Camden Place, Bath. Sir Walter Elliot and his family reading.
Thomas Hope (1769–1831), the style icon of the Regency interior, would have been happy with these images of Sir Walter Elliot’s interior of Camden Place in Persuasion 1995. Thomas Hope was known for the “decorative details and ornament based on influences from his nearly ten-year Grand Tour, as well as from motifs from ancient Greece and Egypt.”
Camden Place: A view of the Drawing Room
Hope’s startling juxtaposition of styles included Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Indian elements, as well as his own version of the French Empire style. Classical sculpture and vases were displayed alongside modern paintings and sculpture. Most striking of all was the inventive and exotic furniture that Hope designed specifically for the house. – Exhibition, Thomas Hope, V&A Museum
Camden Place: Dining Room (Anne and Elizabeth Elliot and Mrs. Clay)
From these images it is quite obvious that the set designer of this film chose furniture and draperies that for the Regency era would have been regarded as ultra fashionable. Sir Walter might have moved from Kellynch Hall to reduce his expenses, but his tastes remain expensive and he shows no inclination to follow the rules of economy.
More on the Topic
- Thomas Hope: Design a Room
- Thomas Hope: Household Furniture and Interior Decoration
- Thomas Hope: Duchess Street
Thomas Hope: Regency Designer
Like designers of his day, Sir Thomas Hope drew his planned room design ahead of time. Witness the following whole room design:
Jane Austen's World 
Though the interiors are glorious, what strikes me is the languid, bored out of their gourd, air of the inhabitants. At the beginning of Persuasion, Anne Elliot is the busy drudge, expected to do her duty because she hasn’t snagged a man, much as Cassandra and Jane Austen were to their brother’s ever increasing families. They could have populated the state of Rhode Island with their offspring. Strange the film didn’t show the character’s bedrooms; that’s where the action was.
Robin in AZ
Odd that in all the images shown, the floorcoverings are notable for their absence of decoration – a contrast with what came before, and after until the 20th century. Would there really have been no patterned carpets or ornamental tiles or parquets in the more fashionable and expensive interiors at that time?
I think the set designers wanted to keep the interior looking “modern” for the era. I did wonder about the bare floor, but the decision helps to make the room light and airy.