The Downton phenom has sent 21^st century designers scurrying back to rich damasks and sumptuous velvets, to fine porcelain decorative bits and massive potted palms. We are unrolling Granny’s aubussons and reacquainting ourself with Orientals. Tasseled lampshades and fringed pillows are suddenly making our own clean interiors seem a bit, well bare. The Downton look is all about texture, about layering and mixing and generally piling it on—but only in the most tasteful way. Above, we have some things to get you started.

Pictured above, clockwise from far left:

Carson with the lovely ladies of Downton.

This generous pillow is made from a bit of Renaissance era tapestry in what the Brits call “petrol blue.” Its luxury is further enhanced by its down filling, velvet backing, and fine silk tassle trim.

Every British house like Downton (or indeed, Highclere Castle, its actual setting) has some lovely odds and ends picked up on de riguer Grand Tours through Europe. This Italian lamp base from Ann Koerner is a perfect example.

There is not a fine country house in England that isn’t embellished with piles of Chinese Export porcelain. The Granthams would have been proud to own this rare Imari Barber’s Bowl, circa 1725, and it will give your own interiors some immediate provenance.

Injecting texture and color into your room is as easy as tossing Hollyhock’s paisley Kashmir throw over the arm of a chair or back of a sofa.

Can’t you just see this French blue opaline and gilt powder jar, circa 1860, adorning Lady Mary’s dressing table? Don’t you want it too?

This fabulous tobacco velvet armchair with casters from Found would be right at home in Lord Grantham’s library.

Pictured above, top row, from left:

This pair of divine Swedish urns from Ann Koerner would be drop-dead chic all year long, inside or out. But during the holidays we’d especially love them filled with mini-fir trees, multiple amaryllis bulbs, young kumquats, or bay topiaries tied at the base of the trunk with festive satin ribbons.

We are crazy for this beautifully crafted Red Santa from Digs, complete with fur-trimmed cape and burlap bag filled with a rocking horse and other toys. At 18 inches high, he would look great mixed in with other decorations—or start a collection with Brown Santa, Winter White Santa, or Sable Santa with twigs, also from Digs.

The wired tealight holder from And George turns into a sparkling silver orb when lit, and is a must—in mulitiples—for almost every holiday surface. Scatter them down the buffet table or put them on an entrance hall console surrounding a pretty pot of amaryllis to give your guests a lovely welcome

This glittered unicorn ornament from And George comes in green or pale pink and is the perfect present for all the dreamers on your list.

Bottom row, from left:

This glass glitter large reindeer with a twig collar is a noble beast indeed. We’d love to see him keeping watch over a silver bowl of roasted pecans on a side table or cocktail tray, or roaming a larger table with some of his brethren, including Rudolph (who comes complete with red nose).

These glass glitter green trees from Digs would look great as part of a tablescape with Red Santa (above) and some glass glitter reindeer (left). You could also mix several with Digs’s all-silver trees to create a mini-forest. Light the latter with intermittent tealights like the ones above from And George for the most magical table ever.

The Standing Cat tree topper from And George has a lovely silk gimp detail and is backed by a glittering silver star. He’ll provide a touch of Victorian whimsy to almost any tree.

The Vietri scalloped mini-cachepot is exactly the right size for a paperwhite bulb and we love the idea of planting that gorgeous narcissus in multiple pots. Mass the finished products on a console or mantle, or line them up on the kitchen or dining room table. Wherever you put them, they’ll look both festive and amazingly chic and your whole house will smell like heaven.

For an even more heavenly scent, add a handful of the evergreen and balsam scented votives Elton John created for Nest. According to her granddaughter Susan Bartlett Crater, legendary decorator Sister Parish always filled her Manhattan apartment with “paperwhites in abundance” during the holidays, along with “wonderful smelling” pine-scented candles. The combination, Crater says, never failed to set “the mood for a glamorous evening to come.”

Suzanne says: “All the pillows featured here are made of marvelous fabrics, which means they are a great way to spoil yourself—and uplift a room—without spending heaps of money using the same fabric for a chair or sofa. Any of these pillows would bring a solid workhorse sofa to a new level.”

Pictured above, top and bottom far left:

“Robert Kime’s fabrics are hand printed and this palm tree pillow is a favorite. The blue woven pillow is a replica of an arts and crafts fabric and is beautifully nuanced. It would be a great addition to a library.”

Far right, top:

“This silk hand embroidered Rubiyat pillow from Anichini would add richness and depth almost anywhere, but I’d really love it on a beautiful bed to add a layer of texture in front of some crisp shams.”

Far right, bottom:

“I have pillows at Hollyhock in the glazed silk and the cut velvet fabric I designed for Lee Jofa. They are like jewels that you can scatter in a room to enrich it with color or texture—again without the expense of redoing a sofa or chair. These cut velvet pillows from Found are a perfect example.”

