Lenox · Massachusetts · 1902

Edith Wharton designed her own house

She wrote a book about decorating houses, then built one to prove it.

Novelist Edith Wharton designed The Mount in 1902, applying the principles from her book The Decoration of Houses.

She wrote The House of Mirth here, published in 1905, working in bed in the mornings before gardening and hosting guests like Henry James.

Wharton sold the house in 1911. After decades as a school and other uses, it was restored and opened to the public.

Timeline

A writer's taste is easier to read in her rooms than in her reviews.