Melania reportedly bought modern furniture for the White House, and then Trump replaced it while she was gone with gilded, 'Louis XIV' style pieces

Evan Vucci/Ap

President Trump and first lady Melania are pictured above in the Oval Office in June.

• A new report claims that first lady Melania Trump tried to outfit the White House with modern furniture, but that her husband quickly replaced those items with pieces in his favored Rococo style.
• The claim was made by two people familiar with the episode who spoke with The New York Times for a report on Melania published Friday.
• The first lady's spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, told The Times that decorating the White House was a joint effort between Mr. and Mrs. Trump.

When President Donald Trump moved into the White House in January 2017, his wife stayed behind in New York for a few months so that their son could finish the school year.

In that time, she reportedly picked out furniture for their private quarters at the White House that reflected her taste in "clean, modern lines," two sources told The New York Times in a report published Friday.

But while she was away, sources said the president replaced Melania's furniture with pieces in the "gilded, triumphal style of Louis XIV" that he so favors.

"One of two people familiar with the episode cited it as an example of Mr. Trump's tendency not to relent on even the smallest requests from his wife," the report stated.

When questioned by The Times about the alleged furniture overhaul, the first lady's spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said the White House decorating was a mutual decision.

"They both chose the décor," she said.