For more great pillow ideas visit Pillow Talk on Taigan.com

Pictured above, clockwise from left:

This Corinth Rose bowl from Simon Pearce at Corzine & Co.makes flower arranging fabulously easy.  The mouth is not too wide, which means that anyone can make easy art with a handful of white tulips and peonies like these. It’s also not too high, so you can talk over it at the table.

We love the sand etched finish on this dark blue glass vase from The Mercantile. Here we’ve made an arrangement with white hydrangeas, red peonies, and blue thistle. But you could do a whole tablescape—it has a slightly smaller mate, and both sizes come in a clear etched finish. An example of latter, with an arrangement featuring bright red roses, is to the right.

William Yeoward’s Sophie Vase is a perfect—and perfectly beautiful sphere. Tall, spiky stems like these blue and white agapanthus are a wonderful contrast to its shape.

This hand blown vase in red from Digs makes an instant patriotic statement when filled with a blue blossom like this cobalt hydrangea.

Pictured above, top row:

In addition to owning Hollyhock, her fabulously well-edited shop in L.A.’s La Cienaga Design Quarter, and authoring the great new book At Home: A Style for Today with Things from the Past, Suzanne Rheinstein has a thriving interior design business. And when she creates new pieces for Hollyhock—like these Stacking Tables and the Rectangular Acrylic Coffee Table, she usually tries them out on private clients first. “When I want really high quality new things, the only way to do it is to have them made,” she says. “These tables are made locally in fabulous atelier. There are so many good people in L.A., and I can watch over them.”

Suzanne based the stacking tables on a Japanese design she’s always loved, and says that “two of the big ones next to each other work as a coffee table,” while the small one atop a big one makes a stylish end table. “It would be perfect in our library—and one may well make it’s way there next to the club chair by the fireplace. It would be great for putting down a drink or a few books. What I love about it is that it would work equally well in a more spare room. Our library is definitely not spare!” Currently she’s making some for a client in a porphyry finish, and promises more finishes to come.

Suzanne says she came up with the Lucite coffee table because “it goes with so many styles and it’s very sturdy.” While she says a lot of Lucite can look “a little too seventies,” we think this one, based on a Chinese design is destined to be a classic.

Suzanne also chose the Reclaimed Timber Demilune from Found. “Hang an interesting mirror over this table and put an old bowl on top to drop keys and the dog’s leash, and you will have something attractive to greet you when you come in from the back door.”

Not pictured is the Planked Top Table from Revival: “This handsome table is marvelous—not only in a country setting, but also in an urban loft. Paired with upholstered chairs in a printed cotton, it would be perfect in a kitchen/family room.”

Bottom row:

Richard Keith Langham began his career at Irvine & Fleming, where he worked with Jackie Onassis. Since then, his client list has included everyone from Hillary Swank and Joni Evans to a Mississippi couple whose house is featured in the current Architectural Digest. Keith has an unfailing eye for scale and quality, which is reflected in his table choices.

Far left, a painted Italian Table from Digs: “This Italian table is full of charm and whimsy.  It stands tall on great fluted legs.  The wonderful blue-gray of its original paint is a great compliment to the pinkish limestone “Rosa Perlino” top. I especially like the carved roundels that decorate its apron.  This table would be fantastic in a bathroom or powder room as a ladies dressing table in the round.”

Center,  a rustic trestle table from And George: “This trestle table is warm and homey – and would be perfect for a country house as a breakfast table or even a writing/work table.”

Right, from And George, Keith says, “I love this round table with its exaggerated splayed legs and ebony accents. It would be great as a secondary family dining table for four in a grand dining room alongside the main table.”

Kenneth Jay Lane has been worn by everyone from Jackie Kennedy and the Duchess of Windsor to Barbara Bush, who famously sported his pearls. Finally, the designer is being honored as the artist he is, in “Fabulous Fakes: Jewelry by Kenneth Jay Lane,” a show first seen at the Rhode Island School of Design (Lane’s alma mater) and now on view at the Norton Museum of Art in Palm Beach through May 1.

Among the pieces in the retrospective is a copy of the Maharani-style Van Cleef necklace Aristotle Onassis gave Jackie as a wedding present, a dazzling 1960s snake bracelet, a mermaid necklace, and a chic flamingo pin. There are also fabulous earrings, much like the example pictured above, from House of Lavande.

Her pieces—platters, bowls, vases, teapots—are indeed functional but they are also beautiful, the work of an artist at the top of her game. After high school in London, Alison studied ceramics at Textura, a small but renowned artists’ commune in Gijon, Spain, and continued her education at the Rhode Island School of Design, from which she graduated. She apprenticed in Manhattan for three years before returning to the coastal town of her youth, where she currently keeps a studio and gallery.

