Dayle and Ysabel's Condo
Dayle and Ysabel's second-level, two-floor condo is decorated in fairly modern style. Most of the furniture is wood, solid in construction and not overly elaborate. The living room and halls are carpeted in soft off-white high-pile. There are a few pictures and sets of shelves on the walls, and sitting on the mantel there are photos of each member of the Yolgrave family. A wrought iron fireplace set stands, still wrapped in plastic, against the brick of the hearth.
The living room is dominated by a large deep blue sofa which rests against the wall, although furrows in the carpet suggest there is some debate as to whether the sofa should sit in the middle of the room facing the fireplace, or against the wall facing the TV. There are two armchairs as well; not big ungainly chairs but smaller, upholstered in off-white fabric with a small, tasteful blue floral print. The big windows at the front of the room are hung with diaphanous pale blue curtains. Tied back with silken rope and obviously just for decoration, the windows themselves are completely covered with a set of heavy blinds. The blinds bend to meet the wall so that absolutely no sunlight is able to get through. The pictures on the wall are of fields and meadows mostly, and seem to be more than just prints. In fact, they are photos of the Yolgrave estate, taken professionally, both during the day and at night. An offwhite ceiling fan hangs from the center of the room, with tasteful area lighting that is not too bright, yet covers the whole of the living room.
The kitchen is full of modern appliances, all brand new. Although a fairly small area, it is made to look more spacious with light off-white tile that matches the carpeting, and light-colored wood cabinets. The side-by-side refrigerator holds assorted magnets. A crocheted rainbow and pot of gold hangs on the fridge, as well, but it actually hides a small magnetic mirror.
The dining room boasts a small square table with four chairs and a glass-front, mirror-backed cabinet that holds various knick knacks and conversation pieces. A drawer in the bottom of the cabinet has room for a set of silver, when they buy it. A sophisticated-looking white phone hangs at eye height (for the condo's occupants; about five feet or 1.6m) from the wall next to the dishwasher. Its extra-long cord coils on the floor.
These three rooms comprise the 'common territory' of the condo, although they have a mostly manufactured feel to them, as if this isn't the primary residence of either occupant. A cleaning service comes in once a week in the evening, to dust and vaccuum and clean the kitchen and bathrooms.
The first floor holds Dayle's room; the upstairs is Ysabel's.
Dayle's room is located just off the living and dining rooms, behind the left door off the cubby that hides the washer and dryer.
The walls and doors are a similar off-white to the rest of the house. The carpet differs from the rest of the house; it is a light charcoal grey, though like the rest of the carpetting, is high-pile. The left wall holds a waist-high, long bookshelf that stretches to the double-folding-door closet near the far wall. The top of the shelf is unfettered at the moment, though either a terrarium, small herb garden, or something similarly relaxing is planned. The lower four shelves are jam-packed with novels, manuscripts, and magazines. The wall above sports several assorted posters and paintings.
The twin folding doors to the larger of the two closets are bare and flat, but Dayle plans for hangings or art of some sort to adorn them.
The room's large double window is covered in similar heavy blinds to the living room. Pale pink curtains hang, a rebellious statement by the occupant of the room.
A wide, heavy duty floor mat covers half the floor between the bed and the windows. An L-shaped cherry-and-slate desk stands in the corner. Currently home to several piles of folders and catalogues, and a stack of folded towels covers the well-hidden computer display.
The queen bed sitting high next to the desk has no discernible bedframe. The starry black quilt dangles low to the floor, ruffled only by several pairs of shoes in various states of uprightness. The head of the bed is situated towards the middle of the room; two pillows raise the quilt slightly, topped by two matching starry black pillows above the quilt itself.
An ornate, dark wooden chest stands at the end of the bed on a stone shelf, high above the floor.
In the corner near the bathroom hall stands a light cherrywood dresser. Rounded knobs on each of the four drawers are crafted of what looks like black plastic from afar, but upon closer inspection a soft fuzziness can be detected. They are in fact carved from onyx. An alarm clock rests near the edge, its Indiglo(tm) auto-glow visible at all hours.
The overhead ceiling fan seems to be the only source of light at the moment.
Between the bathroom hall and the main bedroom door is a wide, not-so-deep lingerie chest.
The bathroom hall is short. The left side has another set of double folding doors, behind which Dayle stores her work clothes and exercise outfits.
The bathroom door is almost always ajar; a maintenance call has been placed to have the hingest reseated so it will close correctly. To the left behind the door is the off-white tub. Currently without curtain, Dayle uses the detachable showerhead while sitting on the floor of the tub. The toilet and vanity both match the off-white porcelain of the bathtub. The only two items that sit alone on the top of the vanity counter are a hairbrush and a toothbrush. The dimmer switch works as the one in Ysabel's bathroom does - with no full-on switch. A second door leads back out into the cubby with the washer and dryer. This one closes correctly.
Ysabel's room is carpeted with the same plush high pile as the rest of the condo. Her bed sits in the corner against the bathroom wall, a double-width bed with a very low, slatted headboard. The sheets are of deep red satin and the feather comforter spread over them is of deep rose. There is a lacy bed ruffle around the edge, and two pillows side by side on the bed although there is nothing else in the room to suggest it is occupied by more than one person.
A nightstand sits at the side of the bed with an alarm clock whose numbers are set on the dimmest setting possible. The only other things on the nightstand are a photo in a floral-engraved wooden frame of Ysabel, Dayle, Richard, and Elsa, and whatever book she may be reading.
There are a dresser and a bookcase along the wall that borders the stairs. The dresser holds various underthings and nightwear including a selection of stockings, some fairly modern, some far more old-fashioned, all very delicate and ladylike. On top of the dresser sit several knick knacks - a little wooden cardinal, a miniature carved rocking horse. The antiquer's eye would note that they are quite authentic and surprisingly old. The bookcase holds a wide variety of books, some of poetry, some mysteries, some romances, some fantasy, and most of all a great deal of historical fiction. In the corner by the windows, opposite the bed but along the same wall, there's a small chest of drawers with a CD player on top. The drawers hold a collection of neatly arranged CDs, mostly classical, some very soft rock, some jazz, some pop.
In the walk-in closet, there is a treasure trove of old-fashioned gowns and shoes. Everything from Elizabethan gowns, Tudor gowns, court regalia, day gowns, spanning a crosspiece of years that moves all the way into Regency England in the early 1800's. There are several old-styled riding habits complete with matching hats, and a split skirt or two for the same purpose. There are lines of shoes on the floor beneath the gowns/ Some are delicate ladies' slippers and some are more practical ankle-high walking boots. A pair of ankle-high riding boots, well-worn, also sits here.
The bathroom is tiled in white and rose, to match the bedroom. There is a mirror above the sink with a little cabinet right below it. The cabinet holds an array of hairstyling products, clips, pins, holders, and several brushes. There is a bath mat laid carefully over the side of the whirpool tub, and the shower curtain is white with roses and wildflowers.
The entire room, including the bathroom, is lit by track lights with dimmers. They start off soft and grow in intensity as the dimmer is turned. There is no way to turn the lights all the way up without first going through the softest phases. The windows, in addition, are heavily covered with a double set of blinds and deep red drapes.