Country Cottage Decorating Ideas

Country Cottage Decorating Ideas: Cottage-style homes are known for their cozy charm, casual comfort, and sense of warmth. This style is very versatile and not at all limited to cottages nestled deep within the English countryside. It’s a style that also goes hand in hand with rustic homes as it embraces the antique aesthetic that lovingly pairs the old with the new. It’s easy to infuse your own home with the quaint character associated with country cottage style by introducing moody and soft colors, natural textures, plush furniture, and chunky textures. The primary goal is to create a home that inviting, homey, and reminiscent of decades past. These interiors provide the perfect setting for curling up with a cup of tea with their layered chintzy floral prints, lovely wallpaper patterns, bouquets of garden flowers, and a generous scattering of art.

Modern cottage style can be viewed as an evolution of modern farmhouse that incorporates many of the same design elements while embracing quaintness and charm. It reflects more of a country feel with traditional English elements while maintaining a similar casual feel that represents farmhouse design.

I’ve included the interior design work of Heidi Caillier in this post as her work showcases her design philosophy that homes should be comfortable and livable while at the same time beautiful and comfortable. Her style mixes old with new, integrating textures and color, layered with pieces that feel traveled and have history.

Heidi expertly combines vintage furniture and materials that feature raw and natural textures that balance this appreciation of color and pattern to create spaces that feel practical and effortless. Her use of color and pattern throughout the spaces she creates is stunning to behold. I hope you enjoy viewing a few of my favorite images of her gift for design.

Interior designer Heidi Caillier designed this guesthouse on a new project on Fox Island in Washington state.  Here she created a brooding all-black kitchen, mismatched artisan bath tiles, and discordant florals and plaids that somehow blend into balance.

“I love the wallpaper in the dining room,” Caillier says of the Belfry Historic wallcovering. Originally, the living room, dining nook, and kitchen were all designed as one giant great room. “These open concept spaces—I think they’re finally going out of vogue,” Caillier says. She introduced archways to give each area a distinct look and cozier feel. A pair of kitchen sconces, glimpsed in the distance, are also from Lumfardo. ~ Architectural Digest

Graceful arches and a Belfry Historic wallcovering demarcate the slender dining area, outfitted with a Shoppe Amber Interiors table, West Elm chairs clad in a Maharam fabric, and vintage light fixtures. The chandelier was sourced online at Lumfardo while the sconce came from Nickey Kehoe. More Blue Palomino quartzite tops a custom console. A pink Jason Koharik sconce is just visible in the adjacent living room.

Key Elements in Modern Cottage Style

Mix in Plenty of Pattern & Textiles

Traditional patterns such as toile, florals, plaids, gingham, and stripes add color and personality, as well as visual texture to a country-cottage home. Here, mismatched patterns complement each other to create a space that feels both lived-in and loved.  

Patterns, like furniture, have different scales. The goal is to vary the scale (size of the pattern) while maintaining a consistent color palette. Try mixing large, medium, and small-scale patterns to create balance and harmony. Blend both simple and complex patterns. A great place to start is with your throw pillows. You can also introduce pattern with area rugs, curtains, wallpaper, and accent chairs.

When decorating with multiple patterns, it’s important to include some solids to give patterns some breathing room. Solid colors break up the lines and shapes of the pattern and prevent the space from looking too busy or overdone.

Be sure to add plenty of throws and cozy quilts to the mix!

Choose an Airy and Neutral Color Palette

Focus first on one neutral such as white, cream, or warm grays, and then introduce bold accents. These light neutrals reflect the bright natural light that streams into country cottage rooms and provides the perfect backdrop to warm pastel hues such as greens, yellows, blues, and pinks.  

In country cottage design, color is most often found in accent décor rather than the main furniture. Concentrated colors can be introduced with throw pillows, blankets, rugs, and curtains. You can also choose shades based on natural earth pigments that enhance the mood of a space such as terracotta, honeyed yellows, and rich reds.

Fill Your Home with Fresh Flowers

A beautiful bouquet of your garden favorites is the perfect finishing touch to bring the cottage look into your home.

Make the Most of Architectural Features

Show off your home’s unique character and celebrate rather than hide original stone walls, arched doorways, and exposed natural beams.  

Wood Accents & Natural Materials

Wood furniture grounds the country-cottage style and adds a homey warmth to the space. Pieces that blend in perfectly are distressed and worn and pair well with homey patterns such as gingham, florals, and stripes. Original and reclaimed wide-plank wood flooring also impart a natural warmth.

Natural materials can include not only reclaimed wood, but also stone, wicker, and cotton upholstery. Matte finishes and low shine materials create warmth and style.

Vintage Inspired Décor

No country cottage home is complete without a few vintage-inspired accent pieces such as worn watering cans, wicker baskets, old crates, and unique floral vases.

Large Oversized Furniture

Large-scale furniture with an emphasis on comfort and function promotes conversation and brings a cozy feel. Rather than purchasing matching furniture collections – mix and match your favorite pieces in a unique and interesting way.

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