English cottage style radiates charm through floral prints, unassuming furniture, and relaxed but dignified design.
Window Nook
The mostthoughtfully arranged roomslook good even before dressings or furniture are added.
The architecture alone should hold its own, and English cottage style typically stands up to such scrutiny.
Can’t you just picture Lizzie Bennet curled up here with a book?
Statement Piece
Even the humblest items can enhance English cottage-style designs with the right supporting players.
Here, an antique pedestal table with peeling paint becomes an object of intrigue.
This lively kitchen’s cheerful floral wallpaper andfull pot rackmake it the perfect space to host friends and family.
This durable, rugged, slate countertop and trough-style sink look just as handsome indoors as outside.
Planked walls and patinaed pieces are popular, too, in English cottage-style decor.
These heavily distressed blue walls check both boxes.
Here, old columns capped in iron urns flank a rickety hutch strung with chicken wire.
Within reach, a weathered but welcoming table and chairs provide casual English cottage-style seating.
A swath of antique lace, fresh flowers, and a sparklingcrystal chandelieradd glamour.
There are no furnishings meant only for appearance; everything eventually takes on a well-wornand well-lovedpatina.
In this kitchen, notice thedistressed island finish, where paint has been rubbed off the corners and edges.
The hutch looks older than the rest of the room.
Such versatile pieces are darlings of English cottage design.
Get inspired to add cottage style to your kitchen.
Neutrals and Color
Decorating in English cottage style is a lot likeplanning a dinner party.
Each item is interesting on its own, but together?
But sometimes, a scraped surface that’s seen better days has just the right patina for a room.
Pretension has no place in an English cottage.
Cottage Breakfast Room
Streaming morning sunshine is nearly all the decoration this breakfast room needs.
The second option is much more fun and puts items that might otherwise remain untouched to good use.
Sometimes, the most striking schemes are the simplest, as evidenced bythis charming nurseryswathed in black and ivory.
This dining room, for example, is devoid of frills but certainly not lacking in warmth.
They’re also popular because they allow sparkling finishes to shine.
Furniture and kitchen cabinetry are popular places to use these tones.
Not only do they add a touch of color, they also conceal scratches and marks.
English Cottage Style Details
English cottage style murmurs rather than shouts.
It’s only upon closer inspection that the details of a space reveal themselves.
The accent is a mark of craftsmanship and is more understated than otherglobal design aesthetics.
Here, utilitarian but intricately decorated black tole trays are a snappy punctuation over the bed.
Personal Collections
Displaying collectibles, whether for everyday use or just for show, is unmistakably English.
Hanging aprons, ironstone pitchers, copper pots, and glass canisters decorate a kitchen.
They’re so lovely that very little extra is necessary.
Paying extra attention to the design of a hard-working room will make it fun as well as functional.
If these items have to work hard, they might as well be beautiful, too.
A black and whitecheckerboard flooradds panache.
Textured Whites
With so many layers of white in thiscottage bedroom, texture leaps to the forefront.
Notice that each shade of white differs a little from the others.
Informal Elegance
English cottage style strikes that tricky balance between elegance and informality.
In this kitchen, traditional cabinets are toned down by furniture-like feet and a beaded-board backsplash.
Amarble surfacecrowns a shabby-looking island with layers of peeling paint.
These disparate items happily coexist thanks to aharmonious color schemeand a whimsical approach.
Cottage Layers
A well-decorated room will reveal its beauty over time as its many layers unfold.
White bed linens, painted wall planks, and two different curtains dress this cottage bedroom in serene style.
