27 Charming Cottagecore Aesthetic Ideas for 2025
The cottagecore aesthetic has become one of the most popular interior decorating styles in recent years. If you're unfamiliar with the term, you’ve likely seen the style on Instagram and TikTok — floral dresses, wicker baskets filled with fresh eggs and loaves of sourdough being baked. That’s cottagecore.
Inspired by the traditional English countryside lifestyle, this aesthetic celebrates nature and a simpler way of living. In the home, it’s all about coziness, with warm, earthy tones, vintage dishware, and décor that brings natural elements inside, like dried flowers and houseplants. It’s an enchanting style that you may just fall in love with after reading this cottagecore aesthetic guide.
Jump to Section
- What Is Cottagecore Aesthetic?
- Cottagecore Aesthetic Decor for the Home
- Cottagecore Outfits and Accessories
- Cottagecore Aesthetic Room Inspiration
- Easy Ways to Embrace the Cottagecore Lifestyle
- Cottagecore Aesthetic Details That Matter
- Cottagecore Aesthetic FAQs
What Is Cottagecore Aesthetic?
1. Incorporate Natural Elements
Like many interior design styles, the cottagecore aesthetic emphasizes the use of natural materials. Since it romanticizes a bygone era, it makes sense to focus on what people had access to in pioneer days. Don’t feel like you have to take that literally, though. Something as simple as painting a landscape scene at a Bay Area art class — or an art class in a city near you — is a great way to incorporate the natural world without completely rejecting modern elements.
2. Handmade Pieces are Key
Since self-sufficiency is a core principle of the cottagecore aesthetic, handmade accents help bring the vision to life. Embody the lifestyle by making pottery pieces like mugs or vases at Los Angeles art classes  — or an art class in a city near you. Additionally, implementing IKEA hacks to build your own furniture offers a cost-effective way to craft functional pieces that focus on simplicity and practicality.
3. An Emphasis on Warm, Earthy Tones
Earthy colors are just as important as natural elements when it comes to the cottagecore aesthetic. Greens, browns and greys are soothing to the eye and provide a base for all of your cottagecore decor to shine. Nashville art classes — or a class in your local area — are the perfect opportunity to incorporate this principle, and as a bonus, you’ll have a beautiful painting to display in your home.
Cottagecore Aesthetic Decor for the Home
4. Candles
The cottagecore aesthetic embraces a return to a simpler way of living before modern comforts like fluorescent lighting became the norm (who really likes those harsh lights, anyway?).
It also celebrates self-sufficiency, so if you're up for a DIY home décor project, Atlanta candle making classes, Portland candle making classes and Chicago candle making classes offer the perfect opportunity. A cottagecore-inspired home is all about coziness, and the soft, moody glow from different types of candles creates the perfect ambiance for curling up in front of the fireplace with a good book.
5. Sconces Instead of Lamps
Since you can’t burn candles all the time, opting for softer lighting is a practical way to bring the cottagecore aesthetic into your home. Sconces provide a dim, almost ethereal flicker, evoking the ambiance of days gone by.
6. Greenery
The cottagecore aesthetic emphasizes blending the inner and outer worlds, making greenery essential. While garland and wreaths are typically seen as holiday décor, they make excellent year-round additions to your home, especially if you love a woodsy vibe.
7. Dried Flowers
When your beautiful flower bouquets start to wilt, air-dry them and hang them up as part of your cottagecore décor. Dried flowers last forever, adding a natural pop of color to any room.
Cottagecore Outfits and Accessories
The cottagecore aesthetic extends beyond your home and into your personal style. From floral prints to rustic accessories, you can embrace this charm in your wardrobe and daily life, reflecting the same cozy, vintage-inspired vibe that defines the look.
8. Floral Prints
Cottagecore aesthetic outfits often feature floral prints like toile, which is a fabric pattern with intricate, vintage designs — think pastoral scenes or rural life — usually in soft, monochrome tones like red or blue on a white background. This pattern adds a charming, feminine touch that evokes the simplicity and beauty of countryside living.
