Famous for portraying the intelligent and witty Lady Mary in the beloved British programme Downton Abbey, it will come as no surprise that much like Michelle Dockery's sophisticated and refined on-screen character, her home in West London - which she shares with her producer husband Jasper Waller-Bridge - is untimely chic.
Unveiling her (not so) humble abode in a video for Architectural Digest with a rare video inside the walls of her stylish home, the British actress, 43, revealed that one of her secret loves is the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. So much so that she has a photograph of herself and her Downton Abbey co-star Laura Carmichael on the red carpet with original cast member, Kyle Richards, which takes pride of place in her home office.
"Something else that I want to show you that I'm really proud of and want to show you is this photograph, it's of myself, Laura Carmichael and Kyle Richards," she beamed to the camera. "This was probably the most starstruck moment of my life. I'm a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fan and we met her at this event, and we insisted on going back onto the red carpet to have a photo with Kyle Richards, so I'm very proud of that." Scroll to photo seven to see Michelle and Kyle's red carpet moment!
The special, black and white photo is situated alongside precious Downton memorabilia, including the toy dog Mary gives to Matthew before he goes off to war and a binded copy of a script for the show's first-ever episode.
Michelle's impeccable home
It's no wonder the Downton star's home is so stylish, as Michelle confessed that she always had a penchant for interior design as a child. "My mum said whenever I went to other people’s houses, I’d pretend I wanted to use the bathroom because actually I wanted to be nosy and look in the bedrooms. I've always been fascinated by other people’s houses and how they live," she told the publication.
The devil is in the Downton
And that curiosity extended to the set of the ITV show. "I was always fascinated by what colours the set designer would come up with for each bedroom. They used a lot of Farrow & Ball."
In true Lady Mary fashion, Michelle does have some rather Downton-esque details in her sprawling London home. The most notable being an antique cabinet passed down from her grandmother, which is filled with immaculate silverware polished by Michelle herself. "It's probably the most 'Downton Abbey' thing that I own as it is filled with beautiful silverware which we tend to use at Christmas and special occasions. So I am known to occasionally polish my silverware." she confessed.
Another rather Downton piece in her home is a beautiful photo of Michelle, taken by Nick Briggs on top of a horse during the first season of the show.
