Color Breezes Into Cottage Style
Expand the possibilities beyond lightness and air with saturated hues that take a bright approach to the cottage look
Houzz Contributor. Fresh out of journalism school, I fell into decorating media and immediately discovered a new passion. An Atlanta native, I spent several years as an editor for Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles magazine before making the leap to national publications and websites such as Houzz, Better Homes and Gardens and Southern Accents. I live in Birmingham, Alabama, with my husband and son, who’ve gotten used to coming home and finding the furniture rearranged. When I'm not dragging case goods across the floor, I enjoy good food and wine, college football, music of all kinds, and traveling.
Houzz Contributor. Fresh out of journalism school, I fell into decorating... More »
The last time I wrote a piece on cottage style, I emphasized the importance of keeping the colors light and airy in order to stay true to the aesthetic. And while that advice still holds, sometimes it just isn't practical in real life. For example, a friend who describes herself as a cottage girl mentioned recently that her current home has an orange-red wall she can't change, which doesn't jibe with her style.
The good news is that with strategically chosen furniture, accessories and surfaces, you still can evoke a cottage look with a brighter palette. These eight spaces show you how.
The good news is that with strategically chosen furniture, accessories and surfaces, you still can evoke a cottage look with a brighter palette. These eight spaces show you how.
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The approach: cottagey furnishings. Despite its bright turquoise walls, this breakfast area reads unmistakably as cottage, thanks to the spindle-back chairs, gingham tablecloth, painted wood floors and old-fashioned sideboard. The trappings are stylistically strong enough to stand up to the unconventional color.
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| The approach: prominent beadboard. A hallmark material of cottage style, beadboard evokes the feel of an old farmhouse or a breezy bungalow on the beach. On this built-in dresser and shelving unit, it's strong enough to dominate even the bright raspberry coverlet. |
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| The approach: collected appeal. The cottage look is about layering, grouping together collected items, antiques and less-than-perfect finds to create a sense of comfort. The primary color palette in this living area is anything but typical for this style, yet the artful clutter radiates warmth and welcome in exactly the way that classic cottage interiors do. |
by Shannon Malone
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The approach: a healthy dose of white. Whether you're trying to counteract a paint hue that's bolder than you prefer or craving a shot of color in a sea of creamy pastels, white will help you maintain cottage charm. The weathered medicine cabinet, old-fashioned sink and plank-topped vanity help to balance the saturated blue-green on these bathroom walls.
| The approach: cottage kitchen elements. Open shelving, freestanding furniture and beadboard help to define kitchens in this style. That holds true in this one, despite the brilliant red stools and the red painted walls in the connecting space. |
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The approach: vintage accents. Vintage furnishings and accessories are part of the storied charm that draws us to cottage style. Rich chocolate linens, bright throw pillows and turquoise walls fit neatly into the cottage look here, thanks to the window-frame photo collage and the iron bedstead.
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The approach: handwoven and artisanal textiles. Apple-green wall planks fall into cottage territory with the simple addition of a braided rug on the floor.
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| The approach: sweet florals. Bright teal hue notwithstanding, the fabric on the Roman shades and the armchair pillow in this room retains its cottage flavor. Substitute stripes, chevrons or a geometric print, and the room would go in an entirely different direction. |
Ideabook published on Sept. 18, 2012.
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Not sure about the "artful clutter" on the mantlepiece covered with artfully tumbled books, though! Most homes have enough clutter without muddying the lily by calling it "artful!"