Architectural styles of 1st and 2nd class spaces

[Uomiuo]

Recently, I've become interested in the use of different "styles" to convey different atmospheres within the upper-class spaces of the RMS Titanic. However, it's difficult finding reliable sources on which style each room conveyed. and even more so information on the styles themselves.

Are there any known places of inspiration that served to create these rooms such as the supposedly Louis XIV styled a la carte restaurant as well as those "millionaires' cabins" in their various styles.

Furthermore is there a plan of these staterooms that display the style of each room because I'm struggling to figure out how all of these different rooms fit together.

Finally, I would just like a runover of which rooms exhibited which styles. As for rooms I'm unsure of such as the first-class smoking room and the reading and writing room.
Thank you for any help I can get!

 

[robert warren]

From what Ive read ,the Dining Saloon was Jacobean, modeled after Haddon Hall in England.The Grand Staircase was done in the 17th century William and Mary style, with the large cherub being an exact copy from a grouping in the gardens at Versailles. The reception room also had a Jacobean atmosphere as well. The rest of the interiors were a mix of styles taken from all sorts of time frames. The 1st class lounge and reading room were done up in Louis 15th and 16th styles , and the staterooms were done up in a hodge podge of looks from Empire, Old Dutch, Queen Anne, and the aforementioned French Louis styles etc etc. The Promenade suites were done up in Adams and other 18th century styles,but the private promenade was decorated in the half timbered Elizabethan style.Of course I mentioned on another thread that I don't know of any source that lists what every stateroom was decorated in. It's safe to assume that these looks were carried over and made to look different with regards to wood tones ,fabrics , and colors. Second class interiors like their lounge, dining room, smoking room and staircases also borrowed from history, with Jacobean being a popular look. They were just more toned down since this was 2nd class after all. The Turkish baths were course Moorish and Arabian. Finally the 1st class smoke room was Georgian.

 

[Uomiuo]

Thank you for the response, this was very helpful in my research!

 

[Ricky B]

Hi,

When looking at the deck plans, how would you know which cabins were decorated in the period styles? Were these cabins the ones that were quite large with walk-in wardrobes and adjoining bathrooms/wardrobes? (on both B and C deck).

I have noticed that cabins B-42 and B-43 have walk-in wardrobes even though they are located forward, of the forward grand staircase - I always thought the period suites were only those located after the parlour suites? Which also makes me think that cabins B-93 to B-98 seem too small to be a period suite (the ones just before the aft grand staircase and Reception room).

Can anyone help with this?

Many thanks

 

[Jay Roches]

Titanic: The Ship Magnificent has a deck plan showing all the period staterooms. It's an excellent work, but it's not inexpensive and it's only available in a two-volume print edition (probably because of legitimate concerns about piracy; it's richly illustrated, too, and digital editions tend to reproduce photos in poor quality.) There may be another resource on here or elsewhere, but the deck plan in "TTSM" shows all the styles at a glance. It also has a detailed discussion of the styles used, as well as how interior design was actually executed aboard ships circa 1912.

 

[Ricky B]

Thank you for this

 

[Jay Roches]

You’re welcome — here’s a bit more. Just a few days ago, João Gonçalves posted The Shipbuilder magazine’s special numbers on Mauretania, Olympic and Titanic. It’s available on Scribd.(I don’t think a subscription is required.) The styles are all mentioned there. Note that they’re for Olympic, so some might have been different on Titanic. Here’s a list:

First Class
Dining room and reception room: Jacobean
Restaurant: Louis Seize
Lounge: Louis Quinze, with details based on the Palace of Versailles
Reading and writing room: late Georgian of about 1770-80
Smoking room: “free adaptation of early Georgian of about 1720”
Verandah cafe: “Treillage of Louis Seize”
Turkish baths: Arabian, 17th century

Second Class
Dining saloon: Early English, in oak
Library: Colonial Adams
Smoking room: Louis Seize