Iconic TV Kitchens: Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey, the critically acclaimed British tv sequence, held an property full of a few of our favourite characters…and much more drama. From its meticulous and painstaking consideration to historic element to awe-inspiring set design, maybe one of the vital equally charming and useful areas within the present sits on the coronary heart of all of it: the kitchen. And on this article, we’ll look simply at what made this kitchen a masterclass in interval authenticity and performance. 

Contemplating the time-period during which Downton Abbey occurred, viewers had been provided a glimpse into sides of life: the aristocratic life stuffed with wealth, events, and scandals by the Crawley household and the opposite half, the devoted employees doing with their finest with the hand that life has dealt them. And to really seize this period, the manufacturing designers needed to recreate each aspect of a time-period of change, one during which households just like the Crawleys desperately tried to carry on to a lifestyle that was slowly slipping from their grasp. 

On the coronary heart of this evolving society was a employees which we acquired to know across the cooking quarters, led by Ms. Patmore. And initially trying on the kitchen, it doesn’t appear like a lot. In a time the place kitchens had been extra centered on performance than trying flashy, set designers wanted the format of the kitchen to easily replicate the sensible wants of a big property. From distinct workstations for numerous duties to forged iron stoves, and ample countertop area, the aim of this kitchen was meant for a bustling employees to maneuver effectively and with ease. 

When contemplating components throughout the Downton Abbey kitchen, we think about the utilization of wooden, stone, and cast-iron supplies to strengthen the period of the present. A number of pictures give away wood cupboards and cabinets, wood counter tops for sensible prep work, and an assortment of classic home equipment that give off a country appeal whereas offering viewers with a real interval aesthetic. 

And maybe one of many standout components of this kitchen’s design is the big, multi-paned home windows that provide useful lighting in the course of the day, providing the employees a heat and alluring ambiance to finish a big selection of duties. When the solar goes down and the “showtime” of dinner begins, iron chandeliers and wall-mounted sconces with glass shades bathe the kitchen in useful mild for all hours of the night time. 

And maybe one of the vital exceptional components of the kitchen’s design is the eye to element in the case of decor placement. Set designers masterfully adorned the partitions with something from classic adverts to household portraits and different period-appropriate designs. This stuff assist so as to add depth, historic significance, and break up what would in any other case be a really dull-looking area. 

Whereas the time of Downtown Abbey may really feel like a world away, from a whole lot of the useful concerns of such a kitchen, possibly there’s simply one thing we will be taught from that period when designing our personal kitchens.