Cottagecore decor: How to bring the romantic aesthetic into your home

Has life ever felt so busy that you long to enjoy the simpler things? With this decor trend you can bring exactly that into your home.

April 17, 2023

Woman And Home 4 minutes read

From the romanticised interpretation of cute village dwellings and farmstead lifestyles comes the aesthetic movement known as Cottagecore.

It has been fostered around the idea of living a more straightforward life that exists outside of our technologically driven world. It’s the kind of simple life where you grow your own food and have your own chickens. It is a life of local farmers markets, artisan products and vintage finds. Closets filled with gingham, ruffles and florals and a home in the forest.

The Growth of Cottagecore

Unsurprisingly Cottagecore grew in popularity on social media. It first emerged as a term in 2017 on Instagram and Tumblr, reaching global recognition as an aesthetic movement on TikTok in 2019. But Cottagecore had its real moment during the COVID-19 pandemic. With people spending more time at home than ever before, there was a turn in where people sought pleasure: Home comforts.

Yes we turned to Tiger King, but we also turned to baking banana bread, making sourdough starters, and wondering what life would be like outside of our usual busy city lifestyles. As a concept, Cottagecore symbolises the coziness of home with the ideal home tied to scenes of idyllic – mostly European – countrysides. Think Provence, Tuscany and The Cotswold. With each new lockdown that happens, Cottagecore rises in fame inspiring those at home to entertain themselves with reading old tales, knitting, crocheting and gardening. Living slowly and gently, like in a fairytale.

A Reality Check

But this concept of a wholesome, peaceful life in a rural home pretty much only exists in the digital world. I grew up on an almost middle-of-nowhere farm in rural KwaZulu Natal. There was very little of the perfectly curated Cottagecore aesthetic! In real life you’re spending more time battling the elements, phoning Eskom because your power has been out for four hours, finding your cabbage patch eaten by local wildlife, fixing burst pipes, getting stung by bees, coming across unwelcome snakes and driving for ages to get anywhere at all.

As New York Times writer Isobel Slone so eloquently put it, Cottagecore is an ‘aspirational form of nostalgia that praises the benefits of living a slow life in which nothing much happens at all.’ It is a dreamed-up version of the reality. For the most part, Cottagecore exists in Instagram squares, planned out filtered TikTok videos and elaborate fashion shoots. It exists in our longing for it.

Embracing Cottagecore

Understanding that Cottagecore is a dreamy version of reality is important, but this doesn’t mean the aesthetic movement is void of use. In its longing for a simpler, more naturally beautiful and sustainable life Cottagecore helps us come back to our roots. It inspires us to keep our hands busy. To shop a little more wisely and make our home more cozy so we happily spend more time being comfy inside it.

I’ve rounded up some stellar Cottagecore influencers who show you how to create a home you want to spend more time in. Browse, enjoy and follow these women for more.

Paula Sutton of @hillhousevintage

Paula Sutton is the reigning queen of attainable and sustainable Cottagecore. The ever cheerful Paula lives in a picturesque 1822 Georgian house in rural Norfolk.

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Paula’s home is the perfect take on country interiors, highlighted in her use of beautiful vintage linens. We love how she mixes stripes, gingham and big florals in a subtle way with poofy cushions. It’s so inviting! It’s an easy trick to pull off, especially if you have some classic Biggie Best fabric lying around.

Another easy decor tip is Paula’s use of big ceramic milk jugs and water pitchers. She gives these vintage pieces new life by using them as vases for massive arrangements of blooms. Instant Cottagecore feels!

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Rebecca Lovatt of @myenglishcountrycottage

In a little 17th Century Thatch Cottage, located in the village of Cambridgeshire, is Rebecca Lovatt showing us how gorgeous maximalism can be.

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Rebecca has made their family home an incredibly cozy and relaxing space by incorporating all the best Cottagecore elements. There are old books made into a feature wall or used as bedside decor. She’s used decorative wrought iron bed frames, dramatically draped and gathered curtains, exposed wooden beams and every type of floral decor you can find. Sometimes you gotta go all out!

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Elin Lannsjö of @elinlannsjo

Elin Lannsjö is a ceramicist and travel blogger for Elle Decoration with the sweetest cottage in Sweden. Our favourite part about Elin’s Cottagecore aesthetic is her cottage’s small but mighty outside area. With big outdoor chairs, blankets, cushions and a lovely umbrella she has created an outdoor space where many an al fresco dinner has been hosted, glasses of wine sipped and laughter shared. Elin manages to keep the space changing with the seasons, embracing the outdoor life with wide arms.