A gentleman's rooms

areteus · Jul 12, 2012

Not sure where/if it is possible to research this...

I am writing something set vaguely in the 18th century (well, roughly - it is a fantasy world which has the 'feel' of this period so exact historical details are less important than it feeling right). My character is a scholar who had moved into 'rooms', basically a three room 'apartment' over a place of business. In these rooms he has a bedroom and a study. He also has a third room... now, the third room is what we would call in the modern period a 'living room' or a 'sitting room'. In theory, as he is operating as a consultant giving specialist advice, it could also be a waiting room for clients to sit and wait. My question is: what would he call this room?

There are lots of possible names but none of them quite fit in my head for this period or his situation - a parlour, a drawing room (completely wrong because it is not a place where women withdraw to), a saloon... I am at a loss as to what it would be called.

Any thoughts or ideas?

StephanieFox · Jul 12, 2012

This book will tell you everything you need to know about all of this, and more.

http://www.randomhouse.com/features/billbryson/

Shakesbear · Jul 12, 2012

he is operating as a consultant giving specialist advice

Consulting room?

areteus · Jul 13, 2012

Consulting room may work. Still does not really give me the period feel I need and at this point (i.e. the point he is moving in) it is not being considered for this use yet...

Buffysquirrel · Jul 13, 2012

If it's intended as a place to receive visitors, I would think parlour.

stephenf · Jul 13, 2012

Middle class, eighteenth century homes would have a room,often nearest the front door , that you used to speak to visitors and was often called ,a drawing room ,parlour or lounge.I don't think people at the time would draw any conclusions from the name ,other than it is a room to meet visitors.

Siri Kirpal · Jul 14, 2012

Sat Nam! (Literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Consulting room, parlour, reception room would all be appropriate.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

Flicka · Jul 14, 2012

areteus said:
Not sure where/if it is possible to research this...

I am writing something set vaguely in the 18th century (well, roughly - it is a fantasy world which has the 'feel' of this period so exact historical details are less important than it feeling right). My character is a scholar who had moved into 'rooms', basically a three room 'apartment' over a place of business. In these rooms he has a bedroom and a study. He also has a third room... now, the third room is what we would call in the modern period a 'living room' or a 'sitting room'. In theory, as he is operating as a consultant giving specialist advice, it could also be a waiting room for clients to sit and wait. My question is: what would he call this room?

There are lots of possible names but none of them quite fit in my head for this period or his situation - a parlour, a drawing room (completely wrong because it is not a place where women withdraw to), a saloon... I am at a loss as to what it would be called.

Any thoughts or ideas?

Why not a "drawing room", from "withdrawing room"? It's what "living rooms" were usually called in 18th century Britain and it doesn't work less well because you withdraw there to talk business.

Layla Nahar · Jul 14, 2012

"drawing room" sounds good, IMO

thothguard51 · Jul 14, 2012

Where's the bathroom?

areteus · Jul 15, 2012

The bathroom will be in the yard out back...

Drawing room is not appropriate because that was specifically a seperate room where the ladies would withdraw to after dinner. A bachelor's apartments would not have one. Since he does not have a dining room either, he can't really withdraw...

I've gone with reception room currently, in the absence of something better, though it sounds too much like an estate agent description to me. Can always change it but at least it is no longer slowing down my progress due to trying to think of a word

Parlour may well be in the running but again it hints at a more feminine environment to me... which may be the problem, most of the names for that room do seem to imply a woman is involved in the equation somewhere...

Siri Kirpal · Jul 15, 2012

Sat Nam! (Literally "Truth Name"--a Sikh greeting)

Parlours actually began in monasteries as places for the monks to converse (parlar) with guests, so it's not really feminine.

Blessings,

Siri Kirpal

areteus · Jul 15, 2012

Yeah, I know that but by this sort of period it was the place where the lady of the house recieved guests

Parlour in this period also suggest something richly decorated - a comfortable room with plush furnishing, an ornate fireplace and so on. At the time of writing this is more an empty room with bare boards and a couple of sticks of mismatched furniture his employer would have thrown away if she hadn't found a place for them here

Hmm, that reminds me, I think the description needs to be amped up a little... once the demon is banished, I'll go back and fill in some more adjectives

Thanks all for the help, you really are being helpful as you are giving some lubrication to my thought processes...

Layla Nahar · Jul 15, 2012

I read a book by Phillip Pulman - let see "The Ruby and the Smoke". There is a character (granted the character is a woman) who does works from her home as an investment advisor and receives clients in her home. The setting is real-world Victorian England. Pulman is a serious scholar. I expect he would use fitting terminology for that.

