Each first family that moves into the White House brings their own sense of style - and they are often quick to make their mark on the temporary home.
Bill Clinton's family of three reupholstered 73 pieces of furniture after moving in, while Ronald Reagan's wife, Nancy Reagan, replaced almost all the curtains.
When Lyndon B Johnson resided in the White House, he installed a soda fountain containing Fresca, while Richard Nixon had a single-lane bowling alley set up.
Of course, the Trump family is no different.
President Donald Trump announced last year that he would be building a $250million ballroom on the historic property.
The renovation plans sparked widespread reaction, but the family's interior design choices - including First Lady Melania Trump's holiday decor - have often been subject to scrutiny.
One person who has had a front row seat to it all is Melania's personal interior designer, Tham Kannalikham.
Now, Kannalikham, who was featured in the first lady's self-titled documentary on Amazon, has spoken to the Daily Mail about what it's really been like behind the scenes.
Kannalikham was featured in Melania's self-titled documentary on Amazon.
Melania Trump's personal interior designer, Tham Kannalikham. The pair met in 2016.
Kannalikham, who is based in New York, got her start at Ralph Lauren Home. Now, she has her own private firm, Kannalikham Designs.
She was first introduced to Melania in 2016, during a brief exchange that Kannalikham described as a 'meeting of purpose.'
Their relationship quickly grew into a partnership that the designer described to the Daily Mail as 'one of the most meaningful professional collaborations' of her career.
Kannalikham was initially tapped to work on the couple's private quarters in the White House during Trump's first term in 2017.
It was decorated with striped, pink satin couches, a grand crystal chandelier, and navy-blue, brocade velvet chairs, as seen in photos released in 2022 by the White House Historical Association.
The 60th anniversary edition of The White House: An Historic Guide offered readers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of life at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, including photos of the private rooms on the second floor where presidents and first ladies live.
When the photos were published in a new guidebook on the executive mansion, Melania slammed the setup. She claimed the snapshots showed only a small amount of her restoration work, and that 'her deliberate styling of the furniture and accessories was significantly rearranged.'
'Unfortunately, the 26th Edition of The White House: An Historic Guide fails to accurately represent the breadth and detail of Mrs Trump's design work in and around the White House,' the Office of Melania Trump told the Daily Mail in an exclusive statement at the time.
'Preserving the history of the People's House for future generations was something that Mrs Trump was very passionate about and took very seriously.
'She and her design team worked tirelessly to beautify the White House, but only a small amount of their creative execution adorns the pages of this book. In fact, her deliberate styling of the furniture and accessories was significantly rearranged throughout the book's images.'
Kannalikham has now told the Daily Mail that such a prestigious undertaking carries a 'weight of responsibility,' adding that 'The extraordinary care it demands is difficult to fully convey.'
But their partnership weathered the resulting criticism, and Kannalikham was soon helping Melania with another project - her classically-inspired tennis pavilion on the South Grounds that was unveiled in 2020.
Kannalikham told the Daily Mail that such a prestigious undertaking carries a 'weight of responsibility'
But working with Melania has been 'one of the most meaningful professional collaborations' of the decorator's career, she told the Daily Mail
Kannalikham helped Melania with her classically-inspired tennis pavilion on the South Grounds that was unveiled in 2020
Kannalikham is seen here working on construction of the tennis pavilion with First Lady Melania Trump
The 1,200sq-ft pavilion was finished just weeks before the Trumps were scheduled to turn the White House over to President-elect Joe Biden.
Nonetheless, Kannalikham said Melania was still deeply invested in the project.
Reflecting on one of the most meaningful moments that went on in the background of all the noise, the designer told the Daily Mail they 'were deep in conversation about the details of our project when I mentioned almost in passing that a young sculptor who had contributed her talents to the plaster design work on the tennis pavilion was soon to undergo surgery.'
'Mrs Trump paused and quietly asked for her address,' Kannalikham recalled. 'She offered no explanation, and I thought little more of it in the moment.
'A few days later, my phone rang. It was the young sculptor, and I could hear in her voice something between disbelief and profound emotion.'
Melania had mailed the woman a personal letter.
Kannalikham remembers the sculptor saying she was 'so touched' and that 'words cannot express this moment.'
'That a woman carrying the weight of such public responsibilities had paused, in the midst of everything, to think of her in such a deliberate and tender way...' the designer continued. 'It is simply who Mrs Trump is.'
Kannalikham was initially tapped to work on the couple's private quarters in the White House during Trump's first term in 2017.
Kannalikham's feature in Melania's self-titled documentary came as the cameras followed the first lady in the 20 days leading up to husband President Donald Trump's January 2025 inauguration.
Kannalikham said this gesture is not something 'exceptional' for Melania, but rather 'habitual.'
'There are countless letters written in her hand, phone calls placed without fanfare, words of encouragement offered to craftspeople, young artisans, those who are ill, and those who simply needed to feel seen,' Kannalikham told the Daily Mail.
'These are not brief or obligatory exchanges. She gives her time fully, and those conversations can last a very long while - because for her, the person on the other end of the line is never an afterthought.'
Apart from her personality, Kannalikham said Melania also has a great eye for detail and appreciation for art.
The mom-of-one has an 'extensive and nuanced knowledge of architectural history,' which has especially been brought out due to her European upbringing.
It's this knowledge, along with her life experience, that has made their projects so exciting and fulfilling to work on together, the designer said.
'Her integrity is unwavering,' Kannalikham maintained.
'Preservation is always the first principle, and she is careful to bring together the foremost experts in the field to steward that mission with the seriousness it deserves.'
Something that is very important to both of them is preserving the history of the White House, making sure that everything is guided by what came before.
'The design was never for one family,' Kannalikham told the Daily Mail.'
'It was for the nation, and for every generation that would pass through those rooms long after us.'
During their collaborations, the duo try not to 'anchor' themselves to a particular style or aesthetic. Instead, they like to focus on 'timelessness' and 'purpose.'
'It has been said that only five percent of those who encounter our work will fully appreciate the depth of scholarship, precision and quality woven into every detail,' the designer said.
'We have always received that not as a measure of exclusivity, but as the quiet confirmation that the work is exactly what it should be.'
Amazon secured Melania's film for $40million - the largest documentary deal in history - after beating rivals Disney, Netflix and Paramount in a ferocious bidding war.
Kannalikham's feature in Melania's self-titled documentary came as the cameras followed the first lady in the 20 days leading up to her husband's January 2025 inauguration.
The movie showed the behind-the-scenes of these high-stakes days, taking viewers through her fittings with designers Adam Lippes and Herve Pierre, who created her outfits for the inauguration events, as well as meetings with Kannalikham.
Other moments see the First Lady talking about her Be Best initiative, even conducting a video call on her laptop with First Lady of France Brigitte Macron to get insight on her anti-cyber bullying lawmaking.
At the end of the film, Melania is heard saying she wants to move forward with 'purpose' and 'style' as a first lady. It concludes with the photoshoot she had for her official White House portrait.
Right before credits roll, viewers are inundated with all of Melania's accomplishments so far as they scroll across the screen.