quite.
Actually, not even close.
Michelle explained,
"She's got a room up in the attic somewhere, Malia.
She's away at college.
You don't waste rooms on college kids."
She's got a point.
Still, you could probably argue that Malia's bedroom is cooler than her father's office.
The home's 2014 real estate listing reveals a photo of an attic bedroom with a small,
modern ensuite bathroom and closet.
The room may not be as large as Sasha's double-room suite, but, as Michelle explained, it's not
going to be used all that much since Malia is away at Harvard.
That is, unless her dad decides to just convert it into a study while she's at school.
When speaking with Architectural Digest, the interior designer who the Obamas used for
their White House renovation revealed that he turned the couple's bedroom into a "sanctuary"
that was, in his words, "private, elegant, and calm."
He added,
"You really want to make sure that the President of the United States gets a good night's sleep."
Even after leaving the White House, though, sleep is still important.
Thankfully, the Obamas' new house came with a master bedroom that already ticked all the
boxes: it was private, elegant, and yes, calm.
A wall of windows lets in plenty of natural light, but, even if it didn't, recessed lighting
and a brass ceiling fixture would keep the room well-lit, as seen in the home's 2014
listing.
Although the room isn't extravagantly large, statement furniture can still fit comfortably.
While no closet can be spotted in the old photos, Michelle's dressing room is likely
a short walk from the master.
One of the coolest features of the Obamas' house is their basement.
You may not think of a basement as being exciting, but in this case, the lowest floor of the
mansion is huge and fully finished.
Keeping with the 1920s style, a built-in bookcase spans the entire length of one wall.
Could that be where Barack keeps all of his favorite books?
Although there's not a whole lot of natural light, which is pretty much standard for all
basements, the large space can still manage to be both inviting and cozy.
One of the highlights about this basement, though, is its kitchen.
And it looks as stunning as the one upstairs.
Much like the main kitchen, this secondary kitchen, at least back in 2014, featured marble
countertops and stainless steel appliances.
The room can also be used for laundry as a washer and dryer can be seen across from the
refrigerator in listing photos.
If Michelle's mom still lives with the family like she did when Barack was president, this
walk-out basement would be a perfect in-law suite.
It may feel like the Obamas only just moved into their Washington D.C. mansion, but the
$8.1 million property isn't likely to be their forever home.
According to Politico, the 44th president revealed to reporters,
"We're going to have to stay a couple of years so Sasha can finish [school].
Transferring someone in the middle of high school, tough."
Sasha graduated from high school in 2019, still, Michelle isn't worried too much about
having an empty nest.
She told People magazine,
"That's the rub of teenagers, they're bumping up against the limits of where they are because
they're ready for the next thing.
That's how I feel with my girls: if they are ready for college, then I want them to go
and I'm happy for them."
There's no official word on how long the Obama family will stay in the nation's capital,
but their neighbors are probably hoping for at least a few more years.
Overall, there's no telling just how much the house has changed since the Obamas sent
in their decorating team in 2017.
While the rooms appeared to be updated in the 2014 listing, they still may not have
been to Michelle's taste.
Perhaps they chose to repaint the walls or even make major modifications to make the
house work better for them.
Although inquiring minds want to know, we'll all just have to wait for the Obamas to dish
the deets.
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