10 Charming Cottagecore Design Ideas

Looking for a decorating style that takes you far away into an English Countryside?  Let’s help you bring Cottagecore style into your home and talk about simple design elements that you can incorporate into your space.  I hope by seeing how we created our own Cottagecore girls bedroom, you’ll come away with cottagecore design ideas dreams of your own.

I have finally wrapped up another kids bedroom space in our Pole Barn Home!  This space was particularly fun for me because it was for my daughter who is a little Anne of Green Gables and PollyAnna to the core.  She wanted all the nostalgic cottage charm we could manage to bring in, and I am here for that!

Go ahead and WATCH THIS VIDEO I made with her as we talked about her bedroom and shared this video tour.

What is Cottagecore Design?

Cottagecore Design is a new buzz word, and a style that is both age old and a recent trend – reminiscent of an English countryside and simpler times surrounded by nature.  It’s interesting to note its rise in popularity following global health and political challenges.  Perhaps we are all craving the idea of escaping to a rural cottage and embracing a more self-sustainable lifestyle full of charm and romance.

10 IDEAS FOR COTTAGECORE INTERIOR DESIGN

1 – FILL THE WALLS WITH COLOR AND DETAIL

Don’t be afraid to #bringbackbeadboard to start with just the right canvas for your room.  Then slap on a big and bold color to go with it.  You want your detailed walls and trim to pop right out of the room.  

We installed some very chunky trim around our doors and windows and painted it all the same color as the beadboard.  

PAINT COLORS USED IN THIS SPACE

This lovely pink with gray undertones brought in the perfect cottagecore vibe.  It is called Subdued from PPG.

The creamy warm white we used on the rest of the walls is called Arctic Cotton, also from PPG.

You could also opt to use patterned wallpaper, which would have also been a great option for us to do above the beadboard.  Perhaps someday we will add it, but we wanted to start off a little cleaner and go from there.

2 – LAYER COLOR AND PATTERNS AROUND THE ROOM

In Cottagecore style, color and pattern is everything.  It doesn’t necessarily have to even match or coordinate either!  It’s a very collected look which is what makes it so very charming.  

We used pinks and blue/greens as a jumping off point for this room, and then played with the tones throughout.  There are pops of all sorts of other colors which I brought in with the canopy fabric, pillows and decor.

I made this big beautiful canopy, which my daughter really wanted in her space.  It was a challenging project, so I didn’t create a tutorial for you.  I was a little intimidated by it, and didn’t want to add extra stress to myself!

The bird pattern on the outside of the canopy is so charming, and we used a linen blue/gray fabric for the inside.

The patterns on her bedding and blankets really don’t coordinate with everything else, but somehow it just works.  She likes a bit of western style too, and she loved these handmade block print quilts so we went with it.  That’s the fun of cottagecore.  You just find what you like, and somehow once you throw it all together, it works in its own quant way.

3 – DON’T BE AFRAID TO MIX WOOD TONES

Coordinated furniture pieces (think JcPenney Magazine – if you are old enough to know what that is) does NOT belong in the cottagecore world.  You can mix all sorts of furniture and wood tones, and the more variety the better!  

We have different wood tones working in her floors, doors, bed frame, table, side tables . . . in fact . . . nothing matches!

Imagine if you had a seaside cottage and wanted to furnish it with all your inherited hand-me-downs.  Boom!  Cottagecore perfection.

4 – FURNISH WITH THRIFTED AND ANTIQUE FINDS

Cottagecore style is super affordable.  This was probably the most budget friendly space I’ve done in our new home.  I actually tried to buy new chairs for the space, and they just didn’t work.  Instead I scored big with a $15 dollar pink rocking chair from the thrift store.

I cruised the internet for a luxurious new bed frame, and ended up most happy with the look of our well used and loved Facebook Marketplace bedframe from years ago in our other home.

“Brand New” just doesn’t quite invoke the right nostalgic feel you might be craving if you want more cottagecore in your life. 