The ocean is just a few feet from her door and its bounty is wonderfully translated in her work. Sea urchins become bowls, barnacles become candlesticks, clam shells are vases. Especially versatile are her oyster shell platters and bowls. Imagine the white platter piled high with peeled shrimp or crudite and a matching footed bowl with dipping sauce in the center or nearby.

Each piece is hand molded and hand glazed, and, therefore, unique—just like the forms that inspired them.

Pictured above, clockwise from top left: Alison Evans in her Maine studio; sea urchin bowl in abalone and tortoise, oyster platters in porcelain white, and oyster bowl in abalone and tortoise, all available at Digs.

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The song may be a sad one, but we think these blue poseys and handmade bud vases would brighten even the most overcast summer day. The center bouquet is from the book Flowers for the Home, Inspirations from the World Over by Prudence Designs. Written by Grayson Handy, co-owner of Manhattan’s Prudence Design and Events, the book showcases more than 100 arrangements for both every day and special occasions—ranging from gorgeous rose bridal bouquets to centerpieces for a Mexican fiesta—and includes detailed instructions along with a list of suppliers. The arrangement above utilizes blue and purple hydrangeas, scabiosa, and lisianthus, as well as one of our favorite things—an everyday object like a pottery pitcher pressed into duty as a vase.

Not that we have anything against vases—especially when they are handmade versions from Judy Jackson Studio in New York. Available in lovely shades of blue (seafoam, light blue, indigo), they are perfect for the hydrangeas of the season.

Pictured above, from left: Bud vase in indigo by Judy Jackson at Haven; summer arrangement featured in Flowers for the Home, available from Digs; tall bud vase in indigo by Judy Jackson at Haven.

Power grew up in the tidewater of Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware, went to a finishing school in Italy, and started off her professional life as an interior designer in Manhattan. It wasn’t until she moved to Santa Monica twenty years ago that she had her first garden. Hers was such a success that friends begged her to help them with theirs and she found her true calling. Since then she’s designed gardens at a private vineyard (Moraga Vineyard, a project she considers her best), the sculpture garden at the Norton Simon Museum, a public park in the center of the Beverly Hills shopping district (the Beverly Canon Garden), and countless private gardens in places as far flung as Germany (for a project with frequent collaborator Frank Gehry) and Australia.

Power’s friend Suzanne Rheinstein, the interior designer and owner of Taigan’s own Hollyhock, says the key to Power’s brilliance is that “she knows how to live. Sunday lunches at her own garden, one of my favorites, are delightful.” Power agrees that she does “bring my knowledge of how people like to live in clusters” into her designs. “Look at the chairs after a party,” she says. “They’re always pulled into a tight circle. Or everyone always crowds around the kitchen table. Those are the perfect floor plans!”

The same, she says, applied to public spaces. “Look at the Beverly Canon Gardens. You can’t be intimate when you are more than five feet away, you have to be able to touch, which is why I love to crowd nine or ten people around a table for seven or eight. Giggling always starts when you play sardines!” The Beverly Canon Gardens include a sunken court with movable tables and chairs so “people can move their seats according to the weather,” and four Tipu trees create dappled light over some of the tables.

The Beverly Canon Project also has a lawn for play or special events, trickling water from a fountain “to calm the nerves and slightly mask the sounds of the city,” and lovely fragrance from the blossoms of potted lemon trees. All three elements are in keeping with her theory that public spaces should be designed for a range of experiences. “One simple way to do that,” she says, “is to provide light and dark places—some secluded and mysterious, others for parading around and showing off, and always a place to gather.”

In her book, Power says that travel served as her university education. Her own garden at “Casa Nancina” was inspired by trips to the Alhambra in southern Spain and to Brazil. To get the right color for her cottage’s exterior, she experimented by mixing some saffron she’d brought home from Morocco with water. “I’d seen this color used so exquisitely in Seville, Spain and Ouro Petro, Brazil,” she says. “It looked beautiful against the sky, and also worked equally well with terra cotta pots and the grays and verdant foliage I wanted to plant in my garden.”

Power insists she doesn’t have a favorite plant or flower, though there’s lots of agave at Casa Nancina. “The agave has become my symbol,” she says. “It provides great living sculpture, and of course tequila comes from it as well!” No matter what plants she uses or who she’s designing for, the one constant, she says, is beauty. “Beauty is still very important to me, though lately it is very unfashionable in design. We all need beautiful, natural places in our lives, and become very uncivilized when we don’t have them.”

The Power of Gardens, available at Hollyhock, is aptly named. There is not a single image in the book that won’t inspire. Power says her job designing and nurturing living gardens still brings her “never-ending joy and wonder.” That passion is evident on every page.

Pictured above, left: Native oaks lightly shade California Lilac along a winding path at Moraga Vineyard.
Top right: A free range chicken on “tapis vert” framed by low stone steps and a wisteria covered arbor at Moraga Vineyard.
Bottom right: A garden “room” featuring Kentia palms and a very long pool at a house in Malibu.

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