By Ela Matters Staff 
Creating an oasis of calm and nostalgia is the premise of the endearing cottagecore style. This design trend is about more than home styling; it allows you to curate your space to help inspire a lived-in, poetic, cozy vibe. Whether you are in a small apartment or a large farmhouse in a city or out in the country, cottagecore embraces the same feeling of whimsy and peacefulness as a cottage in the English countryside.
At its core, cottagecore embraces a slow life, and the beauty of nature, while also appreciating things made old and well-loved. Smart combinations of styling- think friends’ goodies, soft, comforting textile of fabrics, and botanicals can bring the magical fairy tale-like universe to life, in your home. Steering to the authenticity and comfort at the core of cottagecore allows you to turn an everyday act or occasion into a moment to remember.
When curated thoughtfully, those color pallet, textures, and pieces come together to create a nurturing retreat to relax and awaken your creativity. Every option- down to the tiniest put together, picked bloom or soft tea cup embodies a story, and soul of simpler, sweeter time.
Integrate Natural Components
Using natural materials and greenery are fundamental to the cottagecore movement. Fill a vintage pitcher or mason jar, new or dried, and place it on a mantel or windowsill for a delightfully quaint addition to your space. For more ideas on how to style your home to incorporate nature, see these cottagecore decorating ideas from Better Homes & Gardens. Large potted plants, climbing ivy, or even a simple bundle of herbs can bring life indoors, especially if they are placed on a kitchen wall. You can also create a connection to the earth by adding botanical art or paintings of nature.
Layer Cozy Textiles
Textiles are an important part of creating a cottagecore home. You can mix and layer warm and tactile-rich materials like chunky knits, linens (in floral and checked variations), wool blanket, and soft velvet pillows throughout your living and sleeping areas. Decorative details like pleated lampshades, hanging handwoven tapestry or art, and cozy rugs underfoot are comforting and add layer. If you choose your textiles within a palette of soft, cohesive colors, you will add to the tranquil feel of your home.
Add Second-Hand or Handmade Decor
A lover of the cottagecore aesthetic will have a treasure hunt at the flea market, antique store, or online fine goods market. Look for unique, and often timeworn, pieces that may have a story to tell about themselves, (like a painted trunk, a tattered portrait or a handmade table runner). Handmade pottery, candlesticks, and crocheted doilies add a personal connection to the handmade and crafted spirit of the style, which invites a lived-in feel and connects your home to history.
Design a Cozy Reading Nook
Encourage time and space in your house for you to read and daydream. Set up a soft armchair next to a window, add a soft throw over the armchair, and set up a tiny table close by with old books, journals, or wildflowers. Place soft lighting either with a table lamp shaded with fabric or a few candles to invite you into this reading nook for easy days of doing nothing or dreaming of the past.
Add Floral Textiles
Florals are part of the cottage core style in the form of fabric for wallpaper, curtains, pillow covers, and sometimes for dishes. Whether you like more bold colored cottage roses or soft feminine wildflowers, add various patterns. Patterns can add whimsy to a room. It’s also okay to use florals in the same space as gingham or stripes, which achieves an inviting feel of purposely mixed patterns together that have been collected over time and offers a more personal touch.
Embrace DIY Projects
Cottage core embraces the craftsman feel of handmade touches into the home decor. A knitted blanket, pillow covers made of old fabric, fresh cut wildflowers from the garden as centerpieces, or a recycled jar or two to make your own candle holder. Easy DIY projects like these can add to our personal touch to your decor and provide a sense of purpose, accomplishment, and self-reliance that is consistent with cottage core values.
Rustic Wood Furniture
Natural, often reclaimed wood, makes up most of the furniture in a cottage core space. Look for furniture pieces that wear and show the grain and patina of age or handmade for artisan touch. Middle-centered tables, benches, wide shelves, or other statement pieces that show the handmade pieces you have collected, like pottery early bird or mechanics or handiwork pieces is a great way to demonstrate rustic living and accomplish an appreciation for sustainability in your home, that’s slow and living.
When you combine these ideas, you can style a beautifully decorated home that is inspired by the magic of simpler, natural times with a slow-paced, used very little during the week experiences, but with the inflections of your modern lives. With simple details, like a foraged wildflower on your bedside table from your garden, or a handmade throw from your friend over your couch becomes a sweet small sanctuary in your space that expresses a purpose of beauty, being individual, and finding peace.
Key Takeaways
- Cottagecore is an approach to home design that celebrates nature, simplicity, vintage charms and handmade objects.
- DIY projects and finishes with rustic wood add authenticity, giving your space personality and a sense of belonging.
- The style embraces an eco-friendly lifestyle and highlights one-of-a-kind individuality, shown by selective, intentional collections of objects and rooms.