Dust off white tie, black tails to bid bon voyage to 'Marsala'

Is Boho Susan the only one who’s spent the year underwhelmed by “Marsala,” Pantone’s color of the year for 2015? Red is gorgeous. Wine is gorgeous (and delicious). Marsala the Wine is fortified with brandy. Marsala the Color is washed out.

So what happened?

Methinks Pantone or the fashion industry or wherever this color and its name came from got Marsala the Wine mixed up with Marsala the Wine-Reduced SAUCE, which looks great on chicken or steak but not so much on a dress or sofa.

See what I mean? PMS 18-1438 does not fit THAT description.

I thought I should put things to right before year-end and Marsala joins the list of PMS has-beens. So I asked my pals, Cora and Bob Crawley (actors Elizabeth McGovern and Hugh Bonneville)—you know them as Lord and Lady Grantham on PBS’ Downton Abbey—to help, particularly because of their fashion, color and design sense.

Cora wears a true Marsala in this gorgeous evening dress. It’s trimmed out in black but also benefits from the grounding Bob’s black tails lend. 

Not just every couple, but every ROOM should wear SOME black. If that scares you, remember that black can predominate a room without dominating it. Morever, it’s a smashing partner with TRUE Marsala, as Cora well knows.

A Marsala bouquet

Nothing’s as timeless as a black-and-white bathroom, and this one designed by Nick Olson puts a new spin on the classic form.

If you like this look but are afraid to go bold, remember that small spaces where you don’t spend a lot of time—powder rooms, foyers, laundry rooms, hallways—are the perfect proving ground for dramatic décor. Pausing in or passing through such a space is invigorating, whereas spending a lot of time there might overpower some people.

The primary accent in this room is Marsala—in the toilet topper and the bouquet of chrysanthemums—and it’s the perfect exclamation point. If you look closely you’ll see a smidge of it in the artwork. 

The use of gradations of black (i.e., shades of gray) give this room layers reminiscent of a fine art black-and-white photograph. I love the graphic quality to the art—matted in white and framed in black, like Lord Grantham’s black tux and white tie. What few color accents there are refer to natural elements—a velvet pillow calls to mind a golden tiger, and the flowers once again pull in the Marsala.

The bouquet in this photo trades in the vase for a painting and pillows, creating a stunning vignette. I included it to show the versatility of charcoal-gray upholstery, particularly on a pricey piece like a sofa or loveseat. This loveseat and the sofa in the previous photo are similar—in color, fabric, tufted back and turned legs—and sit against similar backdrops. But the difference in throw-pillow color and style, as well as a different style of artwork, transform the look.

Invest in a gray sofa and your décor palette is endless. Change pillows and other accessories whenever you like.

White helps us 'read' a room

Bolig Magasinet

The crispness of white floors, walls, ceilings, moldings and sofa allow this room to be easily understood. It’s minimalist but not totally modern. Some elements are mid-century and some are antique—all mixed without much fluff.

The white sofa takes a back seat to the rest of the room’s outfittings, which makes it absolutely as versatile as charcoal gray. But it will require more upkeep. If you’re willing to keep it clean, your reward is a gorgeous look. 

Bolig Magasinet

This homeowner shares my own love of quirky décor. Witness the blackboard with the skull hanging over it, as well as the black-and-white photo of Picasso—the poster child of modern, abstract art—framed less than simply. I love that Picasso stares out over the room, and that the bust on the windowsill mimics his gaze. 

But neutrals—and opposites, like black and white—need to broken, at least a little. That’s where the gorgeous rococo armchair comes in. The centuries of patina on its frame make it nearly black, while the velvet Marsala upholstery ensures it is, indeed, the focal point. The rug pulls everything together, which is why at least one leg of the chair sits on it. See more of this Danish Scandinavian-style home at Décor Demon.

Designer Mary McDonald gives this restrained living room in the Hollywood Hills a jolt with unexpected trims and pillows made from vintage necktie fabrics—in Marsala, of course! Ebonized Greek key klismos chairs designed by McDonald are covered in ebony leather. The curtains are Austyn gray cashmere by Ralph Lauren, with red undercurtains of striped silk. The whites she chooses are warmer than the previous room and lean toward cream and beige. The look is elegant masculine, a veritable bespoke shopping excursion down London’s Savile Row.

