The Fireplace Room
Flames and a wine-red sofa
About The Fireplace Room
The fireplace room is the scene at Queen's Butler The Studio in which the gentle light of the electric fire and the wine-red sofa can be held in a single frame. Combining a seated figure, a butler in attendance, and the clock and candelabra on the mantelpiece, you can create different depths for portraits, family keepsakes and recorded conversations.
What stories of people can be photographed in the fireplace room?
A couple marking a milestone
Bring a bouquet or a letter, and you can compose the moment when the eyes of the one seated on the sofa and the one offering it meet.
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A solitary portrait with a book
Frame in turn the hands opening a book, the profile and the electric flames, and a sequence of quiet time emerges.
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A frame with family or friends
With up to six guests, not everyone need be seated on the sofa at once.
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A conversation face to face
Placing the speakers at an angle makes it easier to capture both their expressions and the fireplace behind them at once.
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From which era do the fireplace and sofa inherit their design?
| Mantelpiece | Walnut with a marble-effect finish, 1,150mm wide and 1,019mm high. The flames are electric; it is not a working fire. |
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| Design background | It draws on the history of the fireplace as the centre of life in European houses of the 18th and 19th centuries, and on the marble-topped designs that run from the French Rococo into the Napoleon III period. |
| On the mantelpiece | A mantel clock, a pair of candelabra and a mirror in a gilded frame. Together with the oil painting on the wall, they form fine layers behind the subject. |
| Ceiling light | A French six-light chandelier of the 1920s. As it hangs at a different height from the electric fire, a full-length figure gains a vertical flow to the eye. |
| Chairs and table | A Rococo-style wine-red velvet sofa, a coffee table and chairs. Where to sit and whether pieces may be moved is advised on the day by the butler, after checking their condition. |
| Walls | A gold damask pattern makes a deep contrast with the wine-red fabric. The impression changes according to whether you use a broad expanse as background or crop the pattern tightly. |
A composition that makes the most of the fireplace does not give the electric fire's light the leading role alone; it joins the subject's expression, the wine-red fabric and the gilded walls in a single line of sight. When the photographer first decides the subject's gaze and the angle of view, and the butler arranges the props around the sofa and the passageways, there is less rearranging during the shoot. Begin with a wide frame that shows the full figure or the relationship between two people, then move closer to the expression and to hands holding a bouquet or a book. From the same position, turning the subject's gaze to the fire, to their companion or to the camera creates a calm flow of time.
The electric flames are placed where they do not draw the eye from the subject
The electric fire is a furnishing that adds the play of flickering flames to the background without using real fire. A composition that shows the fireplace large and head-on, one that places it at the edge of the frame, and one that reveals it only slightly past the subject each shift the story's centre of gravity, even with the same seated pose. We ask the photographer's intention and, before the subject sits, the butler checks with you a position where the clock and candelabra do not overlap the face.
For a scene of a bouquet or letter being handed over, an angled position from which the recipient's expression and the offering hands are both visible is a candidate. When using items you have brought, we first look at their wrapping and size and decide how to place them without touching the sofa or the table.
The brightness and colour of the lighting depend on your equipment, costumes and the finish you seek. Rather than fixing particular settings, please check both skin tone and flames against test shots. The butler does not operate the lighting equipment in the photographer's place, but manages the Manor's own lights and passageways so that any adjustment can be made safely.
For a conversation, we first separate expressions from the route for serving drinks you have brought
Seating for a conversation is an arrangement in which the speakers see each other's faces naturally, while the photographer can choose between profile and full face. The butler checks whether the chairs may be moved, given the condition of the furnishings; if not, we adjust the camera position instead.
If drinks you have brought are to appear in frame, separating the moment a cup is set down, the pouring hands and the start of conversation makes sound and movement easier to manage. The butler takes the cue to serve from the photographer and returns to a position that does not interrupt the conversation. Drinks and sweets may be brought in, but the Manor does not provide meals.
The Manor is not a dedicated recording facility and cannot promise silence or a constant acoustic environment. Please allow a short sound check before recording and bring any equipment you need. A butler is always present in the room and we never leave the Manor unattended, so we agree in advance where the butler will stand during recording.
From arrival to departure, in what order does a shoot in the fireplace room proceed?
