Edith Wharton and Ogden Codman Jr.
The Decoration of Houses
The argument that proportion, not ornament, governs a room — and that a house must be settled architecturally before it is furnished.
Charles Scribner's Sons
1897
Domain II
III
Interiors
After Edith Wharton & Ogden Codman
The Decoration of Houses, 1897.
From the Source§ in preparation
“Proportion is the good breeding of architecture.”
Edith Wharton & Ogden Codman
5 principles forthcoming
The Central Argument
A room is governed first by its proportion and only after by its furnishings. To decorate before one has settled the architecture is to dress a sentence before one has written it.
“Proportion is the good breeding of architecture.”
Forthcoming Principles
- I.
Proportion Before Ornament
The room must be resolved architecturally before a single piece of furniture is considered.
- II.
The Integrity of the Room
A room designed for display will always betray its purpose. A room designed for habitation will not.
- III.
On the Right Use of Symmetry
Symmetry is not the repetition of identical elements; it is the balance of differing weights.
- IV.
The Undecorated Wall
The most powerful decorative decision is often the decision not to decorate.
- V.
On Inherited Objects
The room that holds one or two objects of genuine significance will always outrank the room assembled from scratch.
This chapter is in preparation.
From the Reading List