Recreate a beautiful country cottage decorating style.
Relax into a perfect country idyll - without leaving your own home!
Discover useful and stylish hints and tips on how to get your own country decorating ideas.
It doesn’t matter whether you live in a quaint country cottage (actually, I do!), or a modern town house or apartment – country cottage decorating is becoming very popular – with absolutely anyone and everyone!
Cottage style decorating is an ideal look to create a comfy, cosy bolthole, from the stresses and rigours of modern life.
Country decorating ideas will give you a very relaxed style, with a warm and friendly feel. Decorating is practical – but with very pretty and friendly touches.
Items don’t have to be shiny and new – you can get a very authentic country cottage decorating style with second-hand and older items, which look like they have been well-loved, and handed down through the family.
Walls
Because cottage style decorating is such a relaxed style, there are not really any hard and fast rules as to color.
There are some good guidelines though – depending on the sort of country cottage decorating look you want to go for
Classic English country cottage – use pretty and fresh pastels, especially pinks, greens, creams and florals (all mixed in together)
Rustic cottage style – decorating in greens, reds, rusts and golds will give a gorgeously warm, cosy feel. Stripes, checks and tartans will all look great – again feel free to mix and match.
Light and airy ‘beach’ style – use whites, creams, sand, pale blue and teal.
Windows
Cottage windows are usually quite small, but very attractive and distinctive. Even if you don’t have typical, small, cottage windows, you can still get the look – with clever use of curtains and window treatments.
To get a perfect country interior design style, go for pretty, full and frilly curtains. Curtains should always be informal in style – putting a simple valance, or frill, on an existing pair of plain curtains, is a good way to get the look.
For Summer, and for lighter decorating looks, choose light and floaty sheers, voiles and nets.
For Winter, and for cosy decorating schemes, choose sumptuous velvet, tapestry and brocade curtains – for a really warm and comfortable look.
Mix plenty of patterns and fabrics in your country cottage decorating style room. Like I said before, this look is very relaxed, so, really – anything goes!
Wooden floorboards are definitely the way to go, if you get to choose your flooring. A worn or ‘distressed’ look is what you really need.
Try painting and stencilling your floorboards in white or pastels. You can even distress them a little, by rubbing down your paintwork with a wire brush or wire wool.
Make sure your country cottage is cosy, by adding gorgeous area rugs in traditional styles. Look for small rugs which are very suitable for country and cottage style decorating.
Furniture and Accessories
Choose quality, solid, second-hand furniture, for your country cottage decorating style. Use favourite family heirlooms, or scour flea markets and antique sales for bargain buys.
Natural pine or oak furniture will be perfect – or try painting all different styles in the same color - white or cream are ideal colors for this – and will go with all different color schemes.
Look out for tables and benches, dressers and sideboards, comfortable old rocking chairs and old pews.
Choose lots of wicker accessories - baskets filled with logs, pinecones or flowers – and open shelving to display your pretty knick-knacks.
Include plenty of gorgeous, country cottage style accessories - display plates and pretty tea-cups and tea-pots on open display shelves or dresser shelves.
Also find space for porcelain figurines and dolls, embroideries, tapestries and old-style samplers.
A country cottage decorating style is the perfect style for showing off (or starting!) any collections – pot cats, pot pigs, figurines, tea pots …. Whatever tickles your fancy…! Display your treasures on open shelves, or in display cabinets.
Craft fairs are a great place to find unique, hand-made bits and pieces, to add to your collections.
Also make sure you look on eBay - where are there always plenty of country decorating bargains to be found...
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More country cottage decorating tips...
Include plenty of throws, cushions, patchwork and handmade quilts, in a mixture of different fabrics and patterns, to cosy it all up, and create a really warm and comfortable feel.
Centre your country cottage decorating look around a real, open fire, or wood-burning stove - if you are lucky enough to have one, or able to fit one. This will give you that perfect country feel, and a real warm, cosy look (and feel – they really do kick out a lot of heat!) and your own little oasis of calm in a busy, modern life!
I hope this has helped and inspired you to create your own country cottage decorating scheme at home.
