15 Ways to Get the English Cottage Look
Look to nature, inexpensive fabrics and small swaps to conjure a country-house vibe
Laura Gaskill
February 5, 2014
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance checklist. My favorite pieces to write center around the emotional aspects of home and savoring life's simple pleasures. Decluttering course + discount for Houzzers: https://www.lauragaskill.com/welcome-houzzers
Houzz Contributor. I cover decorating ideas, Houzz tours & the monthly home maintenance... More
Love the idea of bringing warm, cozy English cottage style home, but don’t want to break the bank to do it? While you may dream of splurging on a claw-foot bathtub and roll-arm sofa, thankfully (for your wallet) that’s really not necessary. English cottage style is more about creating a mood than about checking off a list of must-have furniture. Here are 15 ways to revamp and refresh your home’s interiors with paint, vintage finds and creativity.
1. Change the mood with paint. Muted, drab tones like mouse’s back, wheat and duck-egg green are ideally suited to English cottage style. Try painting your kitchen cupboards and trim to match, and paint the walls one shade lighter.
2. Swap hardware for sturdy bin pulls and wooden knobs. Changing out the hardware on kitchen cupboards or a dining room built-in can make it feel like you have new cupboards. Channel an English country cottage with classic bin pulls or smooth wooden knobs.
2. Swap hardware for sturdy bin pulls and wooden knobs. Changing out the hardware on kitchen cupboards or a dining room built-in can make it feel like you have new cupboards. Channel an English country cottage with classic bin pulls or smooth wooden knobs.
3. Embrace workhorse textiles. Every fabric shop carries a wide assortment of solid fabrics in airy voile and gauze (perfect for floaty window treatments), checkered and ticking stripe cotton, and sturdy canvas at a low price per yard. If you don’t sew, you can use iron-on hem tape to make quick no-sew curtains and tablecloths; if you do sew, it’s not too hard to turn out your own pillowcases and duvet covers. Get creative with other easy-to-find, cheap fabrics as well — burlap can cover bulletin boards, and muslin, typically used in pattern making, can be used for curtains and for pillow covers primed for embellishing.
4. Roll out a rag rug. Rag rugs came about as a creative way to reuse scraps of fabric too small to sew into garments, and to put old, worn-out clothes and home textiles to work again. Today rag rugs are widely available and are quite inexpensive. But if you really want to save, try looking up a tutorial online for a DIY rag rug and craft your own using soft old T-shirts.
4. Roll out a rag rug. Rag rugs came about as a creative way to reuse scraps of fabric too small to sew into garments, and to put old, worn-out clothes and home textiles to work again. Today rag rugs are widely available and are quite inexpensive. But if you really want to save, try looking up a tutorial online for a DIY rag rug and craft your own using soft old T-shirts.
5. Use a rich color on walls and trim. Vibrant yet slightly grayed hues, like this lovely spring green, call to mind old and well-loved cottages tucked into the British countryside. Paint the trim, walls and cabinetry the same hue for a seamless look.
6. Try colorful trim. White walls and floors create a freshly scrubbed setting, allowing the pale duck-egg green trim to take center stage in this serene bedroom. A simple wooden bed, a pitcher of wildflowers and a white crocheted bedspread enhance the country cottage charm. Pale spring green, butter yellow or lavender would also work well.
7. Paint the floors. A floor painted a solid color adds style and freshness to a room for less than the cost of a new rug. Try painting the floors of a guest room, study or sunporch a cheerful spring green or pale sky blue.
8. Trace on a checkerboard pattern. Painting older, worn wooden floor can be a cost-effective way to create a new look. A checkerboard pattern is fairly straightforward to accomplish and looks right at home in a kitchen, sunroom or child’s bedroom. Black and white, blue and white, and yellow and white are foolproof combos to try. Don’t want to paint your floors? Try out the pattern on a basic natural-fiber rug instead.
9. Cover plumbing with a café curtain. Not so fond of your lower cabinets? Replace a few of the doors with cute café curtains. They are not expensive, but if you can whip them up yourself, so much the better!
9. Cover plumbing with a café curtain. Not so fond of your lower cabinets? Replace a few of the doors with cute café curtains. They are not expensive, but if you can whip them up yourself, so much the better!
10. Bring in small treasures from nature. A bird’s nest, a pile of pretty stones, shells from the seaside — reminders of the natural world are an essential ingredient in any cozy cottage home. See what you can find in the natural areas near your own home … treasure hunting should be part of the fun.
11. Set up a table on the porch. On a pleasant day, it can be so lovely to bring your breakfast or lunch out to a covered porch. Any old table and chairs will do. Cover the table with a homespun cloth like a ticking stripe or feed sack material, set out a vase of cut flowers or interesting foliage, and use any mismatched china you like.
12. Hang simple barn lights. Barn-style lights can be found at every price point, and they work just about anywhere. Try them on a covered porch and in the kitchen, bathroom and mudroom, for starters.