The butler welcomes you
On arrival, the butler bows in welcome and confirms your luggage, costumes and the number in your party. On rainy days, we first show you where wet umbrellas and coats are to go.
View the fireplace room together
We check the electric fire, the sofa, the table and the passageways with the photographer. The butler explains the condition of the furnishings and what may be handled.
Decide the first composition
Fix the camera position before the subject sits, and test how the costume sits against the walls and the sofa. Sort out the frames you need: full length, half length, hands.
Match props and gestures
Decide where the bouquet, book or letter is placed and the order of handing over. If the butler appears in frame, the bow, the approach and the offering hands follow the photographer's cue.
Shoot in changing combinations
With up to six guests, dividing into everyone, one alone, two together and so on makes the progress easy to follow. The butler shows the next person in and keeps the passageways clear.
Easy to prepare
- Costumes, shoes and accessories: please group them by the combination you wish to photograph.
- Bouquets, books, letters and keepsakes may be brought in.
- Cameras, tripods, lighting and sound equipment: please prepare them to suit your purpose.
- Food and drink may be brought in.
Items and actions to discuss at booking
- Anything involving fire, smoke or strong heat is treated separately from the appearance of the electric fire and candelabra.
- Effects using liquids, oils, or cosmetics and paints that transfer colour: we confirm containers, protective covering and distance from the furnishings in advance.
- If bringing in large equipment or many cases, please tell us the number and approximate size.
- Moving furnishings, touching the candelabra or the clock, and standing on the sofa: please do not decide for yourselves, but always speak to the butler in the room.
How does the shoot change for one, two or up to six guests?
| One guest | A sequence of gestures can be kept: reading a book, looking at a letter, turning to the fire. Please separate the props for each change of costume. |
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| Two guests | Sitting side by side, facing each other, handing over a bouquet or a letter. Please tell us first which of you is to be the focus. |
| Three or more | We separate those seated from those standing. Each time the combination changes, the butler checks footing and passageways and shows the next person in. |
| Up to six | The Manor takes up to six guests. Writing out the order of everyone, small groups and individuals makes it easier to decide where those waiting will be. |
| Rainy days | On rainy days, too, the shoot proceeds with the Manor's interiors at its centre. We allow time to dry wet clothing and equipment, and arrange the order in which costumes are handled. |
| Seasonal touches | The season can be expressed through the flowers, letters and costume colours you bring. Please consider how they combine with wine-red and gold. |
A shoot with a butler in attendance is one in which the butler does not merely receive you but remains in the room throughout, watching over the furnishings and the passageways and assisting with whatever gestures are needed. With both male and female butlers in attendance, and as a Manor run by the Japan Butler Association, a general incorporated association, we listen to the intentions of guest and photographer and make clear on the spot what may be touched and what is to be left to us. We never leave the Manor unattended.
QIs there a real fire in the fireplace?
No, the flames are electric. It is not a working fire, and how it appears in photographs varies with camera position and exposure.
QHow many people can be seated?
The Manor takes up to six guests, but that does not mean everyone sits on the sofa at once. We separate those seated from those standing and agree with the butler a composition that protects the furnishings and passageways.
QMay I bring my own bouquet?
Yes, bouquets may be brought in. So that moisture from the flowers and the wrapping do not touch the furnishings, please tell us the size and how it is to be handled at booking.
QWhat should I wear?
You may come in everyday clothes or in a costume for the shoot. Consider the impression you wish to leave against the wine-red and gold background, and prepare the whole ensemble, shoes included.
QMay I bring cameras and lighting?
Yes, photographic equipment may be brought in. Please share in advance the amount of equipment and the approximate number of tripods and lights, and we will discuss an arrangement that leaves room for subjects and the butler to pass.
QCan conversation audio be recorded cleanly?
As the Manor is not a dedicated recording facility, we do not guarantee silence or constant acoustics. If you plan to record, please bring the sound equipment you need and make a brief check on site before starting.
About using The Studio
- The manor is never let unattended. A butler is present for every booking, and keys are not handed over
- You are welcome to bring your own food and drink. We do not provide meals
- Please use the antique furnishings under the butler's guidance. The armour, hall clock, porcelain and silver are handled by the butler
- Please consult us in advance about loud sound or the use of naked flames
- Prices shown include tax
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Before the fire, the warmest frame of all.
Photography, conversation or rest: tell us what you wish from the fireplace room.