You’ll find yourself saying, “They just don’t make them like they used to” – when you bring a space like this together.

5 – DECORATE WITH NOSTALGIC AND HOMEMADE ITEMS

When it comes to adding decor to every nook and cranny (just like granny did) – this is where the real fun begins! 

You’ll want to pull out anything handmade, gifted and inherited and sprinkle it about the entire space.  I love how just about every piece of decor in this space has a story.  It would take me some time to tell you about each item and where it came from – which is what makes the space so endearing.

Among our favorite items are the baby blessing dress her grandmother made her as a baby, and the baptism dress I made her when she turned 8 and was baptized a member of our church.

I couldn’t wait to display them on the shaker pegs we added to the trim.

6 – LAYER A VARIETY OF LINENS AND TEXTURES

The linens are everything to me in a space.  I’ve always had a love for fabric and linens.  

This girl got lucky enough to convince me to provide her with her own pair of 100% pure linen sheets.  They are just a dream to sleep in and add such a lovely texture.

Each blanket layer has its own pattern and texture that it adds.

The rug is bursting with texture and pattern, and we love that it looks like a big ol’ doily.

For the window treatment, I actually just clipped on a vintage lace tablecloth I found on Etsy, and it is so very sweet and delicate.

I typically keep my linens close to the same color family in a space, but for this cottagecore room – anything was game and I imagine we will keep adding and swapping out whenever we find a fabric we like.

7 – MORE IS MORE

For 90% of my blogging career I’ve been telling you, “less is more”.  This philosophy comes full circle now that we can talk about cottagecore style and how “more is more”.

More patterns, more decor, more clutter . . . that’s how an old cottage rolls.  Admittedly, this concept is still a bit hard for me to accept, so we met somewhere in the middle for this space.  We do still have a blank wall, and are slowly collecting vintage plates so we can fill this wall with MORE someday.

8 – FLORALS, FLORALS EVERYWHERE

A cottage wouldn’t be a cottage without flowers and florals everywhere the eye can see.  I’ve tried to incorporate florals in the linens, and by bringing in both dried and fresh flowers.

9 – CHOOSE ART THAT IS MEANINGFUL AND RELATABLE

Art really has a chance to tell a story in a cottagecore space, and I tried to be very mindful of that while bringing in the art for her room.

The art above her table where she does her school reminds her of a long time dream she has of opening up her own “little house on the prairie” type school.  

This art gives her the desire to frolic through a field of flowers . . . which every Anne bosom buddy should desire.

I picked art with history, wear and tear because it feels so much more personable and human.

10 – ABOVE ALL, COMFORT

I heard once that cottage style is so much more about comfort than good design.  This feels so right, as I so naturally swapped out brand new seating for a super comfy thrift chair.  Everything just needed to scream “sit down and read a good book”, so that is what we went with.  

Go ahead and plop extra blankets and pillows where they need not be, just for the sake of luring in each soul.

Nothing need be too formal for a cottagecore space.

And that is the beauty in it.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this tour!  While most of it can’t be linked (handmade, thrifted, antique), I will share some of the sources I purchased to fill this space.  I hope that helps.  You can also hear more details of each item in our video.

I would love to hear what you think of Cottagecore style!  Are you all in, or perhaps ready to just sprinkle a bit of it here and there?

SOURCES FOR THIS COTTAGECORE ROOM

Canopy Hardware

Block Quilt Bedding and Blankets

Turquoise Velvet Pillow Cover

Round Pink Pillow

Linen Sheets

Linen Pillowcases

Light Fixture: Can no longer find link

Doily Rug

Frolic Art Print

Closet Storage Baskets

Linen Fabric on Canopy: https://fabrics-store.com/

Bird Print Fabric: Unavailable Now, but found it at Joann’s

Bench in Closet

PAINT COLORS: 

Pink with Gray Undertones: Subdued by PPG

Warm White: Arctic Cotton by PPG

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