Cora Mills' House

Full disclosure: I have a huge problem with the way they wrote Regina's early life and her relationship with Cora. For someone who spent half her life hell-bent on making her daughter queen, Cora did a downright terrible job of educating her for the position, and I have a difficult time bridging the gap between Regina's evolutionary stages. This entry consists of more questions than answers.

 

 Henry being a younger son, this rural estate might have been their only dwelling (cities do not seem to exist in Once). It doesn't look like working farmland. Cora had magic and scheming to entertain her; Regina had her horseback riding; what Henry did to keep busy is a mystery.

What kind of room is this, anyway? There's a mirror, a screen, and two chairs, all of which suggest private space, but it's huge.

Baffling, given the attention they normally pay to set dressing. Someone in the tags some months back pointed out the continuity of the white horse here with the sculpture in her office. Interesting that that sole element should carry over, especially since she no longer rides.
The other important part of the house is Cora's vault.

I cannot for the life of me imagine what the figure in the niche might represent for Cora, but I will happily entertain theories.