What Are the Best Tips for Decorating Cottage Interiors?

One of the benefits to decorating cottage interiors is that cottages by nature allow for a more eclectic mixture of furniture, and are generally designed to feel comfortable and homey. As a result, one of the best tips for decorating cottage interiors is to look in antique shops, yard sales, and flea markets for great deals on furniture. Vintage styles often look great in a cottage, for example, and can be mixed together for a very unique look. Another common choice is to decorate around a theme, such as an English countryside theme with floral patterns, or a beach theme with seashells and colors in cool blue tones.

Selecting a theme is a good idea because it really helps to guide the choices for everything from furniture, to the decor on the walls in cottage interiors. Garden or countryside themes are especially popular, as these allow the mixing of many different colors as they are found in floral patterns. Outdoorsy or country themes, where wooden furniture is used, and the decor might revolve around flora and fauna found in the woods, is another popular choice with lots of decor options. Decorating a cottage with a beach or seashore theme helps to give it a relaxing, vacation-like feel as well. The type of theme chosen for the cottage largely depends on what it will be used for, such as whether it will be a year-round home or not, or where in the world it is located.

Cottage style decorating is generally also intended to be comfortable and livable, not formal and stuffy. Oversized furniture, distressed wooden tables or chairs, or homemade or vintage pieces are good choices for a cottage. Depending on the style of the home, the walls may be wallpapered or painted. Often, floral patterns will look best with wallpaper, whereas a more open, vacation-style home may look better with white or painted walls to give it a more open, airy feel.

Decorating cottage interiors are fun as well, again because the possibilities are largely endless. Antique and vintage shops offer great opportunities for unique finds, such as decorative plates, antique items that can be repurposed, or unique picture frames, just to name a few. Cottage interiors are informal, fun places to relax and unwind, and decorating a cottage is a great opportunity to let the imagination go, and take some chances with new decorating styles to see what works.