The Writers' Lounge

Nice discussion! (Also, hi, everyone. I've been a bit MIA. I like what you've done with the place!)

So, for my "main novel", i.e. the one I'd like to actually submit for publication when I finally finish it, there are two characters whose homes I've been in and around the most.

The MC's flat is very bare, for the most part. Everything she owns is down one end of the flat: boxes of belongings instead of storage furniture, a long couch, and her bed in the corner. The rest of the place is empty, no furniture or anything; she's a painter and likes to have a lot of space in which to devote herself to her art. Her bed is a mattress on the floor, surrounded by gauzy curtains and lots of blankets. There's no door to her bathroom. The lack of furniture is not uncommon among many of her friends.

Her best friend's flat has a lot of things in it. There's a big, proper bed that is generally made, and always has lovely blankets and extra cushions. He has a small table that is covered in books and papers and various sundries. The small kitchenette is very clean, mostly because he rarely cooks anything. The bathroom has a door, and is airier than his friend's. He has a big, luxurious arm-chair and another chair of wood that sits beside his overloaded table. He has an entire wall taken up by bookshelves and more books stacked on any available surface, except in the kitchenette, probably because he would fear them getting wet.

I hadn't really thought of it before but this speaks to their characters. For the most part, their group of friends doesn't spend much time at home; they're more likely to be in a gallery, a bar or a coffee shop. So home comforts aren't important to the MC; she'd rather have the space in which to be messy with paint. She has no door to her bathroom because it fell off the hinges and she saw no pressing reason to spend the money, time and effort to get it fixed; she doesn't have concerns about nakedness or anything like that so it doesn't bother her. But she does have an end of the flat dedicated to comfort and softness, and her bed is a nest; she finds physical comfort emotionally comforting also. She can be a nostalgic person and it reminds her of her childhood.

He, on the other hand, while just as likely as their other friends to spend most of his time in coffee shops, is rather a decadent individual and loves his silk and velvet and so on. He indulges, and because they rarely have money to indulge with, he indulges in his home. So he has the big old arm-chair in which to compose and he has the big bed, because sleep and sex are so important, and he would probably like to be neater, but books always come first, so they're everywhere. Books don't count as mess; with everything else he is far more neat. But if it involves paper or ink, it will be all over the place. His flat is like his clothing: neat, extravagant, but with ink-stains on the cuffs.