Ogden Codman and the Decoration of Houses, ed.

It's what Edith Wharton wrote about in "The Decoration of Houses," his favorite book.

"It was well for the future of house decoration when medical science declared itself against the use of wallpaper," Wharton wrote in "The Decoration of Houses."

Her newest book, "The Decoration of Houses," is due to be published this month by William Morrow.

The exhibit "Ogden Codman and the Decoration of Houses" features four complete rooms by the architect, who designed homes in the late 19th century.

After all, Wharton, above, obsessed by the home as a spiritual mirror, probably invented the profession in 1897 with an influential how-to manual, "The Decoration of Houses."

She wrote several design books, including her first published work, The Decoration of Houses of 1897, co-authored by Ogden Codman.

"The Decoration of Houses" was published in 1897; reprints are selling well today to people interested in the American classical tradition.

Unfortunately, neither Wharton's books nor her library desk, a large table called a bureau-ministre much recommended in "The Decoration of Houses," are in the house.

And to steer her readers in the right direction, Ms. Stoddard chose 90 fresh, clear colors that stripe the endpapers of her "Decoration of Houses."