The Crawley clan would feel perfectly at home here, as long as there were at least a few servants. My favorite part? The bowl of pomegranates—love, Love, LOVE their Marsala color. Cut one open and the sparkle from the seeds will rival Cora’s gown.

Vogue/François Halard

The guest room in the Paris apartment of the late fashion designer L’Wren Scott (Mick Jagger’s partner from 2002 until her death in 2014) turns up the Marsala factor with richly hued curtains and a suzani coverlet. Black creeps in around the edges via the desk, the lampshade rim, the headboard edge and the suzani embroidery. The painting is by Francesco Clemente. See/read more about this turn-of-the-century Left Bank aerie on Vogue.

Make mine MORE

Several principles of decorating with black and white are demonstrated in this living room:

• Use a mixture of large-, small- and medium-scale patterns along with solid black and solid white to create visual interest and depth. 
• Use an accent color to punch it up and keep it from being too stark. Anything goes, but this Marsala is on trend, at least until 2016. 
• Mix in some gold and/or silver for glamorous sophistication, such as mirrored furniture and crystal accents. (Check out that fireplace!) 

Think of a room with lots of black as you would that little black dress Coco Chanel made famous. It's a great foundation, but accessories give it life. Plan your room as you would your outfit. Cora would have fun with this process, and I see the same cozy touches in this room as in her drawing room at the Abbey. I’m not sure she’d go for the glitzy fireplace, but I’m guessing her mother, Martha Levinson (Shirley MacLaine) would love it.

My favorites? Three, please:

1. The wall of broad gray-and-white stripes
2. The menswear black-and-white throw pillows (I’m a pillow addict whose husband is plotting an intervention)
3. That cute throw resting over the arm of the loveseat. 

Elle Décor/Eric Piasecki

Fashion editor and stylist Jackie Astier opens the Marsala spigot and lets it flow in varying intensities all over the master bedroom of the Manhattan apartment she shares with her family. The plummy custom-made headboard is upholstered in velvet, and the bed is dressed with Sferra linens and a vintage suzani. The 1960s Danish settee wears faded Marsala, while the Phillip Jeffries grass cloth on the walls strikes a middle-of-the-road Marsala chord.

Such great threads, it’s got me looking for a corkscrew and a glass! Read/see more of this home on Elle Décor.

Bold is right-on for a foyer. Marsala registers as a heavyweight on steroids in the console and the accent paint block, but its matchup with mustard delivers the KO. The striped rug brings the two complementary colors together, but, I think you’ll agree, it would be a draw without the charcoal gray walls and black accents.

I can’t get over the tree branch painted with stripes to match the rug and used to hold boots, mittens and scarves. How cute! But what I absolutely covet is the metallic purple lamp, a standout against all that Marsala.

Is it wine o’clock yet?

 

The secret to that old black magic

Too many light and airy colors in a room without any black to ground it will make everything appear to float. That confuses the eye. Black gives the eye a place to rest in much the same way as a paragraph break on a page of tiresome text. 

See? 

You don't need a lot of black, just enough to tie elements together—a few black picture frames, a black table, black moldings, or even something as simple as piping on a lampshade or pillow. 

Better yet, do it all! Repetition works in composition of any kind. And at least you’ll have some things that will mix as is with the storm of new colors waiting for you in your next redecoration.

See ya’ Marsala! It was fine finally getting to know the REAL you! Cora & Bob say hey!

The Abbey meets bumped-up boho, 

EVERY Wednesday on BoHo Home. 

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16 kitchens with Mrs. Patmore written all over them

What about Downton Abbey’s kitchen would you most like to duplicate at home? The rack of copper pots? The sturdy work table filled with farm-fresh ingredients? The wall of sieves and molds? The shelves lined with crockery? Maybe the cook herself, plus her staff of maids and servers?



Well, close.

What I REALLY like most about the Downton kitchen is the humor Mrs. Patmore brings to her job. She’s the “downstairs dowager” of sarcasm, though we seldom see her rest and sip tea like her upstairs alter ego. She has no time to stop for humor, but it always finds its way to her, then routes itself back out her mouth, quite unconsciously.



In fact, Beryl Patmore has had some great one-liners in the show’s five-year history. To ramp up for Downton Abbey’s sixth and final season, I thought it would be fun to pair up some of Mrs. Patmore’s sayings with appropriate kitchens and/or kitchen accessories.

1. 

