THE DECORATION OF HOUSES

The Historical Tradition

In addition to the principle of simple, architecturally informed interior design, Wharton and Codman drew inspiration from historical examples. The first chapter of their book, titled “The Historical Tradition,” addresses their interest in European aristocratic homes. They write,

“By the use of a little common sense and a reasonable conformity to those traditions of design which have been tested by generations of architects, it is possible to produce great variety in the decoration of rooms without losing sight of the purpose for which they are intended.”

Despite looking to the past for inspiration, Wharton and Codman did not approve of adorning a space in accordance with a historical style to such an extent that the function of the room was lost. Wharton and Codman support this idea in many of the book’s subsequent chapters, which focus on just one type of room at a time.

All of the images reproduced on this page and the next are from The Decoration of Houses.