How to Add Cottagecore Decor to Your House or Room

According to online fashion magazine The Vou, the word cottagecore comes from “cottage” — a stand-in for simple, rustic and rural — and “core,” taken from the hardcore punk music scene of the 1980s, used to define a genre or category. 

For many, cottagecore is more than a design aesthetic — it’s a step toward living a simpler, more fulfilled life in harmony with nature. It encompasses raising your own food, enjoying natural settings, creating and crafting the things you use, and enjoying a more sustainable lifestyle. 

Where Did Cottagecore Come From?

While the earliest inklings of the country cottage movement showed up in the early 2010s, rustic and cozy are all words that describe a living room in the cottagecore design style. Start with a palette of warm neutrals. If you can’t repaint your walls, you can warm them by hanging sheers in yellow, orange, peach, or rose in the windows or using cottagecore design aesthetic, has really blossomed into a lifestyle movement over the past four years. As the world shrunk to the size of our homes, it became more important than ever to transform those homes into cozy, inviting spaces that provided an escape from the rest of the world. It encouraged many to build out home gyms, create home offices and explore crafts and DIY projects. 

It also left lots of time to browse TikTok, Instagram and Pinterest for design inspiration. There, they found a ready and welcoming community of #cottagecore enthusiasts featuring idyllic photos of women and children in romantic vintage clothing tending gardens, feeding chickens and otherwise living an idealized, romantic lifestyle that harkened back to the French and English countryside. The cottagecore interpretation may gloss over the hardships of rural living, but the principles that form the basis of the aesthetic embrace the necessity of living a more sustainable lifestyle in today’s interconnected world using cottagecore.

You don’t have to live a cottagecore lifestyle to embrace and enjoy cottagecore interior design. All it takes to create the homey, cozy style is some attention to the elements of cottagecore decorating:

• Rustic or country-inspired vintage furniture
• Vintage fabrics and lace
• Botanical prints or pastoral scenes
• Fresh fruits and ingredients as decor
• Plants, plants and more plants
• Vintage rugs and floor coverings
• Wicker and wood baskets and accent items.

Cottagecore Colors and Materials

The cottagecore color palette draws from soft, natural neutrals (for example, taupe, vanilla, cream and brown) and uses accent colors found in a country garden (rich greens, lilac and pink, and violet and blue). It also embraces natural materials of all kinds, including wicker and wood that’s left natural, painted or distressed for a casual, lived-in look. 

Here are some surefire ways to make your home more cottagecore:

• Soften hardwood and tile floors with rugs and floorcloths that feature floral or nautical designs. 
• Repurpose dressers and cabinets into storage shelves to display art, crafts, books and your favorite collections. 
• Hang botanical prints on the wall or feature a painting of a pastoral countryside over the sofa, and decorate liberally with embroidered samplers, cross-stitch, and dried flower arrangements. 
• Put your green thumb on display with houseplants and windowsill herb gardens. 
• Fill your house with fresh flowers to evoke the summer sunshine even on the dreariest winter day.

Whether you choose to adopt just a few or transform your entire home into an idyllic countryside escape, the first step is to get organized and declutter your space.

Start by decluttering your home to make room for any new items you want to add. This may mean sorting through your current decor, getting rid of anything that no longer serves you and storing away seasonal or less-used items. Consider renting a self-storage unit to keep these items safe and out of the way until you need them next. 

Remember that transforming your home into a cottagecore oasis doesn’t mean you have to completely overhaul your existing decor. Rather than starting from scratch, which can be expensive and wasteful, you can add flourishes of rustic charm to your current decor with simple touches like a vintage tablecloth, fresh flowers in a mason jar or a handmade quilt. To save money, you can also keep an eye on Facebook Marketplace and other online platforms for bargains — while you may have to be patient for the right thing to come along, this is a great way to score the perfect vintage piece or handmade item at a fraction of the cost of new decor.

Inviting, warm and cozy are all words that describe a living room in the cottagecore design style. Start with a palette of warm neutrals. If you can’t repaint your walls, you can warm them by hanging sheers in yellow, orange, peach or rose in the windows or take advantage of color-changing LEDs to give the walls a soft blush. From there, consider these ideas to add a little more country-chic flavor to your living room.

Give Your Couch a Makeover

You don’t have to ditch your leather sofa or minimalist futon. Just soften its spare lines with a cozy crocheted afghan or a tufted quilt featuring flowers and lace. To stay in theme, add a few throw pillows and cushions embroidered with lace, cross-stitched, or decorated with crewel tapestry patterns.

