THE DECORATION OF HOUSES edition by Edith Wharton Ogden Codman Jr Arts Photography eBooks
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Rooms may be decorated in two ways by a superficial application of ornament totally independent of structure, or by means of those architectural features which are part of the organism of every house, inside as well as out.
In the middle ages, when warfare and brigandage shaped the conditions of life, and men camped in their castles much as they did in their tents, it was natural that decorations should be portable, and that the naked walls of the mediæval chamber should be hung with arras, while a ciel, or ceiling, of cloth stretched across the open timbers of its roof.
When life became more secure, and when the Italian conquests of the Valois had acquainted men north of the Alps with the spirit of classic tradition, proportion and the relation of voids to masses gradually came to be regarded as the chief decorative values of the interior. Portable hangings were in consequence replaced by architectural ornament in other words, the architecture of the room became its decoration.
This architectural treatment held its own through every change of taste until the second quarter of the present century; but since then various influences have combined to sever the natural connection between the outside of the modern house and its interior. In the average house the architect's task seems virtually confined xx to the elevations and floor-plan. The designing of what are to-day regarded as insignificant details, such as mouldings, architraves, and cornices, has become a perfunctory work, hurried over and unregarded; and when this work is done, the upholsterer is called in to "decorate" and furnish the rooms.
As the result of this division of labor, house-decoration has ceased to be a branch of architecture. The upholsterer cannot be expected to have the preliminary training necessary for architectural work, and it is inevitable that in his hands form should be sacrificed to color and composition to detail. In his ignorance of the legitimate means of producing certain effects, he is driven to all manner of expedients, the result of which is a piling up of heterogeneous ornament, a multiplication of incongruous effects; and lacking, as he does, a definite first conception, his work becomes so involved that it seems impossible for him to make an end.
The confusion resulting from these unscientific methods has reflected itself in the lay mind, and house-decoration has come to be regarded as a black art by those who have seen their rooms subjected to the manipulations of the modern upholsterer. Now, in the hands of decorators who understand the fundamental principles of their art, the surest effects are produced, not at the expense of simplicity and common sense, but by observing the requirements of both. These requirements are identical with those regulating domestic architecture, the chief end in both cases being the suitable accommodation of the inmates of the house.
The fact that this end has in a measure been lost sight of is perhaps sufficient warrant for the publication of this elementary sketch. No study of house-decoration as a branch of architecture has for at least fifty years been published in England or America; and though France is always producing admirable monographs xxi on isolated branches of this subject, there is no modern French work corresponding with such comprehensive manuals as d'Aviler's Cours d'Architecture or Isaac Ware's Complete Body of Architecture.
THE DECORATION OF HOUSES edition by Edith Wharton Ogden Codman Jr Arts Photography eBooks
The original book is excellent------however,this edition is atrocious. The Look Inside display says it is of the hardcover, and I expected the paperback to have the same contents.
It nowhere resembles the original or later excellent reprints--three columns per page with minuscule type and no photos or illustrations. Quite a travesty.
Buy a good used edition or one of the older available quality reprints.
This has been trashed; it is beneath being inflicted on Goodwill or other groups that take book donations. It is unworthy of the cat's litter box--he would be insulted and refuse to use the box. Shame on the publishers and on Amazon for not issuing a caveat that the Look Inside not only is of the hardback, but that the entire textual format is different and also that illustrations are missing.
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Tags : THE DECORATION OF HOUSES - Kindle edition by Edith Wharton, Ogden Codman Jr.. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading THE DECORATION OF HOUSES.,ebook,Edith Wharton, Ogden Codman Jr.,THE DECORATION OF HOUSES,DESIGN Decorative Arts,CRAFTS & HOBBIES Decorating
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THE DECORATION OF HOUSES edition by Edith Wharton Ogden Codman Jr Arts Photography eBooks Reviews
Interesting read but without the pictures referenced throughout in the ebook edition, you are left hanging.... That said, it is a classic review of decorating style.
This book is almost worthless and certainly ugly. For a book whose subject is appearances, it fails completely as the photos are blurred and often indecipherable. The font is probably that of the original book so could not be changed, but it is unlovely. This purchase was a waste of money.
I didn't realize that Edith Wharton was well-versed in architecture and decoration until visiting her home, The Mount, and learning that it was mostly all her own design. I was prompted out of curiosity to read her book. I was prepared for it to be dull, but found it to be anything but. She brings up many key decorating points that really make you think; right down to her definition of decorating, which is somewhat different than what we know it to be today. You do have to sort of translate her writing as you read along since the text comes across as highfalutin but hey, it's educated 19th-century-speak and it IS Edith Wharton. Most of her references are at a level that is mostly unknown to us today drawing rooms, boudoirs, and such. However, her observations and comments continue to be spot-on, and every now and then she plants a zinger that truly makes you chuckle. Once you realize that Edith Wharton's decorous references are from another time and social level, you just have to pare them down a bit and you'll find that the precepts make complete sense and are still relevant to any period.
I loved reading this book; it's about an age when homes were lived in instead of places that you park your BMW between commutes. I bought it hoping for insights into how to design a home to make it comfortable and it fulfilled that matter exceptionally well. It provides design guidance for the layouts of all the basic elements of a home walls; doors; windows; fireplaces; ceilings; floors; halls; stairs. You'll have to convert the chapters on Drawing-rooms, Boudoirs, Ball rooms, and Morning Rooms to our modern names, but some of them aren't applicable to today's smaller homes anyway. And, I'm thinking that maybe we need some of those rooms again now too. This is a design book - not a construction how-to book. Be assured that even though the lessons and photographs are derived from traditional architecture it's really about American Architecture.
The text of this book is interesting, if antiquated in style. What would have made it far more interesting and easy to follow would have been the addition of the plates/images clearly listed in the contents. There are ZERO images in my kindle edition, and I'm confused as to why...
This book is a historical jewel of the archives of the balance between architecture and interior design / decoration. The approach is dated, of course, but it still sets the parameters and rules for the arrangement of rooms and their decoration. It is still in print for a reason.
This is shown with only Ogden Codman Jr's name as author, but it was written by Edith Wharton. Miss Wharton was the epitome of high class in her time, and I read this book with great interest. She staged the homes in her novels with these principles in mind. I learned a great deal about the implications for the American aristocracy she so well writes about in her other books. She describes the surroundings, and thus the shape of the world in which her characters live. I believe anyone choosing to write a story laid in the time of Miss Wharton, should study (not simply read) this book. Additionally, I know Edith Wharton loved the Italian countryside, gardens, and villas. So that is my next such book by her.....before I tackle her novels.
My version of this title is the e-book on my . I enjoyed the illustrations, which were reproduced from the very old originals of the printed volume. Photography has come a long way since these pictures were taken, but I appreciate the information they contain. If you like Wharton's novels, you can gain insight to her world by reading this book.
The original book is excellent------however,
this edition is atrocious. The Look Inside display says it is of the hardcover, and I expected the paperback to have the same contents.
It nowhere resembles the original or later excellent reprints--three columns per page with minuscule type and no photos or illustrations. Quite a travesty.
Buy a good used edition or one of the older available quality reprints.
This has been trashed; it is beneath being inflicted on Goodwill or other groups that take book donations. It is unworthy of the cat's litter box--he would be insulted and refuse to use the box. Shame on the publishers and on for not issuing a caveat that the Look Inside not only is of the hardback, but that the entire textual format is different and also that illustrations are missing.
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