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Not your grandmother's house.

| By Olivia Lidbury | Interiors

Simple Ways to Bring the Cottagecore Aesthetic into Your Home

Not your grandmother's house.

Has the Cottagecore movement leapfrogged trend status and cemented itself into something more enduring? If our continual yearning for a slower pace of life – where domesticity is king and technology is not – then it certainly looks that way.

What is Cottagecore?

Cottagecore was simmering away through the 2010s, a moniker given to an internet aesthetic viewed as an aspirational form of nostalgia celebrating rural and sustainable living. Then came the Covid-19 outbreak and boom: it was quickly fetishised. An appreciation of nature and  championing a forgotten and ritualistic way of life made for a heady cocktail during a global pandemic. Even if you don’t live in a cottage in the sticks, Cottagecore symbolises simple pleasures, an appreciation of craft, and an onus on self-sufficiency.

What are the key elements of Cottagecore?

In our wardrobes, the movement has manifested itself via flouncy, prairie-inspired dresses while in our homes, it equals chintzy fabric or an heirloom piece of furniture. The look is unapologetically feminine, whimsical, and where flowers are concerned, abundant. It transforms the ‘What, this old thing?’ objects in our homes into finds rich in provenance and sentimental value.

Cottagecore usually hinges upon three key elements: vintage furniture, pastel colours and rustic finishes. Handmade decor features heavily – think crochet and embroidery, while nature motifs, specifically English garden florals, are plentiful.

What isn’t Cottagecore?

Cottagecore isn’t just a look; it’s a feeling. It’s the smell of baking bread, the feeling of a soft linen dress against your legs, the soft music of birdsong as you wake up or the gleam of dew on the grass in the early morning light. Bringing this ‘vibe’ into your home is about more than just furniture, it’s about embracing this slow, gentle lifestyle too.

The comforting aesthetic can easily be mistaken for an antique look – similar to what you might find at your grandparents home. However, cottagecore entails a much more considered approach to decoration, as well as the slow-paced lifestyle that comes with the aesthetic.

Core may now be slapped on to the end of every burgeoning trend (yes, we’re looking at you Barbie…) but cottage looks set to stay. Here’s how to incorporate aspects of it into your own home, without anyone mistaking it for your grandma’s.

1. Embrace antiques

Anything pre-loved adds a layer of interest to a home, whether that’s a century-old wooden chair, or a bathtub that has been sanded down and given a new lease of life. And these finds needn’t be expensive or perfect: a mark on the wood or patina in the metal just adds to the story of the lives it has lived before it found its way to you.

2. Seek inspiration from nature

Whether through colour, form or pattern, a verdant outdoor scene provides all the inspiration you need for your decor. Soft prints, with an emphasis on botanical or florals, mixed with hues you’d glimpse out of an actual cottage window, are a foolproof pairing.

3. Think low-fi

We’re not saying to run to the well to fetch your water and do everything by candlelight, but there’s a rustic simplicity to lighting up your table or reading nook with candelabra. The ritual of sourcing candles to the effort of striking a match captures the unhurried way of the life that the cottagecore trend stands for. And then there’s the atmospheric flutter of a flame, which no electric alternative can match.

4. Get crafty

Slow handicrafts such as sketching, baking and pottery are the cottagecore enthusiast’s hobby of choice. Drying or pressing flowers is one of the easiest and most rewarding decorative touches anyone can undertake to add some personal elements to their surrounds.

5. Chuck in some chintzy florals

You can inject a touch of the countryside aesthetic into even the most urban of dwellings with an unashamedly floral fabric. In the London home of Liv Purvis (which we had the pleasure of snooping around earlier this year) a whimsical, floral-print ottoman provides function and more than a dash of frivolity alongside the pastel tones in her living room.

6. Go back to basics

Granted, not everyone has space for a set-up like this in their bathrooms, but the imperfections of cottagecore (patinated wood, unsanded floors and exposed pipework) is something we can all lean into when it comes to our next renovation job.

7. Layer it up

There’s no such thing as too much of a good thing when immersing yourself in cottagecore; and yes, that applies to clashing patterns and unexpected colour parings. So don’t get hung up on moodboarding and simply trust your gut - in the olden days everyone made do with what they had to hand (but we bet they wish they had access to scallop-edged pillowcases).

8. Make do

Just like your grandma would have darned her socks or made napkins out of old curtains, the approach to making the best of what you have is never truer than in a room that is costly to overhaul, like a kitchen. The freestanding look, with mobile islands and mis-matched cabinetry is positively trending, so no need to start from scratch if you’re not loving the space you’re in.

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