The Decoration of Houses, a manual of interior design written by Edith Wharton with architect Ogden Codman, was first published in 1897.

They argue that such rooms emphasize upholstery at the expense of proper space planning and architectural design and are, therefore, uncomfortable and rarely used.

Wharton and Codman advocated the creation of houses with rooms decorated with strong architectural wall and ceiling treatments, accentuated by well-suited furniture, rooms based on simple, classical design principles such as symmetry and proportion and a sense of architectural balance.

Wharton and Codman were very fond of past styles of furniture in comparison with the upstart Victorian furnishings surrounding them.

Much preferring simplicity and order in decoration, they warned readers not to mix and match styles of furniture eclectically.