21 Cottage-Style Decorating Ideas That Feel Cozy and Collected

Whether you live in an actual cottage or not, it's easy to give your space the cottage treatment with our designer-approved decorating ideas. Put on your overalls and give your space a fresh coat of white paint, head to your local secondhand shop to score some well-loved furniture, or grab garden shears and forage blooms from your yard. It's not hard to create the relaxed, airy and collected look of cottagecore spaces — no matter what kind of home you have. From cozy cottage kitchens to lovely and layered bedrooms, vintage-inspired bathrooms and everything in between, read on for all the cottage decorating ideas you'll need to give your space the most charming update.

As soon as you walk into a cottage-style home, you should feel right at home. The neutral color palette and natural materials should instantly rejuvenate your senses. The space should look and feel comfortable, easy and livable. Throw a cozy slipcover on the sofa or bring in a cushy chair and add plenty of throw pillows for comfort. Favorite cottage-style materials include linen, burlap and wool.

One of the most charming aspects of cottage living is its natural, simplistic and bare-boned style. Rather than cover the small guesthouse walls in artwork, designer Sarah Richardson wanted to showcase the architectural beauty of the salvaged pine boards on their own. The little imperfections and discolorations of the boards create an earthy, distressed look that provides the perfect backdrop to the crisp, white headboard and nightstand.

A mix of oyster shell, taupe and cream make for the perfect color palette for cottage living. When combined, these hues are fresh, natural and beautifully vibrant. By sweeping a coat of soft beige paint across the walls and floor, this neutral bedroom appears open and refreshed.

Everyone knows that opposites attract, and the same is true when it comes to home decorating. Achieve balance in your space by marrying opposites, like the team at Heather Scott Home & Design did in this cottage-style dining room. Crisp white walls balance the espresso-toned wood trim and dining set. To soften the contrast, a light oak hutch sits along the wall and displays a mix of vintage dishes and other keepsakes. The room feels how a cottage space should — perfectly at ease but always beautiful.

One of the key elements to cottage-style decor is distressed and weathered furnishings. Although scouring flea markets, yard sales, thrift stores, estate sales and auctions to find a stunning piece of furniture for an amazing price may be exciting, don't look over a piece you may already have right in front of you. The power of a sanding block can work wonders if you just want to rough up the edges a little and add some character and style.

Don't be scared to pick up a paintbrush and swipe it on wood floors. In this heritage-inspired laundry room, designer Bambi A’Lynn added a homey checkerboard pattern to the wood floor for a touch of whimsy.

You'll never enter a cottage home without coming across fresh blooms of some sort in almost every room of the house. Based off rural architecture and design inspiration, plants and flowers are a natural and essential element to find within this type of home.

Incorporate your favorite elements to create a space that is entirely and solely yours. This cottage-style dining room is plenty cozy, but it reflects the homeowners' love of entertaining. The casual table is perfect for daily daily use, while the collection of silver serveware and exquisite chandelier are perfect for hosting more elegant occasions.

When most people think of cottages they think of quaint homes filled with well-worn furniture and old fixtures. This isn't necessarily the case. While some are more rural and simple, other “cottages” feature all the elements you would find in a state-of-the-art home. To give this large, modern kitchen the charm and personality it lacked, the designers at House of Jade switched out existing appliances for retro-looking ones from Big Chill. More cottage-style character comes from the sink and pretty cabinet cutouts.

When that white-on-white color palette needs a shot of color, just add something small — nothing permanent or expensive. In this homey cottage kitchen designer Leanne Ford broke up the white board-and-batten walls with a pair of weathered, robin's egg blue cabinets. They add a playful splash of color and provide storage for kitchen essentials.

In cottage-style homes, found objects are most often the focal point of a room. Whether it's an eye-catching find on the mantel or distressed shutters hanging in the kitchen, a free or inexpensive find can add instant charm to any room. In this cozy reading nook designed by Haskell Harris, a vintage pine chest doubles as a side table with ample space for book storage.

Since cottage style favors handcrafted items and imperfect finishes, designing a cottage-inspired space is very DIY-friendly. Want to revamp your bathroom? Get creative and DIY a custom vanity by painting a thrifted wicker piece in a pretty pastel hue and adding a stone top and a vessel sink. Dress it up even more by removing the drawers or doors and replacing them with a scrap fabric curtain.

Don't be afraid to layer different patterns in various colors to achieve that lived-in cottage look. The white walls typically found in cottage-style homes provide a blank backdrop to get creative with patterns, but you can still mix prints in a more colorful space — like the designers at R. Everts Interiors did here.

If your cottage is by the sea or if you just want to embrace the relaxed feel of coastal cottage style in your space, integrate beachy elements into your home. This quaint kitchen in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, nods to its coastal roots with beach landscape art and vintage ship-themed glassware on the open shelves and a nautical bulkhead sconce above the sink.

Find a new purpose for something that has been collecting dust for decades. In this cozy-chic living room designer Leanne Ford used a vintage apothecary cabinet as a sideboard (and plant stand). For maximum rustic appeal, she left the worn finish as is.

The BarnesVanze Architects team brought an elegant twist to cottage decorating in this Lake Winnipesaukee living room. With a soaring ceiling, stunning chandelier and a statement-making stone fireplace, the space feels effortlessly elegant — but not too grand.

To create the relaxed and cozy feel of cottage style, you don't have to stick to a strict set of design rules. In this charming — and very cottage-esque — dining room shiplap walls (a farmhouse staple) and traditional bistro chairs give the space that kind of collected look that feels curated and effortless at the same time.

Barely-there hues, like the pale pistachio on these laundry room cabinets, feel right at home in a cottage and offer a subtle touch of color to mostly white spaces. To breathe a whisper of color into your cottage-inspired home, try painting a piece of furniture in your favorite pastel shade, adding softly colored textiles to your space or displaying pastel decor on open shelves or table tops.

It may not be traditional in cottage spaces, but there's nothing cozier than a moody hue. This Texas kitchen by Urbanology Designs is a prime example. Alongside rustic wood elements, a retro oven and relaxed Roman shades in natural linen, the deep egglant paint contributes to the overall charming vibe.

In this transitional-meets-cottage living room, a lucite end table feels decidely modern. But paired with slipcovered chairs, vintage art and antique wood elements, the design feels layered and not too fussy.