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Ikea to build mock Oval Office in Washington

Furniture retailer to celebrate inauguration

Clint Engel -- Furniture Today, January 7, 2009

WASHINGTON — Ikea will make the most of the historic inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama by creating its own version of the Oval Office here — designed with Ikea furniture, of course.

The retailer's Embrace Change '09 program will include an Oval Office replica — complete with "Secret Service protection" — which will be on display in the Main Hall of Union Station, where D.C. commuters can sit in a presidential chair.

The display will be up Jan. 12-14. On Jan 15 and 16, a few days before the real inauguration Jan. 20, Ikea will have a mock motorcade (a limo and two Suburbans with furniture strapped to the roof) moving through the D.C. area.

"President-elect Obama's notion of change and his commitment to fiscal responsibility match the Ikea philosophy of practical and affordable home furnishings for all," the Top 100 company said in a press release. "For this reason, Ikea is also extending a free offer to the First Family to redesign and furnish any rooms in the White House using Ikea furniture, accessories and its team of designers."

D.C. buses, trains and billboards also will feature the Embrace Change '09 slogan, and consumers can enter a sweepstakes where three winners will receive $1,500 in Ikea gift cards.

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