What is Cottage Style?

While there are many different faces of cottage style, they all have three things in common: coziness, charm, and comfort.

• English Cottage Style — an English garden feel with overstuffed chairs; lots of roses and other floral patterns, especially for drapes and pillows; floral; bold but faded hues; often solid color slipcovers and upholstery
• French Cottage Style — traditionally a Provincial look, often with warm shades of yellow and blue or yellow and red; more recently, a Parisian feel that’s softer, more restrained; whole cloth quilts; toiles and small, one-color-with-white prints; mirrors; monogrammed antique or vintage linens; tole trays and chandeliers; unusual, often one-of-a-kind pieces
• Swedish Cottage Style — an elegant but austere look; windows are often bare or covered in simple linen; blue and white ticking; simple accessories; no clutter; colors tend to be soft, grayed shades, often of blue and green
• Beach or Lakehouse Cottage Style — an easy, breezy feel with lots of white, usually mixed with blue; washable canvas slipcovers, softened with gathers; seashells and boats; wood floors painted white; hand-me-down or flea market furnishings; pretty florals, stripes, and checks
• Country, Farmhouse, Rustic, or Camp Cottage Style — a weathered look with practical, often primitive pieces; patchwork pillows and quilts; gingham, ticking, and small floral fabrics, including feedsacks; practical collections such as bowls, platters, and pitchers; white ironstone dishes
• Vintage Bungalow Cottage Style — simply charming 1940s cottage look with built-in painted bookcases and interior French doors; often neutral paint scheme; solid color fabrics with lots of texture; large flowery prints; brick painted instead of left natural; framed botanical prints
• Shabby Cottage Style — a soft, feminine feel where pink and white reign; chippy paint on flea market furniture; rusty ironwork; lots of roses; rumpled slipcovers; solid cotton, linen, and matelassé upholstery or slipcovers with floral pillows
• Romantic Cottage Style — a relaxed Victorian feel, nothing stuffy here; whites, pastels, roses, and ruffles abound; teapots and teacups in chintz and rose patterns; collections galore; hooked floral rugs; fabrics blend but don’t match; lots of layers; vintage doilies, embroidered scarves, crocheted tablecloths and bedspreads