Gothic Sanctuary
A candlelit lounge in red, black and ivory, built around bed alcoves and floor cushions.
The den of a succubus — opulence and sensuality, with a dark twist.
Red, black and ivory, and not much else. Deep red damask above ivory stone, near-black panelling and drapery, and gold used only where a candle can catch it: the standards, the curtain tiebacks, the front of the reception counter. Cold moonlight comes through the stained glass and the arched windows. The rest of the light is flame.
Reception is built as a curve. Black wood panelling and ivory pillars follow the bend, a gold and red counter faces three tall stained-glass windows, and a blossoming tree sits on a round marble table in the middle of the floor. On its own that would be a pretty entrance. The gargoyle standing past the end of the counter is what makes it a gothic one.
The lounge is arranged for lying down rather than sitting up. Cushions go straight onto the rugs, the couches are deep and buttoned, and two curtained bed alcoves sit either side of a white marble fireplace, each framed in black drapery with gold fringe so it reads as a room of its own. Behind them a raised platform holds more cushions and a draped vanity, screened off from the rest of the lounge by a run of gothic arches.
The grounds outside are colder and looser: gravel paths through wild planting, lamp posts along them, a stone bowl of water lilies, and ruined pillars left standing at the edge. Guests cross all of that in the dark before they reach the first candle.
What went into it
- Red, black and ivory held throughout, with gold as the only accent
- Gold placed where candlelight can catch it — the lamp standards, the tiebacks, the counter front
- Cold moonlight through the stained glass, and candle flame everywhere else
- Black wood panelling and ivory pillars curving the reception wall
- A gargoyle in the reception, so the entrance reads gothic rather than merely grand
- Black drapery with gold fringe on both the bed alcoves and the raised platform
- Three heights of seating in the lounge — cushions on the rug, buttoned couches, and the alcove beds
- A raised platform at the back, screened by gothic arches and holding cushions and a vanity
- A blossoming tree on a marble table as the one soft thing in the entrance
- The grounds left loose and dark, so the candlelight indoors has something to answer
Gallery