Downton Abbey Finds: Season 1 Episode 3
Lets start with this beautiful dress that Edith is wearing. Â I love the navy and look at those buttons! Â Here are 2 pictures so you can get the full idea. Â The shape is awesome as a dress but the top would make an awesome shirt. Â The contrasting lapel fabric is cut to give that nice sweetheart shape that is so flattering while maintaining that nice modest and comfortable V-neck.
Here’s a home inspiration for you. Â I love the shades. Â There is a foot or so of lace attached to the bottom of the shades. Â What a cheap and easy way to spruce up roller shades! Â I also love how the desk faces into the Bay window. Â It’s an odd furniture arrangement but it seems to work. Â Then again, it’s a tv show so it’s hard to tell how well it would flow in real life but I do love a desk facing a window.
And last but not least, this jacket. Â Light blue with dark blue cuffs and top half of a notched collar with a bit of the dark blue trim on the pockets. Â This would be an easy upgrade to make to a fairly simple wool coat but that contrast just really makes it pop. Â I’d definitely wear that jacket right now.
As always, stay tuned for some more DA finds!
Sarah
Downton Abbey Finds: Season 1 Episode 2
Look at this Hall Tree. Love it! Also the ceramic umbrella stand. Beautiful.
And this was cool, this swivel tea-pot. I’ve never seen a silver service like this. Pretty cool!
Stay tuned for more cool things I saw in Downton Abbey!
Sarah
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The silver “tea pot” which you are referring to is not a tea pot at all (the dowager countess is holding the actual tea pot in her right hand…). Rather, it’s a ‘hot water kettle’ – a standard piece in any proper Victorian or Edwardian tea service. It comes with a burner in it’s base, which keeps the water hot for serving. Her first act is to add a bit of hot water into the ceramic tea pot, so as to pre-warm it. This step is very important if the ceramic pot is cold, as it will otherwise chill the brewing tea. Once she’s warmed the pot, she pours off the residual water into a silver receptacle designed for that purpose. Next, she measures out the loose tea into the warmed pot, and then will fill it with fresh hot water from the swivel hot water kettle.
Downton Abbey Finds: Season 1 Episode 1
As part of my new un-employed lifestyle, I’ve decided to re-watch Downton Abbey with an eye for the cool props, costumes and other things in the house.
One thing that really caught my eye in the first episode was this awesome key-chain belt clip that Mrs. Hughes wears. Â It has a pair of little scissors as well as all the house keys on it. Â I think it could make a super aweseome and super functional accessory. Â Kind of a stylish version of a multi-tool: Little scissors, little pen, a couple keys…
The other thing I noticed was this beautiful linen skirt that Lady Grantham wore. Â I can definitely see myself wearing a version of this skirt. Â Definitely high-waisted and impeccably tailored. Â Not as tight as modern pencil skirts but still very strait-lined. Â The embelishment down the front is a great added touch and I love the modern-ness and practicality of the nude long sleeves on the dress.
At the very end of the first episode of the first season, I fell in love with Mrs. Crawley and her son’s dining room.
It’s so bright and cheerful. Â I love the decorative paint treatment above the chair rail and the furn in the urn on the little table is a great touch. Â I’ve got to figure out where to put ferns in the house and I love the idea of using a stencil on just one strip of wall instead of the whole thing. Â I’ll have to figure out where I can do that!
In addition, look at the captains chair at the table. Â It’s got an open back but upholstered arms: Very interesting and different. Â I’ve never seen a set like that. Â I’d take those chairs in my dining room any day! Â Also note the large variety of wood tones. Â The very dark spiral cut legs on the right with the spindle legs and the lace-work on the buffet on the left. Â Also the use of the warm gray on the walls is so trendy right now and really makes this room pop.
I love this show and I’m excited to spend some time re-watching it and paying more attention to the sets and costuming now that I know the plot!
Sarah
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I really need to find a good way to get larger images from the show. Any ideas?
sheila zimmermann
8/23/2013 | 8:19 am Permalink
Another nice blog as I sit at my desk facing out the window watching all the walkers and such.