kensington bliss: Divine Design... Downton Abbey

Monday, February 11, 2013

Divine Design... Downton Abbey

As a recent Downton Abbey enthusiast, (I know, I know, it took me until 2013 to jump on the already-crowded bandwagon)... I just HAD to include a little celebratory post featuring its beautiful interiors. This PBS Masterpiece Classic created by Julian Fellowes is set in early 1900's Edwardian England, in the country home, Highclere Castle, of Newbery, West Berkshire, England. It involves all of the typically juicy plot twists and turns of a fictional soap opera drama about both the upper class Crawley family who lives in the castle and the working class servant 'family' who lives in the quarters below. All of these fictional stories involving each of the equally-weighted characters are set among historically accurate events of the time....World War I, a changing political landscape with respect to socioeconomics, gender roles, class distinctions/system, etc.

As mentioned in my earlier Downton Abbey post, http://kensingtonbliss.blogspot.com/2013/01/delicious-detail-in-downton-abbey.html, any lover of fashion or interiors can become mesmerized by the beautiful, authentic design details of the show... from the rich, velvet draperies, to the silk damask wall coverings, to the sterling silverware, to the crystal candelabras, to the ornate, gilded woodwork, to the beautifully patina-ed Persian rugs, to the lush, green landscape...every element of the Castle and its surroundings.

An aerial view of Highclere Castle, setting of Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey creator and writer, Julian Fellows at Rules, London's oldest restaurant...this pic was fun to discover since I once visited this restaurant during a family trip to London, (thanks to my travel-director-at-heart, Mother, Lucia...)

I love the graphic detail on the castle facade...the floral reliefs, feminine, ornate entrance contrasted with the geometric, masculine, solid front door

Lord Grantham in a pensive stance, on the carefully manicured lawn of Downton Abbey....

Music room hung with 16th C Italian embroideries below Baroque ceiling

Extensive Library room with rich, rust red upholstery, window panels, and beautiful graphic Persian rug...the deeper hues in this room have more of a Victorian (vs Edwardian) vibe...

This may be my favorite room of the house...the very masculine 'Smoking' room with coral/orange walls, Persian rug, leather/mahogany furniture, and 17th C. Dutch paintings...(can you tell I have a Persian rug obsession? I just love the colorful, graphic, artistic, handmade, one-of-a-kind nature of these works of art!)

I love the sunny yellow walls of this room, so vibrant and cheerful...

I also love the grass-green walls in this room...we recently painted our master bedroom in a very similar color. So soothing, warm, and full of life, particularly in a northern chilly climate...see prior post for my adventures in paint selection....http://kensingtonbliss.blogspot.com/2012/03/kelly-green-inspiration.html

Dining room with its grand scale ceiling, paintings, mahogany furniture/mantle, and antique Persian rug...

Soft, beautiful, tiffany blue walls (although depending on the lighting, this color ranges from a powder blue, as in this pic, to a more robins-egg blue), four poster canopy bed, ornate gilded mirror & sconces...

Gothic style 'Saloon' room completed in the 1860's with Spanish leather wall coverings....again, love the soft/'rust' red tones in the upholstery and rug

The quaint chintz-filled 'Morning' room in all its quintessential English charm

So interesting to see all of the advances in technology, and how they came into play throughout the show....

All of the above photos with the bright, bold, cheerful colors, typical of the Edwardian period (as a notable lift from the darker hues used during the Victorian age), can be contrasted with the neutral, monochromatic color scheme of the downstairs servants' utilitarian quarters, as shown below...Although, this neutral palette is certainly has a soothing/calming effect. AND, I LOVE the copper pots!