Though I'm doing this for Bloodhelm, you can use these housing notes for any major city. Whether for flavor text or background for the characters of your party, these are good things to know.
Upscale housing will house not house nobles, but usually houses merchants and other rather rich, but not noble people. These houses are usually two stories, with bedrooms upstairs (usually 4 bedrooms) and a living and cooking/dinning area down below as well as a study.
The study is large enough for a desk, shelves on several walls and chairs for guests who wish to speak business. They are elaborately decorated, though not with much gold or fancy tapestries. The living area is large enough to put three large quilts down comfortably on the floor, with fine chairs and a small table to hold snacks or tea. The dinning room is right next to the kitchen and can house up to 10 people at the table comfortably. The kitchens are usually very nice, with several bread ovens, several cooking fire places and sometimes with pumped in water.
The bedrooms upstairs usually have one large bed or two small beds per room, with chests for clothes and shelves for books and other nick-knacks. A wardrobe is also a normal feature of upscale bedrooms, alone with a fine porcelain wash basin and wall length mirrors. The master suite might even have a soaking tub of their own.
These houses are made of fine wood or fine brick. A bath house is usually adjacent to the house, as is the out house which can be pumped out to the magical sewers in the city. Most have a small stables with three or so horses and maybe a carriage. Most will employ two or so serving staff, but not much more, and the servants will not stay at the house unless they sleep before the fire in the kitchen.
Tomorrow: A bit of History
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