These days, a look into the suburbs can feel a little bit dystopian. Gazing a row upon row of homogenous, ugly new build houses is enough to make you consider renting forever. But the new-build aesthetic is not the be-all and end-all of what a home can be, even if you do find yourself owning within a new development. Ambitious homeowners might even adopt the look and feel of cottage style homes, whatever the age or make of their property.
Establishing your own home cottage look and feel is about angling towards the whimsical and the intentionally imperfect. This guide was written to ensure that wherever your home has been erected, you can capture the cottage aesthetic on the outside of your home.
Changing architectural details on the home
There are changes you can make to your home’s facade to capture the cottage sensibility, ranging from smaller to more significant alterations.
- Cottage style front doors. Trade in simple panel doors for something with a little more personality. These doors often include slatted detailing, brighter but still grounded colours and patterned windows, along with rustic glazing styles.
- Door hardware. Many cottage style doors have rustic hardware already, but if you want to commit to the theme even more, you can include materials like oil-rubbed bronze or antique brass on knockers or handles.
- Window shutters. A nice set of wooden shutters with traditional hinges and S-hook holdbacks can add an instantly recognisable cottage charm to your home.
- Divided lite windows. Cottage homes generally have windows with multiple small panes, rather than large, single-sheet glass windows.
These changes, while varying in size, are architectural, and will help to emulate cottage style homes at the base of your property.
Cottage styling the hardscaping and gardening
The minimalism trend is often compounded with a focus on sharp, straight lines. However, a more welcoming home farm cottage feel can be achieved by embracing more curves and organic shapes. That straight strip of concrete that leads to your front door? Swap it for a nice curved pathway made from pea gravel or weathered brick. In front of the door itself? Include a trellis for climbing plants to call home!
And it’s not just about the hardscaping, as landscaping is also often an impactful element of cottage-style homes. The front and back garden of your home need to be coherent with the rest of the cottage home decor for a comprehensive transformation.
- Plant plants in drifts, layering plants based on height and colour schemes, rather than focusing on geometric topiary and identical shrubbery.
- Climbing vines and plants are great for integrating nature more seamlessly onto the exterior, whether via walls, porch pillars or trellises.
- Wooden window boxes filled with trailing plants like Creeping Jenny can do wonders for softening window frames.
Embracing a sense of nature is a vital step in maximising the appeal that you associate with cottage-style homes.
Keep your cottage colours in mind
Colour psychology is worth considering in your pursuit of the cottage look and feel. Cottage homes aren’t generally neon, overly bold or unnatural. Your home’s colours should take cues from the garden, with a base of soft neutrals or earth tones often considered a great place to start. Faded pastels are also great options for cottage styles, whether used as the base or in accent elements.
If you have stone or brick elements, it’s better to let the texture breathe, rather than dousing it with heavy paint. The ruggedness of materials can be just as impactful as using statement colours.
With these guidelines, you should be more prepared than ever to transform your home into something cottage-like, whether you’re in a new development or in an older property.
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