Recently, President Donald Trump announced his intentions to alter elements of the White House’s exterior, including the historic White House Rose Garden. Plans include ripping up the plot’s grass and putting in hardscape—possibly limestone—for a patio and some hardwood floors for dancing, reports The New York Times.

The president later explained in an interview with Fox’s Laura Ingraham that he’s looking to give the space “a gorgeous stone” patio experience. “You know, we use [the Rose Garden] for press conferences, and it doesn’t work because the people fall…” he said, citing the wet terrain and “women with the high heels, it just didn’t work.” He expressed that “the roses stay…. It’s just the center section” of the garden that could get an overhaul. The Times reports that the makeover will see the space transformed “to resemble a patio like the one he has at Mar-a-Lago.” According to a CNN piece published on March 16, work on a revamped Rose Garden could begin within weeks, and the president personally reviewed the plans recently with White House curators.

What might a new Rose Garden look like with this Floridian vision in mind? We reached out to interior and landscape designers familiar with Mar-a-Lago’s flamboyant aesthetic, along with experts familiar with the horticultural history of roses, to get their take on the news.

Why does Trump want to pave over the White House Rose Garden?

It may sound extreme to pave over the grass in such a legendary space. Trump is reportedly looking into hardscaping on the plot out of concern about foot traffic on the garden’s soft terrain, according to reports from CNN and The New York Times. “All of this foot traffic likely puts a lot of wear and tear on the lawn, so they may be looking for something more durable,” says Kristine Paulus, a contributor to The Rose Book, a text featuring essays exploring the horticultural history of the rose.

Practically speaking, pavement is a common choice for a heavily trafficked outdoor area in a mid-Atlantic climate. “We get heavy thunderstorms throughout the warm season and rain during the colder months,” says Bell Design Inc president Robert J. Bell, a landscape architect based in Washington, DC. Bell also works extensively in Palm Beach, Florida, and has a good sense of what the goals and pitfalls are in terms of Trump’s proposed changes to the garden. “Anyone who has walked on spongy turf in formal shoes knows that queasy feeling you get when you’re not sure if you’re going to sink into a soft patch,” Bell says.

What is “Mar-a-Lago Style”?

We don’t know the extent to which Mar-a-Lago’s design aesthetic will inform the Rose Garden renovations beyond what is referenced by the New York Times report, but according to Miami interior designer and founder of IV Atelier, Irena Viitiuk, Mar-a-Lago–inspired design doesn’t necessarily mean directly replicating the private club and spa’s particular brand of extravagance. Instead, she says, the White House Rose Garden could selectively embrace sophisticated hardscaping techniques, maybe using limestone or bluestone, which is more elegant, carefully chosen landscaping, and subtle nods to historical motifs.

Mar-a-Lago style can be thought of as a particular look typically found in high-end Florida estates and private golf clubs. “It’s a blend of Mediterranean revival with hints of Palm Beach, drenched in gold finishes, grand chandeliers, patterned floors, heavy drapery, and plenty of oversized everything,” says Angie Kreller, an interior designer at Yabby. For her, the Mar-a-Lago aesthetic leans maximalist and embraces the theatrical, and while it has historical European influences, it is “mashed together in a way that feels more about impact than restraint,” she adds.

Did Trump redesign the White House Rose Garden in his first term?

Melania Trump spearheaded a restoration of the White House Rose Garden with landscape architecture firm Oehme, van Sweden during Trump’s first term. The renovations were controversial and drew backlash, leading to a petition that called for the changes to be reversed. As Paulus points out, the White House Rose Garden has undergone several renovations since it was originally created in 1903 by first lady Edith Roosevelt. “The first major redesign was by well-known garden designer Rachel ‘Bunny’ Mellon during the Kennedy administration,” says Paulus, who adds that Mellon’s design included the large central grass panel.

It’s possible for a proposed redesign to the White House Rose Garden to be successful, but it would need to be approached with sensitivity to the garden’s historical legacy. The heirloom floral varieties that populate the space speak to its rich backstory. “Cultivars include ‘John F. Kennedy,’ ‘Mister Lincoln,’ ‘Queen Elizabeth,’ ‘Pope John Paul II,’ and ‘Peace,’” says Paulus. Would all this be lost with Trump’s interventions? “From what I understand, the plan is to only change the lawn area of the Rose Garden, not the Rose Garden itself,” Paulus says. “The White House Rose Garden is a horticultural gem and a living cultural artifact. I think most Americans would like to see it preserved as much as possible.”