ETA - borrowed the book from the library, read it more than 6 mos ago - if I could remember what word he used, I definitely tell you.

Sunflowerrei · Jul 15, 2012

What about sitting room?

areteus · Jul 16, 2012

Layla: Thanks, if you do remember let me know!

Sitting room is one of the options I considered but I think it is too modern... I know, I am being awkward but this discussion is helping, really

If only to free up the brain energy that was focussing on this relatively very minor issue obsessively and let it get on with some real writing...

Becca C. · Jul 16, 2012

Reception room would be fine, I think. He is receiving people in it, after all.

Layla Nahar · Jul 16, 2012

areteus said:
Layla: Thanks, if you do remember let me know!

He he - I was thinking you might like to have a look next time you get to the library or bookstore...

areteus · Jul 16, 2012

LOL the next time I manage to do that could be months and months away... no money makes getting out of the house very difficult at the moment, which is why I am being so productive

I hate the summer holidays - for me they mean no work until at least september...

I am sticking with reception room for now. Well, he is receiving a demon in there at the moment (who has already smashed through one door...).Hopefully, one of the ornaments on the mantelpiece (which I thoughtfully went back and added to the previous description of the room...) will be useful in managing to get rid of the unwanted guest

jaksen · Jul 16, 2012

Wouldn't it be a waiting room?

When I was a child our family doctor saw patients from his home. We sat and waited in the waiting room; he saw patients in the 'front room' or parlor, which had been converted to an examining room. I suppose the waiting room was part of the living or withdrawing room.

(I always found his house, offices, etc., fascinating because you could look down a long hall and see the black and white checkered kitchen floor, which at that time wasn't being used as a kitchen.)

He lived upstairs - according to my mother - and was a bachelor. The home he saw patients from was his childhood home.

Anyhow, that's what the common term still is today (in the US); the waiting room is where you wait to see the dentist, doctor, lawyer, consultant, accountant, PI, etc.

espresso5 · Jul 16, 2012

What about putting some bookshelves in it and calling it a library? It might serve the purpose of subtle PR for the clients.
"Let's talk in the library," vs, "Let's talk in the parlour/reception room/etc."

areteus · Jul 17, 2012

Hmmm, he would probably turn it into a library once he moves in properly... same with a waiting room... however, can I really call it that when it is not currently serving that function?

And yes, many family doctors, dentists and vets used to practise from what were private houses. Many still do (my old dentist in Birmingham still does and our vet here in Manchester does - his waiting room is also the front parlour, complete with fireplace).

benbenberi · Jul 17, 2012

The names of your 3 rooms would be the salon, the study, and the chamber (bedchamber), and they would be arranged in that order front to back (the salon is the most public room, the chamber the least, where he only receives close friends). The furniture of the salon would be mostly side chairs, possibly an armchair or two, one or two small tables (suitable for card-playing, wineglasses, writing, etc.), & decorative accessories. There may or may not be a settee. The furniture of the other 2 rooms would be similar, plus the obvious additions (desk & bookcases, bed with curtains). There's probably some sort of washstand in the chamber too, to take care of all bathing needs. (Unless you're going radically alternate world, the 18c was one of the historical low points of personal hygiene. Nobody of any sense wanted to risk their health by exposing their skin to that deadly contaminant, water.)

boron · Jul 18, 2012

I suggest salon also. It means drawing or reception room, but it probably sounds less specifically.

benbenberi · Jul 18, 2012

It occurs to me on reflection that an alternative arrangement to salon - study - chamber would be salon - chamber - cabinet, where the cabinet (study) is the most private & exclusive room in the suite. If the study (cabinet) is a place he goes to be alone, rather than to consult with clients, this might be a more suitable setup.

(The actual furniture, of course, may not reflect the ideal, but the arrangement of the existing sticks and boards would indicate what's meant to be there when circumstances permit!)

A gentleman's rooms

areteus

StephanieFox

Maybull the Bulldog

Shakesbear

knows a hawk from a handsaw

areteus

Buffysquirrel

stephenf

Siri Kirpal

Swan in Process

Flicka

Dull Old Person

Layla Nahar

Seashell Seller

thothguard51

A Gentleman of a refined age...

areteus

Siri Kirpal

Swan in Process

areteus

Layla Nahar

Seashell Seller

Sunflowerrei

areteus

Becca C.

Layla Nahar

Seashell Seller

areteus

jaksen

Caped Codder

espresso5

areteus

benbenberi

practical experience, FTW

boron

Health writer

benbenberi

practical experience, FTW