Create a Collage Wall

Use framed prints of your favorite natural subjects. Don’t be afraid to get whimsical — some ideas include frogs, mushrooms, fairytale subjects, dragonflies, butterflies and hummingbirds. Choose frames in different sizes and shapes so you can mix and match or lay everything out symmetrically.

Transform Your Corners

Position an overstuffed armchair or vintage couch in a cozy corner, flanked by a table piled with books or your favorite crafting equipment. Add a huge wicker basket to collect magazines, balls of yarn or the pet toys that never quite make it back to the toybox. Don’t forget a vintage-style table lamp with a simple linen lampshade.

A country cottage kitchen is a working kitchen — all the elements of your kitchen witchery are in full display. Wood, glass and stone all have their particular place in the cottagecore kitchen (think wooden trays and spoons, glass apothecary and storage jars, and lots of workspace for baking and cooking). 

Whether you have a small galley-style kitchenette or large farmhouse cookery, these simple and budget-friendly ideas can help you bring the charm of a country retreat into your kitchen.

With the right organization and accessories, even the smallest bathroom can shine.

Add Plants Everywhere

Thriving plants are the very essence of cottagecore. If you’re lucky enough to have a sunny windowsill, install an herb garden with the herbs you use most. It can be as simple as a few clay pots on a wood and pebble drainage tray or as elaborate as tiered shelves loaded with all your favorite greens. If you don’t get a lot of natural light, an Aerogarden (or an Aerogarden knockoff) is the way to go. Not only do you get the decorating accent, but you also have access to your favorite fresh herbs, greens and veggies.

Put Everything in Mason Jars

Display your ingredients on open shelves in airtight glass jars. If you have a Cricut or label-maker, embellish plain dollar store jars with fanciful labels to help you stay organized with style.

Turn Your Cooking Equipment Into a Style Statement

A set of wire coat hooks can cradle a treasured wooden rolling pin on the wall or hold an assortment of wire whisks and wooden spoons. Give your mortar and pestle or crockery jar a dedicated home on your counter or sideboard, and invest in a corner shelf organizer to hold your pots and pans.

Get Out the Table Linens

Homespun cotton tea towels and napkins add a note of charm to your table, while a simple table runner is the perfect backdrop for a bowl of fresh-cut flowers or a basket of fresh fruit.

Even the smallest bathroom can shine with the right organization and accessories. Here are some ways to extend the cottagecore vibe to your bath.

Add Some Green to the Bathroom 

With a little research, you’ll find lots of (inexpensive) plants that love the humidity as much as you love a hot shower. From air plants for tiny spaces to stately palms and bamboo for those spa-size baths, look for plants that will thrive in your bathroom and bring in that country garden feel. 

Pick the Right Accessories

Organize your shelves with wicker baskets and wooden trays, or choose bathroom accessories that feature delicate floral prints in soft, neutral colors. Invest in a couple of small, machine-washable rag rugs to soften the floor in front of your shower or tub.

Embrace Vintage-Inspired Fixtures

Transform your bathroom into a quaint, cottagecore haven by swapping out modern fixtures for vintage-inspired ones. Opt for a clawfoot bathtub to serve as the bathroom’s centerpiece or choose a pedestal sink with ornate detailing. Even small changes, like replacing chrome faucets with brass or copper ones, can make a big impact.

The cottagecore bedroom celebrates romance, but not in a flashy way. The key to achieving this aesthetic in your bedroom is natural materials, simple designs and lots of lush greenery and prints. 

Incorporate Airy Materials and Botanical Patterns

Opt for bedding with botanical patterns (such as prints with leaves or flowers) and delicate lace or eyelet edging. Keep the window dressing light and airy, especially if your bedroom windows look out on a pretty view. Swap out heavy nightstands for a pair of simple wood shelves to hold a reading lamp, books and other necessities.

Decorate With Fairy Lights and Ivy Leaves 

LED fairy curtain lights add a magical, whimsical note to any bedroom. Hang them behind a sheer curtain and twine a garland of ivy leaves — real or artificial — around the curtain rod for an enchanted garden feel.

Create a Cozy Nook for Relaxing

Position a side table beside a comfy chair piled with a snug blanket and fluffy pillows. Add a bamboo or wood tea tray, complete with a vintage tea set — scored from a thrift shop, of course — and a small vase to hold a nosegay of flowers fresh from the garden. 

Now more than ever, your home should be a refuge where you can rest, recharge and refresh yourself. We hope these ideas inspire you to create your own sanctuary that soothes your spirit and adds beauty to your life. Explore the SmartStop blog for more design inspiration.