The Time I ”Accidentally” Designed Melania Trump’s Salon in the White House 🇺🇸
It’s not every day you receive a call that changes the course of your career. When I saw an unknown number call my phone one afternoon, without hesitation, I ignored it (don’t tell me you answer unknown numbers?). Little did I know, that call would be the way I found out I was “accidentally” working on one of the most prestigious and unexpected projects of my life—designing a salon inside the White House.
The ONE Phone Call That Started It All…
One day, a very high-profile interior designer reached out to me who wanted to purchase our beauty furniture for her client’s salon. The catch? She wouldn’t tell me who the client was… it was a mystery. All I had were the dimensions of a room and a vision to work with.
So, I poured my heart and soul into the design, sent it off into the unknown, and waited. Silence followed… until one fateful day, I got a random call from an unknown number (naturally, I declined it).
A couple minutes later? Voicemail. Some guy on the other end says something along the lines of:
“Hi, Michele, it’s Vinnie, the White House plumber. I have a few questions about the plumbing designs you created for us. Could you give me a call back at your earliest convenience? Thanks!”
Just like that, the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. The mysterious client was none other than the First Lady herself, Melania Trump, looking to redesign the salon within the White House.
My first thought? This HAS to be a joke. But curiosity got the best of me, and I called back, only to find out it was anything but a joke. I half-joked about coming by to “assess the situation,” not expecting what came next. Vinnie couldn’t grant me access, but soon after, Rock, the White House engineer, did.
“Just come to the White House,” he said, as if it were as easy as dropping by a friend’s house. And the crazy part? As this was all unfolding, I was literally in the process of boarding a flight to DC (yes, seriously!) 😅
My Coincidental Flight to Washington, D.C.
I rarely ever go to DC, so this was a major coincidence that felt like something out of a movie. Here I am, getting a call from the White House, asking me to drop by as I’m sitting on a plane that’s minutes away from flying to their city. It was almost as if the universe was aligning perfectly for this moment.
As soon as I landed in DC, I headed straight to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
There, I met Rock at the West Wing and had a tour of the entire White House. From the private bowling alley to the wine cellar… I even got to meet the White House chef! It was surreal, walking through those historic hallways, knowing the leaders who had come before me.
The funny part? After everything was said and done, we only discussed plumbing for maybe ~2 to 3 minutes. In the end, we had the incredible honor of providing beautiful furniture for Melania Trump’s salon in the White House.
Looking to Build Your Dream Space?
Now, imagine walking into your space knowing every inch of it has been designed with the same care, attention to detail, and dedication to excellence as Melania Trump’s salon. That’s what we can achieve together.
Click here to request a free 1-on-1 design consultation with me.
