Cottage style is an interior design choice that showcases and preserves the home’s original features while creating cozy and welcoming spaces. Historic stone, rustic wooden beams, and timber floors are recognizable in this unique style.
Because their locations are traditionally out in the countryside, natural surroundings significantly influence the design choices used to perfect this look. But you don’t have to live in the countryside of the UK to bring cottage style to your home. Perusing your favorite woolen and cotton rug ranges, upcycling vintage furniture, and embracing bold floral patterns are the first steps you must take.
Mix and Match Vintage Furniture
Because cottages were typically used as second homes, the majority of furniture was a mix and match of vintage finds and hand-me-downs from various members of the family. These natural materials have become the perfect complement to the rustic features of the cottage home.
Antique furniture has a brilliant way of blending well with more modern furniture, as the color of the wood doesn’t need to perfectly match to feel coherent. However, to ensure the longevity of the pieces, ensure you are educated on the best way to treat the various kinds of wood and maintain their sturdiness.
Experiment with Classic Prints
Different prints and patterns add personality to a cottage. But to maintain the highest level of authenticity, it is best to stick to the traditional choices. Buffalo checks, stripes, and block colors are able to blend perfectly with each other in a creative display.
To get the biggest impact from your patterns, choose one or two items in a room to bring the design to life. As the remaining furniture is more neutral, it creates the perfect backdrop to showcase the pieces.
Fill Your Home with Nature
When it comes to cottage style, fresh garden or hedge-row flowers are essential and can highlight the difference between country and urban living. Nature plays a significant role in this genre’s design and style choices and needs to be fully embraced.
From pretty floral centerpieces in apothecary vases or jam jars to hanging pot plants through the main living areas, it brings the wonders of nature indoors. They are an important addition to maintaining good mental health and further highlight rustic features.
Embrace Botanical Wallpapers
Printed wallpaper inspired by nature might remind you of staying at your grandparent’s house when you were younger, but they are a prominent feature of quintessential cottage interiors. These days, botanical prints can feel romantic and chic, a far cry from the floral designs of the past.
If you want to fully embrace the vintage botanical aesthetic, match a contemporary foliage design across wallpaper, bed linen and quilt, armchair, and valance. If this feels too overpowering, match your wallpaper to linen and armchair fabrics in complementing white, green, and brown tones.
Soft & Light Color Palettes
You need to stick to a soft and welcoming color palette to set the perfect ambiance within your cozy cottage. The cottage style is known for being casual, charming, and pleasing to the eye. The rooms are bright, with lots of natural light flooding through the big windows.
Bold, dark colors cause too much contrast to this effect, and you will lose the appeal you are after. Instead, pastel and airy tones will highlight these features and make rooms feel comfortable and warm.
Utilize Old-Timey Printed Art
The best way to pay homage to the rustic and picturesque setting of your cottage is by decorating it with fabrics and paper that encapsulate the charm of the countryside. Wiliam Morris, an artist and designer, created hundreds of designs celebrating this beauty.
This vintage art, which dates back to the late 19th century, is the perfect example of printed art that shines a light on the beauty of this interior style and its natural world.
Leave Ceiling Beams Exposed
Nothing shouts rustic design more than exposed ceiling beams. And no cottage-style home would be complete without this essential feature. Unfortunately, you may be tempted to paint them the color of your ceiling, hoping it allows them to match better.
But doing this completely eliminates the effect you are after. So instead, treat the beams with either a glossy or matte finish and let the wood tie your room together.
Favor Comfy & Casual Furniture
The best cottages not only look quaint and charming, but they perfectly encapsulate the feelings of cozy and comfort throughout the home. This is achieved through color choices, patterns, natural light, and, most importantly, the furniture you choose to use.
Stock up on soft couches and armchairs that have you feeling ready to melt. The ultra-comfortable furniture perfectly matches vintage choices for tables, shelves, and storage units.
Create a Cozy Reading Nook
There is a lot said in modern interior design about eliminating clutter. And while that may be true for that style, cottages look better with a bit of mess throughout. Shelves stacked with books and rustic nick-nacks make a home look lived-in, and the ample shelf space offers plenty of room for everything to have an organized space.
