To help you decide which cottage decorating style would be best suited to your tastes and budget, the following is a brief description of the most common decors for this theme:
Romantic - This is one of the most popular when it comes to cottage decorating, especially when decorating living rooms, family rooms, and bedrooms. This particular theme focuses on using soft pastel colors (I.E. pink, peach, rose, green) mixed with rich shades (I.E. gold, deep green, burgundy). The other elements include wrought iron furniture, and antique wood furniture that is either finished in its original wood color, or painted white. Finally, colorful flowers are used throughout the room accessories (I.E. linens, upholstery, wall art, rugs, etc.)
English - This cottage decorating theme is often associated with the aristocracy. This is because English cottage décor combines grand furniture and accessories with an aged and inviting feel. Popular items for this style include camelback sofas with rolled arms decorated in floral upholstery, tapestry chair seats and footstools, large wooden armoires, wall art made up of generations of family photos in antique frames, leather bound books, and oriental rugs. Popular colors include various shades of brown, white, cream, and pastel yellow, green, pink and blue.
French - A favorite for decorating kitchens, French cottage themes focus on blending the traditional Provencal look with a rustic environment. To create the French cottage atmosphere, elements you will require include: wood furniture typical of farmhouses, which is usually painted white or cream, topiary plants, sprigs of lavender, wine rack, wrought iron accessories, floral or Provencal paintings, wallpaper, and toile prints on fabrics, etc. Aside from light neutrals and the typical pastel shades associated with cottage decorating, other popular colors are royal blue and mustard.
Vintage - The vintage cottage look celebrates simple antique beauty. This is achieved by showcasing generational black and white family photos, displaying any heirloom knick knacks (I.E. jewelry, handkerchiefs, ceramic figurines, pottery, tea set, etc.) antique furniture, lace tablecloths and curtains, doilies, and aged floral textiles (I.E. upholstery, drapery, area rugs, pillows). The colors used are primarily white and other warm neutrals mixed with pastels.
Garden - This type of cottage decorating focuses on emulating the outside inside. This is achieved by stenciling vines and leaves on walls; placing various plants, especially ivy and vases of flowers around the room; displaying a birdhouse; and using nature-inspired furniture such as chairs and tables made of wicker, twigs or rattan. In addition, a common print used in linens aside from flowers, is cabbage roses. The ideal colors for this theme are light to medium neutral shades mixed with the soft and vibrant shades characteristic of gardens.
As you can see, there are a variety of different cottage decorating ideas to choose from, and each has a few special qualities that make them unique from the others. Therefore, be sure to select the style that you find most appealing and achievable.
