"The Decoration of Houses" by Edith Wharton and Ogden Codman is a guide to interior design from the late 1800s that stresses the vital connection between architecture and decoration. It argues that understanding historical styles and architectural proportion leads to more beautiful and functional homes, going against the popular idea of just adding decorations without considering the structure of the house itself. The book begins discussing different approaches to decorating rooms, from simply adding ornaments to incorporating architectural elements. It shows how decoration has changed over time, from its practical purpose in the Middle Ages to the modern disconnection between a building's inside and outside. The authors believe architectural mastery helps to create a pleasing aesthetic that connects to the design of the home.
The Decoration of Houses
By Edith Wharton
Discover how to create beautiful, functional homes by understanding the important relationship between architecture and interior design.
Summary
About the AuthorEdith Newbold Wharton was an American writer and designer. Wharton drew upon her insider's knowledge of the upper-class New York "aristocracy" to portray, realistically, the lives and morals of the Gilded Age. In 1921, she became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, for her novel, The Age of Innocence. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame, in 1996. Her other well-known works are The House of Mirth, the novella Ethan Frome, and several notable ghost stories.
Edith Newbold Wharton was an American writer and designer. Wharton drew upon her insider's knowledge of the upper-class New York "aristocracy" to portray, realistically, the lives and morals of the Gilded Age. In 1921, she became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, for her novel, The Age of Innocence. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame, in 1996. Her other well-known works are The House of Mirth, the novella Ethan Frome, and several notable ghost stories.
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