The suite of furniture was produced in Paris around 1812 by the cabinetmaker Pierre-Antoine Bellangé, and reproduction side chairs and armchairs were made by Maison Jansen in 1961 during the Kennedy restoration.

George Peter Alexander Healy's 1859 portrait of John Tyler hangs on the west wall above the Monroe sofa.

During the administration of James Madison, architect Benjamin Latrobe designed a suite of classical-revival furniture for the room, but the furnishings were destroyed in the fire of 1814 (see War of 1812).

Although Congress allotted President Buchanan $20,000 ($654,000 in 2023 dollars) to refurbish the White House when he moved in, Buchanan spent nearly all these funds building a glass conservatory adjacent to the mansion to replace an orangery on the east side of the White House (built during the Jackson administration but torn down to make way for an expansion of the Treasury Building).

In 1961, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy began a major refurbishment of the White House, including the Blue Room.

An advisory Committee on Fine Arts composed of museum professionals and wealthy individuals interested in antiques technically oversaw her renovation.

[10] American antiques autodidact Henry Francis du Pont (an expert in Federal furniture) led this committee.

[8] Deciding where to place other furniture and what sort of colors, window treatments, and other design elements should be made, Maison Jansen created a maquette of the Blue Room.

Tiny paintings, pieces of furniture, and window treatments in a wide range of colors and designs were manufactured and placed in the maquette to demonstrate to Jacqueline Kennedy how the room might be put together.

[19][d] After extensive research into designs, the American fabrics firm Scalamandré discovered a historical painting of the original Monroe-era upholstery for the furniture.

Scalamandré was unable to produce a fabric of high enough quality to satisfy Mrs. Kennedy, so Boudin selected the French firm of Tassinari et Châtel to manufacture the coverings.

Although he could locate a mahogany round table with a white marble top purchased during the Monroe administration, he disliked its heavy look and asked that it be covered.

Sister Parish, an interior decorator and Kennedy friend who had refurbished the private rooms of the White House, designed a gold-colored silk damask cloth with tassels to cover the table.

[22] Replacing the Truman-era wall covering, Boudin selected a silk upholstery with cream stripes, plain alternating with satin.

[24] To finish unifying the scheme of the Blue Room, Boudin had the dado rail and the cornice molding painted gold and white.

[25] Painter and craftsman Peter H. Guertler, widely known as an expert on the restoration of historical interior paintwork, repainted these parts of the room for free.

Boudin purchased and installed black and gilt French Empire sconces on the piers and hung four of the paintings beneath them.

[28] Redecoration of the Blue Room was funded by oil company executive Charles Bierer Wrightsman and his wife, Jayne (a close friend of Mrs.

[13] The Blue Room was chosen as the subject of a 1964 print that the Kennedys intended to present to White House staff for Christmas.

[13] It followed a complete redecoration by First Lady Pat Nixon in 1971, which retained the Bellange pieces of Monroe but saw the walls covered with wallpaper for the first time since the early 19th century.

[citation needed] As January 20, 2013, fell on a Sunday, President Barack Obama was sworn in for his second term by Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts in a brief semi-private ceremony in the Blue Room, accompanied by the First Lady and their two daughters.