The House in Good Taste

"The House in Good Taste" by Elsie De Wolfe is a manual from the beginning of the 1900s for styling rooms inside a home, where a leading designer gives her ideas on how to make attractive, useful areas, based on the idea that a residence should show who lives there while keeping things simple, fitting, and balanced. It starts by talking about how houses have changed and how people in America want their homes to be better. The author points out that a home's character comes from the woman living there, who turns a normal building into a comfortable, inviting place. She stresses that it's important to work with building designers who understand what people really want, pushing people to create spaces that suit their dreams and show who they are. This opening sets the stage for her careful look at different parts of designing a house, like choosing colors, picking furniture, considering light, and making sensible decorating choices.