Poe begins by suggesting that the English are the "supreme" examples of internal decoration, above the Italians, French, Chinese, Scotch, Dutch, Spanish and Russians. "Yankees", he says, "are preposterous". He blames this American failing on a lack of
aristocracy by blood, having instead "an aristocracy of dollars". Because of that, decoration in America has become a "mere parade of costly appurtenances" to create an "impression of the beautiful". He contrasts this with England, where wealth is not the loftiest ambition to constitute "nobility". As a result, Poe says, "there could be nothing more directly offensive to the eye of an artist than the interior of what is termed in the United States... a well-furnished apartment". Because decorating rooms is a form of art, it should be judged similarly to any other work of art. The elements of a room should work well together, just as in a painting. Poe begins giving his advice, starting with curtains. Excessive drapery, he says, is "irreconcilable with good taste". Curtains should be chosen based on the general character of the room. He puts strong emphasis on carpets, which he calls "the soul of the apartment". From the carpet, the colors and forms of the rest of the room can be determined. He recommends patterns "of no meaning". as "the abomination of
flowers or representations of well-known objects of any kind should not be endured". Carpets, curtains, tapestry, or even
ottoman coverings and
upholstery of any kind should be "rigidly
Arabesque". Gaudy patterns "glorious with all hues" are a cloth version of a
kaleidoscope and only serve worshipers of
Mammon.
Gas lighting is "inadmissible", Poe says, because it is harsh and unsteady. "No one having both brains and eyes will use it", he says. He also dismisses large
chandeliers as "the quintessence of all that is false in taste or preposterous in folly". In the essay, Poe continued his criticism of the country lacking aesthetic taste and attributed excess in American homes to a deterioration in values and further expressed a concern for pursuit of dollars and rank in American society. ==Poe's ideal room==