9. Prairie Dresses
The classic prairie dress is perhaps the most iconic of all cottagecore aesthetic outfits. With flowing layers, cinched waistlines and soothing, earthy tones, prairie dresses offer a timeless look that’s perfect for a day spent in the garden or the kitchen.
10. Ruffles and Lace
Whether on a top or a dress, ruffles and lace are essential when it comes to cottagecore outfits. The entire cottagecore aesthetic is really about softening the harshness of modern life, and these delicate details embody that sentiment. From puffy sleeves to lacy necklines, lace and ruffles instantly add a feminine, vintage touch to any outfit, enhancing the charm of the cottagecore style.
11. Ankle Boots
Ankle-length combat boots are a popular footwear choice in the cottagecore aesthetic. They're often made of leather, but you can find plenty of faux leather varieties as well. Cottagecore is all about sensibility and function, so these boots are ideal for a practical yet stylish look (perfect for rounding up chickens or tending to the garden). Rustic, vintage and with a hint of edge, they look great under a frilly peasant dress.
12. Wide-Brimmed Straw Hats
Wide-brimmed straw hats are an essential part of the cottagecore aesthetic in the spring and summer. Whether you’re gardening or having a picnic, they’re the perfect finishing touch for your look.
13. Straw Totes
Wicker baskets are a staple of the cottagecore aesthetic, but since most of us aren’t spending our days collecting eggs or picking flowers, straw totes offer a more practical alternative. They complement the style while being useful in daily life.
14. Corsets
The cottagecore aesthetic is usually casual and homely, but there are times when you might want to dress up your look. Enter corsets. Pair one with a frilly blouse to add a touch of elegance while staying true to the cottagecore vibe.
15. Understated Jewelry
Outfits often feel incomplete without jewelry, but in the cottagecore aesthetic, it should be simple and understated. Small, elegant pieces like lockets and charm bracelets enhance the look without stealing the spotlight.
Cottagecore Aesthetic Room Inspiration
16. Layer Textures and Patterns
More is more when it comes to the cottagecore aesthetic. It’s a maximalist style, much like granny chic or grandmillennial, where anything goes. Start with nostalgic cottagecore wallpaper, then layer patterns and textures with throw pillows, cabinet curtains, upholstery, and more. Popular patterns include floral, gingham, and block prints.
17. Tablescapes
The cottagecore aesthetic is reviving elaborate tablescapes, focusing on intricate details like floral arrangements, champagne flutes and salad forks — the whole shebang. Choose a color scheme and mix and match prints to your heart’s content. Bonus points for incorporating vintage dishware in your cottagecore aesthetic look.
18. Floral Bedding and Wallpaper
Planting a garden or hanging dried flowers aren’t the only ways to incorporate floral accents into a cottagecore aesthetic room. Floral bedding can instantly transform the space into a cozy retreat, perfect for relaxation. You can also find cottagecore aesthetic wallpaper featuring floral patterns to bring nature's beauty indoors.
19. Toadstools
With its signature red cap and white spots, the humble toadstool is a classic symbol of the cottagecore aesthetic. From mushroom canisters to vintage Pyrex adorned with them, few things better embody the cottagecore theme.
20. Ruffled Pillows
Ruffles aren’t just for cottagecore outfits. Add vintage flair to any room with ruffled throw pillows in earthy, neutral tones. Whether you use them in the bedroom or as living room décor ideas, you can’t go wrong with this elegant, timeless touch.
21. Patchwork Quilts
Handcrafted elements are key to cottagecore aesthetic décor, making patchwork a perfect fit. While you don't need to make a quilt yourself, patchwork fabric is widely available. It's the charming, rustic look that defines this style, making it a must-have in your cottagecore aesthetic guide.
Easy Ways to Embrace the Cottagecore Lifestyle
22. Focus on Sustainability
Sustainability is a key aspect of the cottagecore aesthetic, as it responds to the waste and excess of consumer culture. You don’t need to completely overhaul your life and go off the grid; small changes can make a significant difference. For instance, thrifting your cottagecore outfits not only supports sustainability but also adds unique style to your wardrobe. According to the University of Colorado Boulder, thrifting is one of the best things we can do for the environment, so you’ll be living the cottagecore aesthetic in practice, not just in appearance.
