Decorate Your Home in Country Cottage Style

Country cottage decorating creates a look for your home that is easy, old-fashioned and uncomplicated.  If you love a look that leans toward charming and romantic and creates an atmosphere of comfort and relaxation, country cottage style is perfect.  This article offers tips and ideas for designing your home in a style that is totally inviting and warm. 

The colors that are most frequently used in this style of decorating are lighter shades of blue, yellow, rose and green.  Today, however, the look can look very modern and trendy if you choose to use bright red, green and yellow accents against a neutral sand or cream background.

Before you start choosing the furnishings, floors or accents you want to use, determine your color palette.  If you go with the pastel shades, you may want to use blue on the walls, a soft pale green or any other light color.  Should you decide to go with the bold colors, paint walls a sand or bisque hue.  Either way, choose a dominant color for the room, then work the furnishings and accents around this color.

In the country cottage style of decorating, furnishings can be mixed and matched.  Your goal is to create a simple, uncomplicated look.  Worn furniture is perfect, whether it is truly worn or you have designed it to look that way by sanding edges to give it a worn effect.  Wicker and wrought iron are excellent choices, and wooden furniture should be of lighter shades, even distressed white.  Pieces can mix and match or you can paint all of the furnishings so they match.  Flea markets are a good place to find simple pieces at a bargain!

When it comes to the accessories you want to use for country cottage decorating, use your imagination!  Use an old antique trunk as an end table, or reuse draperies you have had stored for a decade as a kitchen tablecloth.  Cracked pitchers filled with greenery add a nice touch.  Anything you truly love that is simple and uncomplicated will work perfectly.  Flea market finds, old things you have had stored, and reproductions help you create a home that reflects your personality, and feels so comfortable and welcoming that guests will never want to leave. 

If you think country cottage style decorating sounds like a dream, do a little browsing online.  You will find plenty of examples of just how beautiful, yet simple, this style of décor really is – and how easy it is to create the look for your own home.

Pattern and fabric consistency play an important role in country cottage décor.  Stripes, florals, checks and solids all work well together, as long as you follow the chosen color palette.  Natural fabrics such as cotton, chenille and chintz add depth and interest to the room.  Lots of throw pillows for the bed in various color-coordinated patterns are essential in creating a charming, relaxed atmosphere for the room.