In the words of John Barrington Bayley, president of Classical America, “The Decoration of Houses brings to mind. . . reflections in looking-glasses, and on parquet, and the garnitures of chimney-pieces, boiseriers. . . a well laid out parterre, a rose garden, and an orchard of Reinette apples and luscious double cherries.” Room by room, structure by architectural structure, the authors outline keen, practical axioms for grand house design, giving the listener a rule of thumb for making any interior or exterior as appealing to the eye as possible.