What concept did Edith Wharton tie to decoration?

• A. The painter's palette.
• B. Decoration must harmonize with structural limitations.
• C. The marketing plan for the project.
• D. The landscaping design.

Answer: (B)

Edith Wharton’s idea is that interior decoration should come from and fit the building itself. She argued that decoration must harmonize with the architecture, respecting the space’s proportions, scale, and structural constraints rather than fighting them with ornament. In The Decoration of Houses she and Codman advocate restraint and alignment with the house’s form, so the result feels cohesive and balanced. That’s why the concept tied to decoration is its harmony with structural limitations. The other options miss this central relationship—the painter’s palette focuses on color, landscaping on exterior grounds, and marketing on planning for a project—none of which capture how decoration should relate to the building’s structure.