“Anyone who has use of their limbs can make a salmon mousse.”

Okay… 

House Beautiful

Check out the October issue of House Beautiful to tour the magazine’s 2015 kitchen of the year and see the downstairs renovation it spawned for a lucky New Orleans family. Considering it’s NOLA, the island is crawfish pink, but Mrs. Patmore might call it “salmon mousse.” I might even be inspired to try making a salmon mousse if I had this kitchen!

The cloud art in the dining nook establishes a theme that appears throughout the house in various formats. To go along with the clouds, my accessory of choice would be the framed "Cook up a Storm" print, available from Visual Philosophy on Etsy.

2. 

“I said you could go for a drink of water, not a trip up the Nile.”

Designer and HGTV host Emily Henderson put the pizzazz in Country Living’s 2013 home of the year—a Breezy Point, N. Y., beach house battered by Hurricane Sandy. The backsplash only looks like shiplap; it’s faux bois tile that will weather most any storm a kitchen could cook up.

The rope light arranged over the beams, from Atelier 688, is a fixture Mrs. Patmore would go for—as a tool of threat anyway.

Sandy soaked this bungalow in three feet of water—no laughing matter. But in hindsight, these Loch Ness ladles might offer just the bit of levity needed to clean up. You never know what a storm might bring in, AND they’re great for bailing. 

 

3. 

Alec Hemer

“If you must pay money, better to a doctor than to an undertaker.”

Kitchen Designs by Ken Kelly

New York designer Ken Kelly threw in a bit of kitsch with all the modern bells and whistles in this renovation. The range backsplash features a “bubbles” tile, which butts up against horizontally installed glass sticks on either side—sticks and stones? Well, no bones broken that I know of. 

I love how he repeated the bubbles in the brightly painted wicker balls filling the bowl on the table. But the cookie jar is the accessory to die for. Designed by Erika Oller, it’s titled “Happily Dying of Chocolate,” an end few of us would pay the doctor to delay.

4. 

“Oh, heavens, girl! You’re building a fire, not inventing it.” 

Houzz

A built-in pizza oven (or a busy restaurant kitchen) is about as close as modern day gets to the heat Mrs. Patmore and crew endured during their 18-hour Downton days. To say that the kitchen was hot was an understatement, which makes this print the perfect accessory. It’s available in 20-plus colors at Etsy shop noodlehug.

5. 

“Take those kidneys up to the server 

before I knock you down and serve your brains as fritters.”

I’ve no kitchen to match up to this Beryl-ism, but I did find a plethora of threateningly tongue-in-cheek accessories I know she would enjoy. Follow the links to find each product:

• “Hit me with your best pot” tea towel from Lisa B. Bowman on Etsy. 
• “The Ex” knife-holder and knives set, by TKS International, available in eight finishes. A similar pen set and appetizer skewer/bowl set are also available. 
• “Don’t make me cut you” pattern or kit from Subversive Cross Stitch. 

6. 

“Judas was only trying to help, I suppose, 

when he brought the Roman soldiers to the Garden.” 

Johnny Grey Studios

Designers Johnny Grey and Leila Ferraby of Johnny Grey Studios created this “indoor-outdoor” kitchen for the 2011 Chelsea Flower Show. It's more Gethsemane than meddlesome, what with  the atrium-like overhead view, as well as out to the garden when standing behind the island. Materials used to withstand outdoors temperatures and moisture levels include stainless steel, granite, solid maple, coconut palm and ceramic tile. Follow the link to see/read more.

If this were MY kitchen, I know I wouldn’t want Judas or the meddlers that hang about Downton downstairs bothering me. Donning this apron, available here, says all that needs said.

7. 

“Nothing’s as changeable as a young man’s heart. 

Take hope and a warning from that.” 

Obviously, some young man of indecisive heart put this Andy Warhol-themed kitchen together. Watch out, Daisy, there be more of them about!

The unspoken part of Mrs. Pat's advice found its way into this print, which would look smashing (or should I say, "whisking!") hung in this kitchen. Ask about it at Knotty Cards on Etsy. 

See more pop art kitchens here.

8. 

“The trouble with you lot? You are all in love with the wrong people.” 

Fresh Home Design & Architecture

Is this kitchen the color of love or what? Enough unrequitted love surely sulks around the Downton kitchen to turn the cabinets this rosy hue. Seriously though, it works, especially with the crystal chandelier and black accents, which give it a Belle-Epoque-Paris flair. See more pink kitchens at Fresh Home Design & Architecture magazine. 

