Discover the Best Cottage Decor: Cozy, Vintage, and Embracing Natural Elements

Looking to transform your living space into a cozy retreat? Look no further than the enchanting world of cottage style. With its charming blend of vintage touches, pastel hues, and natural elements, cottage decor creates an inviting atmosphere that will transport you to a tranquil oasis. Whether you have a spacious country home or a cozy city apartment, this article will guide you through the best cottage decor ideas to create a truly captivating and delightful living space. From quaint sitting areas to vibrant bedrooms, let's dive into the world of cottage style and discover how to infuse your home with its unique allure.

What is cottage style?

Cottage style is all about showcasing and preserving valued original features while creating comfortable and cozy spaces. Cottages, although small, are filled with historic stone and timber floors, rustic ceiling beams, and unique angles that give them their character.

These charming cottages are deeply connected to the rural landscape and are influenced by the surrounding geology and natural elements. When decorating, it is fitting to draw inspiration from nature, using colors found in the environment, botanical prints, and a mix of handmade and antique wooden furniture.

Cottage Style Is Cozy

What creates a cozy cottage space? It's all about pairing patterns. Florals against stripes or plaids can bring a sense of comfort. To enhance the cozy atmosphere, add fluffy pillows, cheerful art, woven accents, and flowers from the yard, just like Bria Hammel did in this delightful breakfast nook.

Cottage Style Includes Shades of Pastels

Pastels and florals create a beautiful combination. Designer Sarah Richardson certainly thought so when she transformed this airy bedroom into a cottage haven with floral printed pillows and shades of light blue. Don't forget to include old-fashioned alarm clocks and tea trays, two staples of cottage-style decor. Other colors that work well in this style include light apricot, dusty pink, sage, and muted yellows.

Cottage Style Can Be Vintage

According to Kerrie, cottage style reflects a collection of a lifetime. Incorporating trinkets, vintage pieces, and meaningful accessories such as books, art, and plates is essential. Don't be afraid to mix old and new items. For example, Leanne Ford's vintage vignette features a 70-year-old typewriter on a new concrete table, creating a perfect blend.

Cottage Style Embraces Natural Elements

Weathered accessories and woven materials play a subtle but significant role in cottage design. If you lean towards a rustic-cottage style, consider decorating with reclaimed wooden furniture or wicker baskets, as seen in Maison de Mings' garden shed. For a cleaner cottage style, opt for natural-fiber rugs or woven accessories, such as rattan coffee table trays or lamps.

Mix and Match Hand-Me-Downs

Cottage décor is characterized by a mix of styles and patterns, as if the furnishings were passed down from different family members. To achieve this charming look, forgo matching furniture sets and instead gather an eclectic collection of antiques and flea market finds.

Attic Bedroom

KIM CORNELISONMany cottages have bedrooms with sloped ceilings. Adding an accent wall is a great idea to bring dimension to the room without making it feel crowded.

SHOP PLAID BEDDING

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Stylish Bedroom

Mark LohmanThe homeowner of this restored Arkansas home upgraded the fixtures with chandeliers, and the Jenny Lind-style bed is one of the few furnishings she kept in the bedroom. The shams and duvet cover are from West Elm, and the coverlet is from Garnet Hill.

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White Living Room

DAVID TSAYAn all-white living room is complemented with wooden furniture for a cozy, welcoming look.

SHOP THROW PILLOWS

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Eclectic Cabinetry

LAUREY W. GLENNThese cabinets feature metal ventilation inserts for the doors, creating a rustic and whimsical look perfect for a cottage kitchen.

SHOP NICKEL CABINET KNOBS

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Corner Office

ANNIE SCHLECHTER You don't need a dedicated room for a home office, just a cozy corner to tuck an upcycled desk, chair, and cabinet into.

SHOP DESK SUPPLIES

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Tiny Cottage Kitchen

DAVID TSAYA cheery palette and a narrow refrigerator make this kitchen feel open and airy rather than tight and cramped.

SHOP BACKSPLASHES

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Quaint Sitting Area

Max Kim-BeePlanks from Habitat for Humanity's ReStore line the sitting-room ceiling in this renovated Texas cottage. The homeowner transformed cow-feed sifters from the Round Top Antiques Fair into artful sconces with burlap fringe.

