With the term ‘cottagecore’ rising in popularity, it’s no surprise that the number of people drawn towards the English cottage style of decorating their home is growing. This style combines the vintage and the modern to achieve a comfortable and cozy home that’s entirely unique to you. If you’re looking for advice on how to flaunt an English cottage style in your home, keep reading.
Focus on Layers and Textures
The English cottage style of decorating is associated with coziness and warmth that’s usually achieved through the use of different textures and layers: think cushions, pillows, throws, and rugs. Decorating in this style gives you the perfect chance to find vintage linens and blankets online, or in friends’ wardrobes even.
It’s easy to decorate in this way. Just throw some pillows on top of sofas, chairs, and benches, place multiple rugs over one another (especially pretty on hardwood floors), and go wild with curtains and blinds, really focusing on building layers. Remember, every part of your home provides an opportunity, so don’t forget about your shelves and tabletops either. Something as simple as a table runner can do wonders towards warming up a room.
Remember the Little Things
The little touches make all the difference when it comes to creating an authentic English cottage style. One of the most affordable and easy ways of bringing this style into your home is to replace things like door knobs and handles with more detailed versions. For example, swapping your door knobs for elaborate crystal or metal is a great way to change the feel of an entire room without having to break the bank.
Another small change you can make that will scream authenticity is replacing your wall shelf brackets with vintage appearing ones. Again, this doesn’t cost a lot of money but will work wonders towards giving an entirely finished look to your home.
Invest in Built-ins
Nothing finishes off an English cottage-style home quite like built-ins do. Bookcases, window seats, and cabinets are what you’d consider the trademark of this style. Don’t panic if you don’t have built-in features already installed though – you can quite easily fake it. If you really look, you’ll find there are tons of fake built-in possibilities you can take advantage of.
One of the most popular is the built-in bookcase. You can achieve this look by purchasing shelving for your space and then filling the area with as much shelving as possible. We’re talking floor to ceiling and side to side. This gives the built-in look that so many desire whilst being a whole lot cheaper.
The same can be done for window seats or DIY reading nooks, if that’s what you’re after instead. Shop at flea markets or second-hand stores for an upholstered bench, place it in front of your favourite window and cover it in tons of pillows and throws to give a cozy feel – and there you have it, your own window seat or reading nook!
As you can see, there are numerous ways that you can create an English cottage style in your home, without breaking the bank. No longer will you need to choose between comfort and style – with cottage-style aesthetics you can get both with no compromise.