23. Start a Garden
Flowers are a key element of cottagecore aesthetic décor, adding charm both indoors and outside. Whether you lean into the English countryside style with a knot garden or just plant a few of your favorite seasonal blooms, starting a garden is a great way to embrace the cottagecore aesthetic. To tie into the sustainability theme, you could also grow your own produce to use in the kitchen.
24. Level Up Your Cooking Skills
The cottagecore aesthetic really came into its own during the COVID-19 pandemic, when our homes were essentially our entire world. Domestic activities like baking homemade bread, which requires time and attention, gained popularity and quickly became a staple of the movement. If you want to go beyond just cottagecore décor and put the lifestyle into practice, get creative in the kitchen! With a little practice, you could be baking beautiful loaves of sourdough or focaccia in no time.
Cottagecore Aesthetic Details That Matter
25. Natural Materials
Perhaps the most important detail to consider when it comes to the cottagecore aesthetic is the use of natural materials. A cottagecore-inspired home should feel rustic, as if everything was crafted by hand (though you don’t actually have to build your own furniture, impressive as that might be!). Wooden bed frames, armoires, patchwork fabrics, and plenty of greenery come together to create a cozy, rustic space that warms the heart and soothes the soul.
26. Display As An Artform
Gallery walls are very popular in the cottagecore aesthetic and for good reason. The way you display your décor is just as important as the pieces themselves, and a gallery wall makes a bold statement. Hang cottagecore-inspired photos, vintage plates and other sentimental items to enhance the charming, cozy atmosphere that defines the aesthetic.
27. Coziness
Above all, the cottagecore aesthetic is about evoking a feeling, not just a look. It’s a design style meant to create a cozy ambiance that celebrates the joys of a slower, more pastoral lifestyle. Whatever you choose, make sure it feels warm and inviting.
Cottagecore Aesthetic FAQs
What Does a Cottagecore Girl Look Like?
The beauty of the cottagecore aesthetic is how easy it is to customize and make your own. Cottagecore outfits for women are inspired by pioneer women, featuring earthy tones, breathable fabrics, and feminine touches like lace, ruffles, and floral prints. These are just the basics, though. From there, you can get creative and craft looks that reflect your unique style.
The cottagecore aesthetic changes with the seasons, too. In spring and summer, you might opt for brighter colors, wide-brimmed straw hats, and woven flats. For fall and winter, darker, moodier colors paired with lace-up boots work beautifully. For inspiration, you can find plenty of cottagecore aesthetic photos online to help you put together your look.
What Is the Difference Between Cottagecore and Bloomcore?
The cottagecore aesthetic shares some similarities with bloomcore, but they aren't quite the same. As its name suggests, bloomcore focuses primarily on flowers, from clothing to home décor to actual gardens. While cottagecore also incorporates floral accents, they aren't the central focus. In cottagecore, flowers are just one way to draw inspiration from the natural world, but they aren’t the whole basis of the style.
What Is Cottagecore Slang For?
Cottagecore is the colloquial term for an aesthetic that romanticizes the slower pace, simplicity, and connection to the nature of pre-industrial life in the Western world. It encompasses fashion, home décor, and activities like gardening and breadmaking, drawing heavy inspiration from homesteading. This lifestyle, which is gaining popularity as a response to capitalism, consumerism, and the relentless demands of modern life, encourages a return to simpler, more intentional living.
At its core (pun intended), the cottagecore aesthetic is about slowing down and being more mindful in every aspect of life. It celebrates a simple existence where productivity doesn’t define self-worth and household duties are enjoyed rather than dreaded.
From fashion to interior design, the cottagecore aesthetic is more than just a look. It’s a lifestyle that, when fully embraced, brings peace to both the heart and mind.
For even more inspiring home decor ideas, check out other experiences happening on Classpop!
