Decoration of Houses

Author(s)

• Ogden Codman, Jr.
• Edith Wharton

The Decoration of Houses, a manual of interior design written by Edith Wharton with architect Ogden Codman, was first published in 1897. In the book, the authors denounced Victorian-style interior decoration and interior design, especially those rooms that were decorated with heavy window curtains, Victorian bric-a-brac and overstuffed furniture. They argued that such rooms emphasized upholstery at the expense of proper space planning and architectural design and were, therefore, uncomfortable and rarely used. Wharton and Codman advocated the creation of houses with rooms decorated with strong architectural wall and ceiling treatments, accentuated by well-suited furniture, rooms based on simple, classical design principles such as symmetry and proportion and a sense of architectural balance. The Decoration of Houses is considered a seminal work and its success led to the emergence of professional decorators working in the manner advocated by its authors. (Summary by Wikipedia)

1. Introduction
2. Chapter I: The Historical Tradition
3. Chapter II: Rooms in General
4. Chapter III: Walls
5. Chapter IV: Doors
6. Chapter V: Windows
7. Chapter VI: Fireplaces
8. Chapter VII: Ceilings and Floors
9. Chapter VIII: Entrance and Vestibule
10. Chapter IX: Hall and Stairs
11. Chapter X: The Drawing-Room, Boudoir, and Morning-Room
12. Chapter XI: Gala Rooms: Ball-Room, Saloon, Music-Room, and Gallery
13. Chapter XII: The Library, Smoking-Room, and "Den"
14. Chapter XIII: The Dining-Room
15. Chapter XIV: Bedrooms
16. Chapter XV: The School-Room and Nurseries
17. Chapter XVI: Bric-a-Brac
18. Conclusion