12. Hang simple barn lights. Barn-style lights can be found at every price point, and they work just about anywhere. Try them on a covered porch and in the kitchen, bathroom and mudroom, for starters.
13. Create windowsill vignettes. Sometimes the tiniest details can make a huge difference in the way a room looks and feels. In the bathroom try swapping out your standard washcloth for a hand-knit version, plunk a garden rose in a water glass and display pretty little vases or bottles where they can catch the light. Line up seashells in a kitchen window; prop a tiny painting and a jelly jar of flowers in a study window.
14. Keep bedding simple. A neat, well-tucked bed with white sheets and wool blankets is refreshingly simple. Include just a hint of romance with crochet-edged pillowcases and a posy of roses on the nightstand.
15. Embrace cottage garden romance. Fragrant plants like roses, lavender, jasmine and honeysuckle will lift your spirits every time you come home … even if they are in pots on your patio and not running free in a vast English garden. The mood is the important thing.
Tell us: Do you love cozy cottage style?
Tell us: Do you love cozy cottage style?
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Love Love Love English Country Cottage style (which is quite different from English Cottage Style, in larger manor homes). I like to read proper British decor mags and blogs featuring 17th or 18th century rustic cottages, with exposed oldie-worldie beams and wood paneling, low and cozy ceilings with smaller, snug-like spaces for an intimate appeal, and ALWAYS wood burning (or wood-look) stoves set in beautiful fireplace surrounds, etc. In my opinion, decor items themselves only goes so far with this style and something will still be lacking - Quirky, character-filled architecture and woodworking in the rooms themselves really makes or breaks the setting for whatever cottage-y furnishings you want to put in the rooms. Without those fundamental structural elements "lining" or "framing" the room, the English appeal of it always seems lacking, at least in my opinion. I would rather invest money into adding in some of these features (even if they're not hundreds of years old) to get that sense of built-in character, rather than spend a fortune on furnishings...And once the foundation is there, just look for bits and bobs that are well-loved and mesh together over time to furnish the space.
Cottage style is all about the inherent charm of functional, well-built things ("pretty" is good, but "practical" is a must), rather than prissy trim, fussy or overly delicate fabrics (silk, etc) and upholstery skirting, etc anyways. But as far as decor goes, you definitely should aim to find/make some cheerful bunting to throw into the mix! :) It's quintessential for the true British look, and can be used in practically any room of the house. I really like it in the kitchen or informal dining room for a cheery touch.
Similarly, faerie lights add that "special something," and old wooden furniture, especially things like wooden trunks (double-duty for great storage and a coffee table), really tie things together beautifully~ And as much as heavy, patterned curtains are not a current North American trend, they really do lend to this style well. Maybe consider making them from a lighter-weight fabric and/or lighter colorways to brighten your space, but try to keep the same types of floral/patterned overall curtain aesthetic you'd see in actual homes in the UK, for a sense of authenticity (if that's what you're after in your space). Just some thoughts and goals for my own home...
But regardless, each person has his/her own take on this beautiful home interiors style and what they're looking to replicate or achieve. So, like this article suggests, it's about picking up on the overall feeling of it (whatever you personally think that is), and just go with it. :)
Absolutely beautiful. I'm trying to post on what I can do with my 1970 ' s garage floorplan cottage...so much wood, and I'm not sure my family would be keen on me painting it. Ive a large Woodbuilt-in half bookcase,with odd country slatted shutters on top, (privacy? And heat? And same track slatted bedroom door. One very dark plastic door on small bedroom closet.I'm also rather stuck with the new carpet and lino (put in before I moved in . I'm not partial to any furnishings except trunk and antique table. (Everything else was here)..
from the side door, which I use as a "faux hallway one is directly in line to the to the bath. The LR and kitchen are open.to each other..in the kitchen there is also a large natural gas heater. (So that's something I just have to deal with.. i thought about getting rid of table, and getting a small island as a divider?
I do have a french door (in front of sofa)that leads to the garden and several windows, but a large overhang prevents tons of natural light. .my bedroom is behind the bookcase. Their is another, storage/bedroom to the right of mine, we share a wall. It has a 24 inch door close to the bedroom..maybe I could paint that rarely used door? The "2nd bedroom"has an outside entrance in line with the front of house (was once a tiny beauty parlor)
if anyone has paint colour ideas. (Or even drastically different style ideas from english cottage)
I also love deco, slightly hippie, french, victorian modern, and modern country. (Too much really-im ecclectic by nature)id be so happy to hear. Usually a home already has "character and one can work with that.. - but all I see is building built on garage floorplan, but never used as such).
I was thinking of painting the wall with mirror a deep rose?(it juts out) I wanted to have a pop of colour, but I thought an entire wall in a colour block would look too choppy? (That wall is about 3 feet wide.
. I do like neutrals, and white farmhouse subway tile kitchens, but It's about 560 square feet. I don't want" blah" or stark. I'm slightly limited, as the cottage belongs to a very senior family member that I care for. Thank you, and have a lovely day.
Adorable, but not remotely English Cottage. American Cottage, perhaps...