The Titanic’s 1st class reception room was located on D-Deck midships. The first sight for many who boarded the great ship, this opulent room was richly furnished with bright red and ornately designed tile. The spacious room, which encompassed the entire width of the ship, was laid out with furniture largely of wicker & fabric over wood. The walls were made of white oak and decorated with carved oak inlays painted white. Lighting reflected off the painted walls from bronze and glass 5-bulb chandeliers, as well as natural light which came pouring into the room by way of large leaded glass windows. The windows lined this room on both sides of the ship and allowed bright sunshine to pour in through dual portholes, with backup lighting behind the glass ensuring that this room remained as brightly illuminated as possible at all hours of the day.
From the D-Deck landing of the Grand Staircase, passengers could make a truly ‘grand’ entrance, mingle with their fellow passengers, and then enter into the 1st class dining saloon in style.
Today the once opulent 1st class reception room is a dark and mysterious space. It exists today as an almost alien world…. A world far removed from the luxury it once bore…. a cavernous dark space within Titanic where rusticles and silt leave much of the space buried and inaccessible. Yet, among all this desolation and decay there are innumerable traces of the elegance that once made it one of the signature 1st class spaces on the ship.
Information & Images Courtesy Of: Encyclopedia Titanic, Titanic: The Ship Magnificent, Bruce Beveridge, James Cameron, Ken Marschall, Storied Treasures Collection, Harland & Wolff Archive, RMS TITANIC INC, IFREMER, Discovery Channel,
