17 Cozy Cottagecore Bedroom Ideas

Hunker may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. Learn more about our affiliate and product review process here.

Life may not be a fairy tale full of elaborate outfits, freshly baked pies, and friendly woodland creatures, but you can still make your home feel like a fantasy retreat. That's the idea behind cottagecore, a decor trend that has risen in popularity over the past couple of years driven in large part by creators on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. This aesthetic is all about living slowly; displaying handcrafted goods, like small figurines and knitted quilts; embracing the changing seasons; and celebrating pretty things, like floral prints and lace.

Advertisement

If you've always had a soft spot for Jane Austen's "accomplished ladies" who spend the day embroidering and playing piano or your grandma's maximalist arrangements of needlework pillows and handmade quilts, then cottagecore style is for you. Some of its main hallmarks include nature motifs, mood lighting created with fairy lights and candles, metal-framed daybeds, vintage pieces, tea settings on trays, and flowers upon flowers — fresh, dried, silk, or printed on wallpaper and textiles.

Video of the Day

Video of the Day

Go all out with decor bordering on cluttercore or add just a hint of cottagecore vibes to your minimal bedroom. Whatever your style, these design ideas are sure to inspire.

17 Cottagecore Bedroom Ideas

1. Start with the wallpaper.

Mixing prints can be intimidating at first. One way to make it more manageable is to choose a starting point like the floral wallpaper and build around it. In this bedroom by Laura Hunter, William Morris' gorgeous floral Blackthorn print wallpaper establishes the color scheme, which the duvet, headboard, furniture, and other accents follow.

Advertisement

2. Play with nature motifs.

One of the hallmarks of the cottagecore aesthetic is natural materials and motifs, not just florals. Also consider green plants, mushrooms, birds, and insects, like the beautiful gold dragonfly on the central throw pillow on this bed styled by Sarah of @retwiggdstylist. Flowers (both fresh and dried) continue the garden theme.

Advertisement

3. Display your thrift shop finds.

When shopping for your cottagecore bedroom, look for treasures at your local thrift store. Madhu of @austinjungalow found three of the pillows in this bedroom — the two large rust ones and the cute circular one — at Goodwill in Austin, Texas. Unique touches like these (as well as the lace curtain, gold picture frame, and bird tapestry) provide the charm essential to cozy cottagecore design.

Advertisement

Advertisement

4. Hang a canopy.

A bed should be a haven of relaxation, and that's especially true in cottagecore homes. To make your bedroom fit for a fairy queen, hang a canopy from the ceiling. At night, you can open it up and drape it around the end of your bed frame, as if enclosing yourself in a cozy cocoon.

Advertisement

5. Go maximal.

Cottagecore is all about coziness and personal details. Put the two together and you get things like patchwork quilts, family hand-me-downs, and vintage finds. Don't be shy — put them all on display as Jade Thorpe has done in this children's room. All the many elements here, from the mix-and-match bed linens to the small-floral wallpaper, gallery wall, and dollhouses make for a comfortable space with eclectic cottage style.

Advertisement

6. Show off vintage books.

For book lovers, reading materials inevitably become part of your home decor. Show off your love of reading in your cottagecore bedroom with curated stacks of books and maybe some book-themed wall art as well. In this bedroom by @housewiththebee, a vintage Penguin cover of H. E. Bates' ‌Country Life‌ sets a bucolic tone.

Advertisement

Advertisement

7. Use clothes as decor.

The floral dresses in this bedroom by Hayley Walker are too pretty to hide away in a closet. If you too have a collection of clothes that fit your cottagecore room decor, show them off on a clothing rack — even better if it's an on-theme white coated metal one. This is an especially good option for a more minimalist bedroom where you may not want to (or be able to) hang wallpaper. All that's left to do is add your favorite vintage mirror.

Advertisement

8. Layer small floral prints.

While large flower prints may read bohemian or preppy depending on their style, cottagecore thrives on small florals — the kind you might find on a vintage nightgown or a casual regency-era dress. Use these trademark prints everywhere you like: your wall, duvet, throw pillows and blankets, robe, and even lampshades, as Deirdre Flanagan has done here. In a cottagecore bedroom, there's no such thing as too many flowers.

Advertisement

9. Add silk flowers.

When we said there's no such thing as too many flowers, we meant it. Use them on your textiles, wall art, and bed frames. Bring in bouquets of live flowers. And to top it all off, add dried or silk flowers to create long-lasting arrangements like the garlands Jade Thorpe has wound around the bed frames in this charming room. Check out this tutorial for DIY inspiration.

Advertisement

10. Try a small dose of cottagecore.

If you want to incorporate just a bit of the cottagecore look into your modern bedroom, take inspiration from Jane of @janeseditions. The vintage dresser as a bedside table and the mixed floral-print duvet and throw pillows along with the flower-themed wall art and pink blanket bring a dose of whimsical, country-inspired sweetness to a fairly minimalist space.

11. Embrace the kitsch.

Cottagecore style can range from rustic and restrained to kitschy and maximalist, which gives you a wide spectrum to explore as you find the best fit for your personal taste. If your vibe is more loud and fun, express that in your cottagecore bedroom. Take a page from the book of @emmys_vintage_cottage: lamps in the shape of a house and a dog and a matchy-matchy palette of bright, fun mint green and cherry red. A room like this will never fail to cheer you up.

12. Hang a botanical print.

Picture life in a storybook cottage in the woods: foraging for vegetables, washing and prepping them lovingly in your rustic kitchen, and creating a beautiful meal for yourself and the ones you love best. Evoke a bit of that fantasy in your less-remote home by decorating with botanical prints and earthy green just like Maria of @dgsisustusmania. Look close and you'll see that the pillows also have a subtle plant-themed pattern.

Advertisement

13. Create a cozy tableau.

As you consider the big picture of your bedroom makeover — the furniture arrangement, the walls, etc. — remember that the small details are some of the best opportunities for having fun with your personal style. Take this pretty tableau by Jordan of @little_vintage_sparrow, for example. A shuttle lace doily provides the backdrop for a collection of small treasures, including delicate ceramics and a vintage Beatrix Potter book. What's more cottagecore than Peter Rabbit?

14. Add fairy lights.

Lighting is an important part of the cottagecore aesthetic. Create a soft, gentle glow with candles (either real or electric), fabric lampshades, and classic fairy lights like the ones in Caitlin Gemmel's bedroom. If you're worried that string lights will make your space feel too much like your old dorm room, add homey elements, like framed wall art and a heavy ceramic lamp on a wicker table.

15. Relax by candlelight.

Picture yourself in that real cottage in the woods again. After the sun sets, you light your candles and read beside a glass lantern. To create that vibe in your modern bedroom, use LED candlesticks, which you can control with a remote. But if you're planning to read, add an overhead light (like Sarah of @retwiggdstylist has done here) in order to save your eyes from the strain.

16. Try a warm, minimal color palette.

As with any design style, you can adjust the cottagecore aesthetic to better fit your own taste. Take the white bed frame; straw baskets; greenery; and chunky, knitted blankets and incorporate them into a minimal palette of your favorite colors just like Lily of @pintsizedphoto. Then, light a candle and enjoy your favorite tea in your cozy bed. The celestial-themed wall art adds a touch of magic.

17. Display a vintage quilt.

Crafters and descendants of crafters, this is your moment. Cottagecore is all about celebrating the handmade. If you or your grandmother made a beautiful quilt, show it off with pride and use it as the star of your bedroom design — cat not included but encouraged.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Report an Issue

screenshot of the current page

Screenshot loading...