About this book
Decoration of Houses by Edith Wharton arrives as a spirited manifesto, challenging Victorian excess and championing a return to classical restraint in interior design. Coauthored with architect Ogden Codman Jr. and first published in 1897, this instructional classic lays out clear principles—proportion, symmetry, architectural harmony—and explains how furniture, wall and ceiling treatments, and spatial planning should serve a room’s structure rather than obscure it. Wharton and Codman critique the heavy draperies, cluttered bric‑a‑brac, and overstuffed furnishings of their day, proposing instead rooms that feel both elegant and usable through thoughtful layout and restrained ornament. Mixes practical guidance with cultural commentary, the book reflects late‑19th‑century shifts toward Beaux‑Arts and Neoclassical tastes and helped professionalize decoration as a discipline. Rich with illustrative examples and timeless rules, the work remains a touchstone for understanding how architecture and interior design inform one another. Ideal for interior designers, architecture students, historians, and anyone who loves classic style, this audiobook offers instructive insight and historical perspective for listeners seeking enduring design wisdom.
