Set Decorating Your Novel's Scenes

I love the furniture of the past. It's elegant fabrics and curved lines, burled wood and gilding all echo the ages of elegance that created them. Some of it can be a bit tacky by our standards but a great deal of it sparks the imagination. I picture my heroine writing a letter that will change everything while seated at a curved wood desk, or another character fingering a porcelain figure on the mantle. In my novel, Engagement of Convenience, the hero convinces the heroine to marry him by showing her all the places they can travel to on a globe similar to the ones in the picture below.

However, furniture doesn't just have to be used as props. It can be employed in novels to convey mood, reveal character or echo themes. The creepiness of a house and how it effects the character's emotions can be emphasized by the furniture inside. A messy desk can reveal the messiness of a character's life or attitude. The furnishings in the office of a wealthy duke will look very different from those in the office of a common London solicitor. However, the solicitor might have something unique in his office which gives the reader insight into his hopes, dreams and aspirations.

Furniture can also echo themes and ideas in a book. In my novel, The Courtesan's Book of Secrets, an embroidered screen plays a crucial role in the climax of the story. Embroidered on the screen is the myth of Icarus and Daedalus and it echoes the hero's past relationship with his father. The inspiration for the screen came from this antique screen on display in The Getty museum in Los Angeles.

The next time you find yourself wandering through a museum or a historic house, pay close attention to the furniture. It might inspire a scene or a story,

If you enjoy old furniture then you will enjoy my books because I describe some of the furniture in the settings of my novels www.Georgie-Lee.com