How To Decorate Your Home Like Downton Abbey

When the first season of "Downton Abbey" came on air in 2012, few people predicted that it would become so popular. But with fascinating characters, lavish décor and costumes, and a sense of reliving a past lost not too long ago, "Downton Abbey" quickly became a television sensation. The show features the story of the Granthams, an aristocratic family living during the first decades of the 20th century. The plot follows not only the noble family, but also their servants and the community around them, as per IMDb.

Not everyone has centuries of family heirlooms to decorate their multi-level, ancestral homes. But we can certainly take inspiration from the multitude of rooms, styles, and decorative elements from the lush décor. Indeed, when the show peaked in popularity in 2015 and 2016, there was a renewed interest in late Victorian and early 20th century décor, per Architectural Digest. Whether you prefer the traditional style or a more modern take on it, "Downton Abbey" contains plenty of ideas that you can replicate in your own home.

Cora's personal drawing room is a pastel feast for the eyes, with soft hunter green wallpaper, golden and beige mouldings, and soft peach seating. This is where Cora would receive her personal guests, such as the Dowager Countess, during the day. Traditionally, drawing rooms were meant for women to withdraw after dinner while the men finished with cigars, scotch, and conversation. After an interval, the men would eventually rejoin the women in the drawing room, as discussed by author Robert Kerr in his 1865 book "The Gentleman's House." 

Think of a drawing room as the modern living room, where people can sit down in a less formal setting for conversation. When there are no guests, it's also a space where you can relax and enjoy your favorite hobbies: watching "Downton Abbey," perhaps? In any case, to imitate the style of Cora's personal drawing room, choose a pastel palette, lots of soft, upholstered seating, and golden accents everywhere. Do not be afraid to mix and match the color of the seating — as you can see, Cora uses both peach and beige chairs.

If you pay attention while watching "Downton Abbey," you'll notice that many rooms have large portraits and artwork, many of which are of ancestors of the Crawley family. Aristocratic families would hang these portraits and art as a testament to their rank, and the most illustrious ancestors would have a center place in important spaces like the dining room or the lobby, according to Reviews in History. 

You may not have large family paintings hanging in your home from generations past, but you may have family photos that you want to display in your home. There are many different ways to do so, as Architectural Digest suggests. Consider a mix of sizes like in the "Downton Abbey" dining room, and fill a wall with them. For the traditional feel of an ancestral British home, choose more gilded, traditional frame styles for your most important portraits. Many artists can also transform your photos into custom paintings, if you have the budget. 

In large, old homes such as Highclere Castle (the real name of the manor use as the setting for "Downton Abbey"), the floors were mostly made of stone and wood, which means they would be cold in the winter, according to Victorian Era. To avoid chilly feet, there would be rugs laid down to add comfort and warmth. In this scene with the Crawley family in the library, you can see a large rug spread across several seating areas. The colors of the rug are also reflected in the seating shades and drapes. You can easily see how the large statement rug pulls the entire library together.

While you may not have a library or living room as large as this one (one can only dream!), there are many ways you can use a rug to bring a room together, as Elle Decor shows. A large rug that covers most of the floor would make a grand statement, but smaller rugs can also be helpful in putting the finish touch to a Downton-inspired design.

Mary's bedroom on "Downton Abbey" is much more dramatic than her mother's. With a red and white patterned wallpaper and opulent damask drapes matching the seating, her décor style is definitely bold, just like her character. Notice the understated rug that gives all the attention to the walls, and the similar floral pattern between the damask drapes and the wallpaper. She chose gold as an accent color, which can be seen in the minimal art frames. 

According to Bradbury and Bradbury, Victorian wallpapers existed in several different styles. The bold floral pattern featured in Mary's room was certainly not uncommon, and can still be found today with a little research. And according to Elle Decor, contrast floral wallpaper is fashionable again, so that's one more reason to choose a late-Victorian or Edwardian-inspired style for your bedroom. When using such a wallpaper, it's better to understate other decorative elements to avoid saturating the room with too much visual contrast, so keep the rest of your room simple. 

Yes, Mary's bedroom again! After she marries and has a child, Mary moves to a different bedroom with a different décor style, as per IMDb. Although we still find a floral pattern that's similar to that of her previous room, this one is more subtle and understated. The green-on-green damask monochrome still adds dramatic flair, but not as much as the red and white pattern we saw earlier. In this room, the mantelpiece is the focus, and the hunter green makes the pale marble pop quite a lot.

To reproduce this style in your own bedroom, choose a color that you want to feature, and then a damask pattern that you like. Damask can come in many different styles and colors, from very traditional to super modern. Vogue reports that damask has come back on trend, so don't be afraid to use it in your bedroom or living room. When you use damask, be careful not to superimpose other patterns on top of it. It's great, however, as a backdrop to architectural features you want to bring more attention to.

One thing we haven't paid attention to yet are the baseboard and crown mouldings all over the Abbey in "Downton Abbey." In the above image, we can see clearly the high baseboard moulding gilded with gold accents. The soft beige is the perfect contrast to the pale hunter green damask wallpaper, and golden details add a level of refinement.

In many Victorian houses, these baseboard and crown trims still exist and are maintained as architectural features of the home — just as they have been at Highclere Castle, the setting for "Downton Abbey". According to This Old House, A well-chosen crown molding draws the eye up and adds drama and architectural value to any room. Another article by Metrie describes the different types of baseboard trim and which styles they go well with. If you want a décor inspired by "Downton Abbey," adding trim to your rooms is essential.