Washington, Sep 1 (IANS): The Oval Office is sporting a modern look with new and re-upholstered furniture, cream-coloured carpet, fresh paint and wallpaper. The president's desk, called the Resolute, however remains unchanged.

New York Times reports that the look is modern and "tends toward neutral hues of brown and taupe, rather than the gold and yellow tones favored by (Obama's) predecessor George W. Bush".

A rug designed by Laura Bush has been replaced with "a more muted, mostly wheat and cream-coloured carpet featuring the presidential seal in the centre, and ringed on its edge with five quotations selected by Obama".

One of the quotations is by then president Abraham Lincoln: "Government of the People, by the People, for the People" while another is by then president Franklin D. Roosevelt: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself".

Yellow brocade couches are out of the president's office and in their place there are two custom-made sofas of brown cotton that look like velvet. There is a single navy blue pillow on one of the couches, reported The Caucus, the politics and government blog of the Times.

The wallpaper in the Oval Office is striped, gold and yellow.

Obama got two mahogany chairs re-upholstered and "kept the desk, called the Resolute, that every chief executive since Rutherford B. Hayes - with the exception of Johnson, Nixon and Ford - has used".

The White House maintained the costs for the makeover were covered by a non-profit group, the White House Historical Association.

When Obama had arrived for work at the White House in January last year, he had said he considered the office fine and saw no need to redecorate it.