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Peaceful Patio

Mark LohmanOn the patio of a Victorian cottage in Arkansas, the wicker patio set was handed down from the homeowner's friend. The love seat's cushion and pillow were sewn by another friend using fabric from Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Store.

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Victorian Dining Room

Mark LohmanThe rooms of this Arkansas home were filled with mismatched furniture covered in 1980s linens. However, the homeowner saw the potential in certain pieces and bought the house fully furnished. She kept only the items that had potential or were stunning as is, such as the sage cupboard and the chippy dining table.

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Vibrant Bedroom

Lucas AllenIn the master bedroom of this Catskills home, sunny-yellow paint and an exuberant green-and-white print bring life to the small space. The low-pitched roof created a seemingly unusable three-foot-high gap on each side of the room. A carpenter was hired to fill one side with bookshelves and the other with cabinets and storage drawers.

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Country Kitchen

Steven RandazzoYou'd never guess that most of this 1900 Texas cottage was recently built. The homeowners used overlooked materials found in the Texas countryside, such as rusted pressed tin for the ceilings and salvaged windows, doors, and cabinets.

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Decorate in earthy, natural tones

(Image credit: Vanessa Arbuthnott)

Cottages are deeply connected to their rural setting, filled with natural materials and soft textures. What better color palette to decorate with than the gentle hues of the countryside?

In this example, Little Greene's greenish neutral color, North Brink Grey 291, sets a relaxed mood and serves as a calm foundation for furniture covered in Vanessa Arbuthnott's nature-inspired fabrics. The vintage German sofa is upholstered in Fruit Garden Straw, Pigeon, and Charcoal, while the armchairs feature May Blossom Pigeon/Charcoal fabric.

Don't miss our cottage lighting ideas for practical and pretty solutions.

Chic Kitchen

Lisa RomereinIn this Los Angeles home, orange mohair adds life to a vintage maple stool in the kitchen. Carrara marble elevates Ikea cabinets, while suspended Edison bulbs covered with Victorian wire shades provide task lighting. The cast-aluminum fox wine cooler was designed by Arthur Court.

Bright idea: Matching wood frames can turn food-themed ephemera into a polished collection.

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Simple Mudroom

Victoria PearsonThis California cottage features a mudroom with a 1930s factory stool that retains its original green paint. The iron hooks on the coatrack swivel from side to side.

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Colorful Guest Suite

Stacey BrandfordThe paneling in this room didn't match the rest of the house, so instead of whitewashing it, Sarah Richardson, an interior designer and host of HGTV's Sarah's House, used an opaque paint called The Plaza by Glidden, creating an intentional and unique look.

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Elegant Dining Area

Roger DaviesCasual eclecticism is the rule in this Chicago cottage's dining nook. With a reclaimed-oak table, a Belgian sofa from the early 1900s, reproduction caned chairs, and a vintage footstool upholstered with an antique carpet, this space exudes charm.

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Unique Laundry Room

Lisa RomereinIn the laundry room of this California cottage, Anthropologie's photo-realistic wallpaper creates an illusion of stacked books from floor to ceiling. A jute basket from World Market, filled with colorful quilts, sits below a reclaimed-oak table.

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Rustic Living Room

Max Kim-BeeThe living room of this Connecticut cottage features white upholstery with purposely deconstructed elements, such as tufted fronts and exposed burlap-and-wood backs. Restoration Hardware's settee, armchairs, and Zentique coffee table add to the cozy atmosphere. The boat propeller and oil paintings are secondhand finds.

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Incorporating the timeless charm of cottage decor into your home instantly creates a cozy and inviting atmosphere. From the pastel hues that add a touch of tranquility to the vintage pieces that exude nostalgic charm, cottage style truly captivates. Embracing natural elements and incorporating hand-me-downs ensure that every space tells a story, while carefully curated rooms like the attic bedroom or stylish living room showcase the unique character of your cottage. Whether it's the quaint sitting area or the vibrant bedroom, every corner speaks volumes with its country kitchen to the rustic living room. So why not bring a touch of the countryside into your own abode? Decorate with earthy tones, mix and match styles, and create a space that is uniquely yours—a cottage haven where comfort and style effortlessly coexist.