How to Define Cottage-Style Decor
Think of a beach house, with over-stuffed furniture wrapped in off-white cotton slip covers and drapes billowing into the room from the open windows. This is cottage style, and while it is suited to vacation homes, its mark has made its way into city apartments and suburban development homes. Cottage-style decor is simple, clean, light and airy. There is more clutter than in simplistic Asian-inspired or Craftsman-style interior design, but the accessories on display tell a story about the people living in the home. Cottage-style decor is like comfort food -- a warm welcome after a long day. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Find inviting and cozy over-stuffed furniture, including rolled-arm sofas and side chairs with cushions filled with down. Bring a feeling of the outside into your rooms by using wicker, light woods, and distressed white, birch and pecan furnishings. Decorate bedrooms with plump mattresses and layers of spreads, duvets and pillows. Scatter antique chairs or thrift shop bargains in your rooms. Aim for an eclectic look to carry the cottage-style theme.
-
2
Install wooden floors and top them with cotton, sisal or bamboo area rugs to keep the rooms light. Use floral and chintz fabrics but be minimal with big flowers and patterns so the decor is not overwhelmed by the fabric. Find linen and cotton slip covers as they are natural fabrics that define cottage style. Add some drama with a brocade seat on a wood-framed side chair and watch as it blends with the decor.
-
-
3
Display accessory pieces that bring you pleasure or speak of your personal history. Keep collections to a controllable minimum and in a separate display area. Relate what is important in your everyday life by having books and magazines on your cocktail or side tables. Put plants in strategic corners to bring added life to a room. Hang mirrors, use paintings that bring a smile to the face and display silver-framed photographs to further your theme.
-
4
Hang white, off-white or white-on-white textured linen or sheer curtains. Let them fall to the floor and, if you like the look, puddle them. Create a bright and breezy atmosphere. Keep your window coverings simple to align with your decorating purpose. Use a brass rod for a little pizazz or add tasseled tie backs for interest. Install plantation shutters in white or wooden window blinds on smaller windows.
-
5
Select two colors that appeal to for highlight colors you but keep them in the lighter tones. Use the color on walls, pillows, accessories and in your rugs. Mix a wall color that is 90 percent white with 10 percent of a color of your choice. Choose green, blue, pink or latte walls for a white look, but one that casts a glow of the added color.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit Comstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images
