# Gothic Sanctuary > A candlelit lounge in red, black and ivory, built around bed alcoves and floor cushions. https://narunest.com/portfolio/gothic-sanctuary Style: Venue, Gothic The idea: 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 Photographs: - Two curtained bed alcoves either side of a white marble fireplace, a buttoned leather chaise between them and a chandelier above (caption: The bed alcoves, either side of the fire.) - The reception counter in gold and red set against three tall stained-glass windows, an attendant behind it and a stone gargoyle at the left (caption: Reception, and the gargoyle beside it.) - The gargoyle close up in the foreground, the blossoming tree on its marble table and the red front door beyond - A blossoming tree on a round marble table between ivory pillars, candle sconces on the frosted arched windows and a red door beyond (caption: The entrance, straight on.) - The entrance seen wide — ivory pillars wrapped in ivy, dark red cushioned benches, gold chests and vases of purple flowers - An attendant standing at the red and gold counter beside a tall vase of purple flowers, a lit candle and papers laid out on the top (caption: Purple flowers against the red.) - The blossoming tree and its marble table from above, cushioned benches drawn up around it on layered red rugs - Two high-backed chairs and a table of lit candles set against tall stained-glass windows, a lamp standard either side (caption: Candles, and the cold glass behind them.) - The lounge from the corner — a buttoned leather couch in the foreground, high-backed chairs at the candle table, a rose window on the red damask wall - A buttoned leather couch and two chairs under the stained glass, black floor cushions laid out on a pale round rug in front (caption: Floor cushions, in front of the couches.) - The lounge seen past a table of lit candles, the gothic arcade and the raised platform along the back wall - The dark wood arcade at the back of the lounge, a full moon in one of its arched openings, a round table of roses and red velvet seating in front (caption: Moonlight in the arcade.) - A seating group from above — a red velvet settee, two chairs and a round table holding a caged rose arrangement, on layered rugs - The two bed alcoves head-on, black drapery with gold fringe framing each, and a white marble fireplace with a round glowing grate between them (caption: The fireplace, and the alcoves either side.) - The fireplace from the side with its round grate lit, the buttoned chaise and floor cushions in front and the arcade beyond - A bed alcove at the left, a black drapery canopy over a pale round rug with red floor cushions, and the gothic arcade with the raised platform behind it (caption: Black drapery, doing the partition work.) - A draped vanity and a stone chest seen through a gothic arch, candles burning on the piers either side (caption: The vanity on the raised platform, through the arches.) - The grounds at night — a domed stone entrance porch lit from within, lamp posts along a gravel path and beds of wild planting in front (caption: The grounds, on the way in.) - A stone bowl of water lilies in the foreground, wild planting and topiary behind it, ruined stone pillars against the night sky - The lily bowl from above, a blossom tree and a lamp post beside it, topiary and a stone bench beyond (caption: Water lilies, in the dark.) - The garden from above — gravel paths winding between planting beds, a glowing lantern, and the stone wall of the house at the left - The path to the entrance porch, lamp posts either side and flowerbeds running up to the steps - The garden path seen from above, a lit lantern among the planting and the stone wall of the house at the left - The grounds at night under fireworks, lamp posts lit along the path beside the house - Neighbouring rooftops at dusk, windmills turning against a pink sky, stone gateposts and a fenced path in the foreground - Fireworks over the ruined stone pillars at dusk, a lamp post and planting in the foreground (caption: Dusk, over the garden.)