When we think of the word ‘cottage’, we think of something super cozy, covered in flowers with butterflies and bees buzzing round, and plenty of sunshine streaming in through the sashed windows.
It’s a very picturesque image in the real estate world, with many people going all out for the cottage life aesthetic, and that’s something even you can achieve with a few cute little changes to your home.
Whether you’re the proud owner of a cozy cottage or not, you can make your home more cottage-like by adding a few cute elements. These ‘upgrades’ don’t even need to be expensive or hard to carry out either; all you need is a bit of time and the right materials on your side!
Decorate in Autumnal Tones
Autumnal tones, such as burgundy, deep reds and oranges, light browns and sandstone, are great for decorating your home like a traditional old-timey cottage. Paint each room in a rainbow of these colors to really evoke the image of vintage living, without any lack in necessary modern conveniences!
You can also use lighter greens and blues to showcase the feeling of late summer and autumn skies, with a few highlights of yellow to keep your rooms from feeling like they’re damp and depressing. That’s definitely not cozy, so make sure to include elements from all across the color wheel to prevent it.
Add Shutters to the Windows
Exterior shutters are one of the best features to attach to your home if you want to decorate in a typical cottage style. You can easily screw them into the frames as they are, or knock them into the exterior wall or siding if that isn’t possible.
If you need a little guide on how to attach shutters to your home, watch a tutorial like this first. Then, make sure you wash and wipe down your exterior window frames before attaching anything new. Of course, you can also use this time to paint the window frame and the shutters, if you find you don’t like the color or they just don’t pop enough!
Oversize the Sofa
An oversized sofa is one of the comfiest things in the world! You can sit back and sink into the cushions, meaning you can ultimately disappear into the softness and forget about what else is going on in the world. If you don’t have an oversized sofa with a tall, plush back, take a look round second hand furniture stores and get online to see the full range.
Add Wood Beams to the Kitchen
Every good cottage kitchen has wood beams across the ceiling, down the side of the door frame, and above the window sill. Really, they can be fitted anywhere the house needs a little bit more support! In your own home, you can add these in as and where you like with a reliable kitchen remodeling contractor on hand.
But really, all you need here is a bit of creative thinking about your kitchen’s potential. A bit of negative space above the cabinets? Put a wood beam in. No picture frames to hang round the door to the downstairs hallway? Put a wood beam in!
Then Pop in a Kitchen Table
You’re not done in the kitchen quite yet! If you’ve got the room for it, pop in an aged wooden table with some similarly aged wooden chairs, or even a bench if you can find one at the second hand store. Even a smaller table that only fits two chairs will work wonderfully here.
Kitchen tables are very common in cottages, seeing as there’s little to no room to fit them anywhere else, but it also provides extra counter space. If you want to start baking and stewing more often, you’re going to need a table behind you to keep all your jars and bowls in place!
Plant a Kitchen Garden Outside
Kitchen gardens are working plots of land where plenty of vegetables, herbs, and even fruit trees grow. If you don’t have one in your garden right now, use this glorious summer time to put one together! It might be a little late to grow the bulk of the crop, but you can still get a few edible plants out of the land – many seeds can be planted in late August and early September as well.
Expose Some Brick
Exposed brick is very current, but it’s also a great way to bring a more vintage aesthetic into your home. All you really need to do is scrape off some plaster and you’re good to go! Make sure you don’t remove any insulation during this, however; if you’re like to, buy some wallpaper that looks like exposed brick in the color and style you like and hang that inside.
Double Up Curtains
If you want your rooms to be as cozy as possible, think about the textures you drape the surfaces in. Your bedroom, for example, is going to be covered in soft furnishings that help you to sleep soundly night after night, but how about the rest of the rooms in your home?
It used to be that we’d coat the walls in tapestries and blankets, as a form of more primitive insulation, to keep the cold weather out. However, with modern double glazing and sealing, we don’t need to resort to these measures anymore.
But if you want to bring a taste of the old cottage lifestyle into your home, think about doubling up your curtains. A pair of thinner, shorter curtains underneath heavier, blackout drapes are the best combination here, but net curtains with floor length shades on top will look good too.
Do you want to live in a cozy cottage paradise? You can! All you need to do is incorporate that ‘cottagecore’ aesthetic into your space. Use the ideas above to get started and have some fun with your interior design! A touch of the vintage here and there can make for a very comfortable and welcoming home.
