Small Cottage Interior design Ideas – The Beauty of Cottage Decor

Cottage Interior Design Ideas

Cottage living room ideas, have been on my mind recently because I was asked to write about my views on ‘Cottage Style’  for a magazine, I started thinking about the phenomenon of cottages, their interiors and also their history:

The country cottage archetype is all about low-ceilings, exposed beams, stone flagged floors, sloping ceilings and small windows – the magic of cottages is undeniable. Originally built for workers the interior of a cottage should reflect their heritage, with rustic simplicity.

A cottage is meant to be lived in and to be enjoyed. Inside nothing needs to match, the overall effect being charming and comfortable. Anything ‘found’ in second hand shops and auctions or inherited, can be painted or recovered to help it fit into the scheme.

Cottage Living Rooms

In cottage sitting rooms the natural textures of wooden or stone floors, as well as brick or stone walls, bring interest and warmth to the space. The addition of natural fibre rugs add texture and softness to the floors, whilst my fabric does an incredible job of bringing colour and life into your space!

What are the common mistakes people make when trying to achieve a cottage look?

I would avoid too many heavy brown beams, especially dark brown ones. They can make rooms feel darker and the ceiling lower; softening them with lime wash or paint is preferable.

Avoid heavy or Dark Curtains

Heavy, dark coloured curtains for cottages should be avoided; light is so important, so make curtains that draw well clear of the windows or use Roller Blinds with pelmets.

Floors in cottages are often informal, uneven and imperfect; bare floors, covered with a rug or two are wonderful. I would definitely avoid wall-to-wall carpet which can be too perfect and not in the tradition of a cottage.

What fabrics should I choose for a cottage?

Light coloured fabrics with pattern on a cream background give a light and airy feel to a small room: examples are my Simple Ticking Detail – Charcoal, Wild Fern, and Fruit Garden. I would combine a variety of prints: florals, dots, spots and very gentle stripes such as my Stripe and Dash. Fabrics such a Cow Parsley and Dainty Daisy are a good scale for cottage windows.

Do have a look at my florals in the botanical collection, just in time for Spring and Summer 2021, they are perfect for putting some TLC back into a tired cottage room. They have a cottage-core look, that is evocative of the country cottage and pretty florals of a bygone era with a fresh modern twist.

Take a look at our popular neutral furniture and fabrics including; neutral footstools, neutral roller blinds, our neutral fabric collection and made to measure neutral cushions.

Cottage Hallway

What style of furniture works best in a cottage?

Ruggedly hewn furniture, antique picture frames, old fruit boxes, trinkets; old rustic wooden chairs and benches. On the floor use rag rugs, jute or woven woollen rugs – see our floor rugs in the halls below.

Hallways are sometimes overlooked as a place to add in soft furnishings, however this is a perfect opportunity to add in colour and designs to help life an otherwise empty space. As you can see from the examples here, interlined door curtains and blinds have been utilised to block any draughts, add softness to the room, and bring colours in to work with existing wall art/décor.

Colour choices for cottage kitchens – my favourite paint and fabrics at the moment…

If the room has wooden beams, consider painting them white or off-white, along with the ceiling, to give the room an airier and more spacious feeling. Just off-white walls such as Little Greene’s Hollyhock or Farrow and Ball’s Lime White, would work well.

Think about painting lovely old doors and wood work a soft colour, such as Farrow and Ball’s Light Blue or Little Greene’s Acorn. This colour palette could be used throughout the entire cottage to give a feeling of space and to visually link the rooms.

In a country cottage kitchen, I would keep the walls neutral, as colour can be effortlessly added with ceramics on dressers, tablecloths, napkins, seat pads, blinds and curtains.

Cottage Kitchen

A soft peach on the cabinets, white, and lovely neutrals make these cottage kitchens a stunning ‘hub’ for the home!

Cottage Bathrooms

Cottage country bathrooms can have a light and airy feel, with painted wooden floors and free standing baths. The yellow and grey botanical fabrics bring the countryside into this bathroom and the pretty striped frill around the sink softens and warms up the space too.

Fresh garden or hedgerow flowers are a must and can mark the difference between urban and country living.

You can make your cottage bathroom look contemporary if you want, for example, Up the Garden Path has a lovely almost geometric design, as does the Lattice Leaf. The rich golden Saffron yellow helps lift and brighten the space.

Cottage Bedrooms

The bedroom can be challenging to decorate, often squeezed into small spaces and nestling under steep rafters. A lack of storage and little room to manoeuvre can be serious practical issues, but their charm is undeniable.

Colour choices for cottage bedrooms – my favourite paint colours at the moment.

As in the other rooms of your cottage, if the room has wooden beams, consider painting them in with the ceiling, this will give the room an airier and more spacious feeling. Just off-white walls such as Little Greene’s Hollyhock and white ceilings and would work well.

Different coloured fabrics could then be incorporated to define each room: a colourful fabric covered headboard, bed quilt or vintage eiderdown are in keeping with cottage tradition.

Fabrics I would use in a cottage style bedroom.

Simple small scale patterns, spots, dots and tickings all look wonderful.  A perfect example is the beautiful photograph at the top of this newsletter of the white, blue and red attic bedroom.

Florals are back in a big way, use them to create a soft and pretty bedroom that’s a joy to wake up in. Include some rustic wooden furniture such as a bench to put your clothes on, a simple bedside table, rather than brown mahogany etc. Wooden floor boards with a simple colourful woven rug or sisal or jute matting will keep true to the roots of the cottage.

From fresh pops of Cornflower blues and Raspberry reds, (which are always a great combination), through to embracing the natural beauty of brick and stone, cottage bedrooms offer a bohemian, rustic style of interiors that has the versatility to be modernised using my wonderful fabrics. Why not consider a statement feature in the form of a hand-crafted headboard? With its soft and elegant shapes, the Sculptured Headboard for example (grey bedroom above), is the best option for any cottage setting.

What’s new in cottage decorating style?

If you are looking for a less traditional feel in a cottage, paint the walls with darker colours and introduce pops of colour with throws and cushions. My favourite paints at the moment are blues and greys, (F&B Chinese Blue or Little Greene’s French Grey) with accents of brighter hues such as Saffron or Sweet Pea in the fabrics on chairs, cushions etc.

Walls painted with a beautiful colour combined with lighter curtains such as my Simple Ticking Detail cornflower would look very simple and understated. You could add in some panelling if the cottage walls are dry.

Please send me photos of your cottage and share any interesting decorating ideas. I would love to see how you have used my fabrics and wallpapers in your cottage setting!

Very best wishes and keep well.

Vanessa

Vanessa

We sell fabrics exclusively designed by Vanessa Arbuthnott, along side small, bespoke collection of Made to Measure items which includes curtains, blinds, sofas, footstools, chairs, headboards, and quilts, all handmade specially for you by master crafts people.