Iconic TV Kitchens: Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey, the critically acclaimed British tv sequence, held an property crammed with 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 purposeful 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 by which Downton Abbey occurred, viewers have been provided a glimpse into sides of life: the aristocratic life filled with wealth, events, and scandals by means of 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 by 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 wanting on the kitchen, it doesn’t appear like a lot. In a time the place kitchens have been extra centered on performance than wanting flashy, set designers wanted the structure of the kitchen to easily mirror the sensible wants of a big property. From distinct workstations for varied 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 take into account the utilization of wooden, stone, and cast-iron supplies to bolster the period of the present. A number of pictures give away picket cupboards and cabinets, picket 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 purposeful lighting through the day, providing the employees a heat and alluring environment 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 purposeful mild for all hours of the night time. 

And maybe one of the vital outstanding components of the kitchen’s design is the eye to element in relation to decor placement. Set designers masterfully adorned the partitions with something from classic advertisements 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 would possibly really feel like a world away, from quite a lot of the purposeful concerns of such a kitchen, perhaps there’s simply one thing we will study from that period when designing our personal kitchens.