Getting the Abbey habit

The second series of the period drama Downton Abbey has prompted a revival in all things elaborate and vintage. “The rooms in Downton are so fascinating to look at,” says Judith Miller, one of the experts on BBC’s Antiques Roadshow. “They’re worthy of a show in themselves because they’re filled with treasures and authentic period details. Antiques and vintage pieces, which are already enjoying renewed popularity have been given a further boost.”

Our enthusiasm for vintage is, she believes, partly fuelled by a hankering for nostalgia and a desire for the perceived order, obedience and security of past eras. “The modern world is quite scary and people now want their homes to be nurturing spaces, where they feel cocooned, safe

“There’s an appreciation for furniture and possessions that have been handed down over the years and have a history. There’s a romance in that,” says Miller who is also the author of Miller’s Antiques Handbook and Price Guide.

“Increasingly on the Antiques Roadshow we find people bringing along their items and no matter how high their value, they still want to keep them. They treasure them emotionally for their craftsmanship and links to their family history.”

She insists it’s possible to capture the charm of the Edwardian era by featuring just a few vintage pieces. “This was such a diverse era for style because it reflected all sorts of influences, from Victorian and Art Nouveau, to Arts and Crafts or more delicate Sheraton-style pieces, with painted or marquetry effects. There really is something to appeal to everyone. There’s no need to slavishly follow a period look or specific era. In fact, mixing old pieces with new is more fashionable. “I live in an Edwardian house and have Philippe Starck furniture mixing with antiques. Vintage pieces are wise buys as new designer furniture depreciates by around a fifth the moment you get it home, in much the same way a new car does. Antiques will generally at least hold their value, if not appreciate. They’re also made to last and many pieces, unless they’re rare, are often very affordable if you source them at auctions, fairs or even car boot sales.”

Marianne Richards, head of styling at HomeSense, says: “Choose curtains and cushions in rich petrol blues, crimsons, burnt orange and bronze, preferably heavily embroidered or with a tapestry effect or damask, and perhaps some tassle fringing. Certain details are typical of that period, such as clawed feet on furniture, marquetry, parquet flooring and black and white tiled floors.”

Recline in style on a velvet Yanna sofa, £1,190 from Sofa.com, upholstered in a chestnut brown fabric. Turn a bedroom into a sanctuary fit for a lady with a ViSpring bed, the Magnificence with Viceroy divan and Eccleston headboard covered in Imperial Gold silk. Beds made to order, from £17,500.

A gilded Cottesbrooke embellished mirror, £50.26, teamed with a gold and crystal Adelaide chandelier, £440, from The Chandelier & Mirror Company, could be just the touches for your own stately home.

Telephones were a new luxury towards the end of the era. Capture communication style with a brass and wood Nostalgia Table Top Telephone, £45, from Past Times.

Bathing was a leisurely affair in grand homes and it’s hard to beat the grandeur of a handmade Usk bateau bath, from £3,390, from Drummonds.

Raise your status with a cushion embroidered with a crown and the title “Her Ladyship”, £15, from Past Times.

Little affordable details evoke the style of bygone eras. Porcelain Button Cupboard Knobs with a design replicating an antique clock with roman numerals are £5 each, available in store from John Lewis. Turn back time with a Pocket watch wall clock, £57, from Shabby Chic Originals.

Below stairs at Downton Abbey, the brooding disciplinarian butler Carson (Jim Carter) and housekeeper Mrs Hughes (Phyllis Logan) rule. But with a kitchen where all the servants gather, it’s still full of atmosphere. “Practical Arts and Crafts furniture, which started to be mass produced in this era so that style and quality was no longer limited to the upper and middle classes, is very collectible,” says Judith Miller.

“A large rustic table with a collection of period chairs is in keeping with the eclectic look of today, where personality in interiors has completely banished sterile minimalism.”

Evoke below-stairs charm with the paint used for the kitchen walls of the Downton Abbey set. They’re painted in a mustard shade, Cat’s Paw No 240, by Farrow & Ball. Its Estate Emulsion finish is £29.50 for 2.5 litres.

* Miller’s Antiques Handbook and Price Guide 2012-2013 by Judith Miller, published by Miller’s Publications, £30.

USEFUL CONTACTS FOR ELEGANT INTERIORS

* The Chandelier & Mirror Company: 01322 437 112/www.chandeliersandmirrors.co.uk

* Drummonds: 01483 237 202/www.drummonds-uk.com

* Farrow & Ball: 01202 876 141/www.farrow-ball.com

* HomeSense: www.homesense.com

* John Lewis: www.johnlewis.com

* Past Times: www.pasttimes.com

* Shabby Chic Originals: 020 7384 3355/www.shabbychicoriginals.co.uk

* Sofa.com: www.sofa.com

* Spode: www.spode.co.uk

* ViSpring: 01752 366 311/www.vispring.co.uk