It’s all a little bit country
Experts on the cottagecore trend tell LISA SALMON how we can all achieve the feel of a cosy rural retreat
MANY of us dream of living in a cosy rural cottage with exposed beams, a roaring log fire and roses all around the door. But reality often means it’s an unachievable fantasy.
However, you can recreate that traditional country feel even if you live in an inner-city twoup two-down, thanks to cottagecore – an internet trend that has boomed during the pandemic, as people seek ways to make those four walls they’ve been locked behind for so long more cosy.
The #cottagecore vibe is being championed online by people whose Instagram posts are laden with photos of gorgeous cosy cottages, vintage furniture and cute gardens, often with an obligatory dog lazing by a blazing fire.
Here, Rebecca Lovatt, who has more than 37,000 followers on her Instagram account @myenglishcountry cottage, and Naomi Stuart, whose @grove_cottage_ Instagram account has attracted more than 19,000 followers, explain what it takes to create the #cottagecore home of your dreams...
What are the essentials for a cottagecore home?
Rebecca, who also runs the My English Country Cottage website (myenglishcountrycottage.co.uk), says: “There are several basic elements that every cottage owner on my blog has cited as a necessity; a woodburner, an Aga, blankets and cushions – fresh flowers, a multitude of fabrics and natural materials, like wood and slate, comfy chairs and slouchy sofas – and a dog! These all sum up rural living .”
Naomi says: “Open fires and wood burners add to the aesthetics, but an Aga isn’t essential – I chose a contemporary kitchen that integrates with the
rest of the cottage perfectly.”
What should cottagecore homes be filled with?
“Cottagecore is about filling a home with beautiful things,” says Rebecca. “Always fresh flowers or foliage, dressers stuffed with china and pottery and pictures, Agas surrounded by copper pans and whistling kettles, an obligatory rocking chair with cushions and blanket. There may also be bookcases, lamps and candles lit in every room, thick floral curtains, soft paisley patterned eiderdowns and checked blankets.”
Naomi, whose home, Grove Cottage –in a Buckinghamshire conservation area – says: “It’s all about using natural materials, indoor plants, soft fabrics and a muted colour palette.”
Do you have to have a garden?
“Even if someone doesn’t have a garden, they could have pots outside or windowsill planters to attract butterflies and bees,” suggests Naomi.
Do you need to live in a cottage to really achieve the cottagecore look?
“I don’t think the property needs to be old,” says Naomi. “There are houses designed and constructed to look as though they’ve been around forever.
“It’s then about how you style the interiors.”