The Decoration of Houses

In an era in which private space is increasingly put on public display, Edith Wharton’s first published book-length work, The Decoration of Houses (1897), coauthored with architect Ogden Codman Jr., is more relevant than ever. A foundational text in interior design and architectural aesthetics, Wharton and Codman pioneered the modern design manual and legitimized “house-decoration as a branch of architecture” (3). While critical studies of this text such as Pauline C. Metcalf’s Ogden Codman and the Decoration of Houses (1988) have explored the backgrounds and collaborative process of the authors, this latest edition, edited by professor and Wharton scholar Emily J. Orlando, illuminates how The Decoration of Houses fits within Wharton’s larger body of work and makes accessible much of the original book’s architectural jargon and often obscure references. For the student of design studying this seminal text, Orlando’s efficient, insightful introduction provides a broad stroke of Wharton’s life and how The Decoration of Houses anticipates the themes and philosophies of her work. For the Wharton scholar, Orlando’s annotations clarify complex architectural concepts; and for both, as well as for the general reader, Orlando’s edition is an all-encompassing companion to a work called “the most important decorating book ever written” (qtd. in xviii).The Decoration of Houses is a unique mixture of practical guide, artistic manifesto, and architectural history. Its topics range from how to decorate one’s ballroom, to the evolution of English versus Italian architecture, to what Wharton found to be “vulgar” design and its moral implications. Wharton and Codman are partial to classical symmetry and proportion, and eschew the excessiveness of the late Victorian interiors that would have been fixtures of their early lives. At the time of writing, Wharton was in the midst of making her Newport home Land’s End, which she found “incurably ugly,” more tolerable with the help of Codman (Wharton, Backward Glance 106). Due to her proximity and place in society, Wharton was privy to the ostentatious Gilded Age mansions and their inhabitants, which influenced not only The Decoration of Houses but her future work as well.Orlando’s introduction deftly situates The Decoration of Houses within Wharton’s oeuvre, emphasizing its intersections with the author’s novels and short stories. Regardless of the reader’s familiarity with the subject, she provides a compelling overview of The Decoration of Houses’s influences, the sometimes fraught collaborative process, its publication and critical reception, and its lasting influence. She also demonstrates how Wharton’s design philosophy, rooted in proportion, simplicity, and historical continuity, mirrors the thematic preoccupations of her fiction, particularly her critiques of ostentation and vulgarity, and her advocacy for aesthetic restraint. It is the very “indiscriminate class” that Wharton so often depicted in her novels that is meant to benefit from this guidance: “Theirs is the ‘gilded age of decoration’ indicted in The Decoration of Houses” (xviii). This framing not only enriches the reader’s understanding of Wharton’s intellectual world but also situates the text as a critical artifact within the history of American design.Perhaps the most valuable contribution of this edition is the work of Orlando’s annotations, which translate foreign language and clarify historical allusions, architectural terminology, and stylistic principles. In a single chapter on schoolrooms and nurseries, Wharton gives an either explicit or implicit reference to over twenty-five artists and writers from Thomas Malory to Jean Froissart to Diego Velázquez. Orlando’s annotations ensure that these references do not remain obscure, making Wharton’s dense intellectual world accessible to modern readers. These annotations not only highlight Wharton and Codman’s remarkable erudition but also enhance understanding without disrupting the narrative flow, making the work engaging for both scholars and general audiences.Additionally, Orlando uses Wharton’s own words to illustrate how central the concept of the home and decorating one’s inner space was to both her novels and life, which is clear in titles like “Sanctuary,” “The House of Mirth,” and “The Book of the Homeless.” She provides a biographical context that highlights Wharton’s early penchant for architecture and her disdain for the overdecorated, overwhelming design of the Victorian era. Born into a time of intense technological, social, and cultural upheaval, Wharton saw the home as a sanctum: “Her body of work continually suggests that the sanctuary one seeks lies within and is influenced by, and inextricably intertwined with, the spaces in which one lives and moves” (xxxii).Another strength of this edition is its engagement with contemporary scholarship. Orlando integrates insights from modern studies on Wharton, gender, and domestic space, demonstrating how The Decoration of Houses prefigures later feminist critiques of domesticity. She draws connections between Wharton’s design ethos and her literary portrayals of domestic interiors, reinforcing the text’s interdisciplinary significance. In chapter 10, Orlando links Wharton’s statement that “[t]hose who really care for books are seldom content to restrict them to the library, for nothing adds more to the charm of a drawing-room than a well-designed bookcase” to Ellen Olenska’s charming and personalized drawing room in The Age of Innocence (161). Similarly, Orlando notes Wharton’s distaste for ugly, overstuffed modern upholstery, a critique that resurfaces in the character of Simon Rosedale of The House of Mirth, whose “smart London clothes fitting him like upholstery” reflect his social aspirations (159).Perhaps the most significant insight from this edition is Orlando’s illustration of the book’s continued relevance over a century after its initial publication. While architectural styles have evolved since Wharton’s time, the debate over good taste and who its arbiters are has not. Wharton dismissed the extravagant Gilded Age mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, as a “Thermopylae of bad taste” (Wilson 149), an opinion that echoes contemporary critiques of suburban “McMansions” that similarly sprinkle historic motifs seemingly at random. Wharton’s disdain for excess is encapsulated in her assertion: “Vulgarity is always noisier than good breeding” (241).While some of the specific advice given in The Decoration of Houses may not be directly applicable to the modern audience, Orlando makes a case for the pertinence of Wharton and Codman’s ideology. Above all, they advocate for proportion, simplicity, and well-made furnishings—concepts that resonate with modern critiques of overproduction and overconsumption. Orlando draws a parallel between Wharton’s philosophy and the modern “Marie Kondo” approach, citing Wharton’s preference for acquiring a few high-quality pieces over amassing cheap decor: “Any one who has the patience to put up with that look of bareness so displeasing to some will do better to buy each year one superior piece rather than a dozen of middling quality” (245). As Orlando indicates, The Decoration of Houses anticipates modern interior design books and websites that also understand the importance of making one’s home a sanctuary. She emphasizes that in a postpandemic world where work from home “is now part of the modern lexicon” (lxi), having a space that brings one joy is more important than ever. Ultimately, while Wharton may write from a place of privilege, Orlando maintains that her principles remain widely applicable. Numerous times in The Decoration of Houses, Wharton and Codman acknowledge that while one’s existing space may be a constraint, thoughtful design choices can maximize any room’s potential.While Orlando’s editorial interventions are consistently illuminating, readers might also have benefited from a more robust comparative analysis of Wharton and Codman’s work alongside other contemporary design treatises and theories. Given the prominence of figures such as William Morris and John Ruskin in shaping nineteenth-century aesthetics, a deeper engagement with these influences would have further enriched the historical framing. For example, a slightly more extensive discussion of how The Decoration of Houses fits into the American Renaissance architectural movement or the emerging critiques of architectural ornament in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, may have further contextualized the book as a work of legitimate architectural theory. Nonetheless, the strength of Orlando’s scholarship is such that it may well prompt further scholarly inquiry into these broader contexts—an indication of the edition’s critical value and potential to inspire continued exploration.Emily J. Orlando’s edition of The Decoration of Houses is a significant contribution to Wharton studies and the history of design. Her thoughtful annotations breathe new life into Wharton’s classic treatise, providing contemporary readers with essential scholarly insights while preserving the integrity of the original work. Scholars and casual readers alike will find this edition an invaluable resource, reaffirming Wharton’s enduring influence in both literary and design discourses.