And pick up these cute little kitchen helpers—the “right people” for the job—at Amazon. Head Chef manufactures them as professional-grade kitchen utensils for children. But don’t let the kids have ALL the fun.

9. 

“Sympathy buttered no parsnips.” 

Found on Home Portfolio

But no parsnip ever met its end in a kitchen as buttery as this one. It’s easy on the eye if not on the hips, yet infuses more personality than white or cream. It reminds me of the wall color at my previous house, called “candleglow,” which looked great with everything. These cabinets really pop against walls a few shades darker.

But since there is such a thing as too much butter (rare!), so keep something on hand to collect the drips. I have this same Fishs Eddy spoon rest on duty beside my cooktop. Find yours at West Elm.

10. 

“There will be a glorious revolution down here if you don’t watch it.” 

Mount Vernon

When talking "glorious revolution,” what better kitchen to feature than the one that fed George Washington and family at Mount Vernon? Interesting, isn’t it, that the Downton kitchen looks more like this one, circa 1776, than like those we cook in today.

And since this Berylism was almost certainly meant as a threat to the younger staff to get busy, a slap with this tea towel might send them on their way.

11. 

“Oh dear, have you swallowed a dictionary?”

No kitchen to go along with this one either, unless you choose to add to yours. These cute prints on old dictionary pages are available in so many images from so many sources it will make your head spin. Search “dictionary prints” on Etsy and start your wade through the deluge. I used some of the anthropomorphic animal dictionary prints to decorate my guest bath because I heard it’s good to be able to chuckle when you’re standing in front of a big mirror with no clothes. It helps.

12. 

“Sometimes you spend too long on a one-sided love.” 

Pottery Barn

We've all seen Granny Crawley (whose first name is Violet, remember) in her many purple outfits. Word has it that Mrs. Patmore admires the color but lacks the courage to use it on her work table. You only live once, Mrs. P--go for it or move on!

Perhaps she’s afraid such a color would distract the less focused members of her staff. This towel, in such circumstances, would be an appropriate gift for her to give lackadaisical Daisy. Find it at Finch and Fox on Etsy. 

See more purple kitchens here. 

13. 

“Do I look like a frolicker?” 

Found on I See Cubed

No, certainly not! But that island? Well, gotta say yes. Even the design shouts “wing ding!” So it makes sense to snag some catchy phrases for your kitchen towels to keep the fun going. These are available at A2D Creations on Etsy.

14. 

“Oh, get off with you, you cheeky devil.”

Found on I See Cubed

“Cheeky” is an understatement for this madcap mosaic island of Legos. The all-white kitchen makes the work of art pop, and the red stools and “atomic” wall rack add just the right touch of counterpoint, even if it all is way too modern for Mrs. Patmore.

The “Cheesy Grin” cheese board would feel right at home here, though, bearing the knife in hopes of a taste of that estate-made stilton. The board is currently on sale at Dot & Bo.

15. 

“Nothing makes you hungrier or more tired than grief. 

When my sister died, God rest her soul, I ate my way through four plates 

of sandwiches at one sitting and slept round the clock.”

Found on Interior City

If she means macaron sandwiches, then I could probably do four as well, grieving or no. This kitchen made me think of mint green (or pistachio?) macarons—see the resemblance?—and I thought that was reason enough to include it here. 

All of which got me to thinking…We know Mrs. Patmore grew extra grumpy when she was losing her eyesight. But maybe her witticisms were made on an empty stomach—something like the cobbler’s kids who go without shoes? Anyway, this print should promote understanding in the workplace. 

16. 

This final witticism has multiple parts...

Mrs. Patmore, regarding the cottage she wants to invest in:
“What’s the kitchen like?"

Mrs. Hughes: 
"Oh, not quite the scale you’re used to.” 

That, of course, refers to Downton, to which Mrs. Patmore replies: 

“Well, I wouldn’t mind—it’d be my own.” 

Daily Mail/UK

To which actress Lesley Nicol (the Mrs. behind Mrs. P.) replies:

“When I am in that kitchen set I am completely at home, 

and it feels marvelous. I just feel like her. 

But in reality, I’m a truly rotten cook.” 

The illusion was nice while it lasted. Oh well, just don’t tell Carson.

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