Country Living editors select each product featured. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Why Trust Us?
1
Incorporate Pastel or Cool Colors
Rikki Snyder for Country Living
2
Top It With a Quilt
Buff Strickland for Country Living
Quilts harken back to earlier days of country life and still add just the right happy pop of color and pattern to a bedroom (or any room for that matter). Use them as a bedspread, drape them over the back of a sofa, or stack them up to use on frigid days. Here in this Texas bedroom, the double wedding ring quilt sewn by the owner’s grandmother, and books, family photos, and other treasured finds round out the room’s collected look.
TOUR THIS HOUSE
RELATED: Everything You Need to Know About Buying and Using Reclaimed Wood
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
3
Let Glass-Front Cabinets Shine
Rikki Snyder for Country Living
4
Bring on the Ruffles
Roger Davies for Country Living
Welcome multiple patterned textiles to your living room. Here, a wildflower chintz upholstered armchair adds a feminine touch to the family room and makes a fun juxtaposition to the red buffalo check-covered sofa.
TOUR THIS HOUSE
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
5
Expose Wood Beams
Read McKendree for Country Living
If you discover wood beams under that drop ceiling, let them shine! They pair well with white painted walls, or, in the case of this cozy Cape Cod cottage kitchen, a white zellige tile backsplash.
RELATED: Our 27 Favorite Green Kitchen Cabinet Ideas
6
Display a Collection
Marta Xochilt Perez, styling by Jennifer Decleene
There’s no more meaningful decor than a personally curated collection, so show it off! These amateur seascape paintings, most found for $10-$15 at flea markets, make for a cohesive (and affordable!) gallery wall above the fireplace and sofa. “They reminded me of something my grandma would have had, and I built everything else around them,” says homeowner Abby Albers. “I love that they don’t match anything.”
TOUR THIS HOUSE
RELATED: 50+ Best Gallery Wall Ideas for Every Room in Your House
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
7
Hold on to Passed-Down Pieces
Annie Schlechter
Cottages get their soul from passed-down furniture and decorative pieces, but you can also seek them out to start your own collection to pass down, like this vintage spongeware, which dates from the 1950s to the 1980s. To add another antique to the mix, they are nested together on an old rolling shoe display.
RELATED: The 100+ Best Places to Shop for Antiques and Vintage Online
8
Don’t Forget the Baskets
Kirsten Francis
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
9
Slip on Slipcovers
David A. Land, styling by Jennifer Berno DeCleene
Slipcovers add a relaxed, cottage feel to any living room. In this living room, the white cotton duck slipcovered pieces pair perfectly with flea-market-find side tables and a coffee table that was covered in burlap and painted. Tip: As in this room, keep the fit tight and choose a box-pleat skirt for a tidy—not sloppy—look.
TOUR THIS HOUSE
RELATED: 20 Types of Sofas and How to Choose the Right One for Your Room
10
Add Pattern to Walls
ALUN CALLENDER
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
11
Choose a Claw-foot Tub
Annie Schlecter for Country Living
12
Paint a Checkered Floor
Brian Woodcock for Country Living
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
13
Repurpose Antiques for Kitchen Storage
Carina Olander
Instead of traditional cabinets, consider adding an antique piece like this former general store piece to serve as kitchen storage or a kitchen island. To add on more cottage charm, hang a plate rack above!
RELATED: Find Out What’s Trending in Kitchen Design for 2025
14
Embrace Old House Quirks
Dane Tashima for Country Living
Exposed studs and noggings make for fun shelving in an old coastal cottage. Keep things no-fuss and display meaningful mementos and knickknacks in all the available nooks and crannies. Painting everything white, like in this Martha’s Vineyard cottage keeps things feeling easy, breezy.
TOUR THIS COTTAGE
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
15
Embrace Sloped Ceilings
Kim Cornelison for Country Living
As it’s name implies, most cottages are small in size, which means every square inch gets turned into living space—including the attic! Bedrooms with sloped ceilings sure make things cozy, so embrace them in your design when you can. An accent wall here adds dimension to the room without making it feel crowded.
RELATED: 25+ Accent Wall Ideas to Make a Statement in Any Room
16
Focus on Whites and Woods
David Tsay for Country Living
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
17
Let Cheery Colors Shine
David Tsay for Country Living
18
Hang Floral Paintings
Becky Luigart-Stayner for Country Living
While nothing beats a bouquet of fresh-picked flowers, an arrangement of framed floral paintings ensure your room is full of colorful blooms year-round. Check estate sales and antique malls for amateur paintings in a mix of sizes and frames. You can even mix in a few unframed ones for a more casual feeling arrangement.
RELATED: 50+ Gallery Wall Ideas to Display All Your Favorite Things
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
19
Install Beadboard Panelling
Victoria Pearson for Country Living
Cozy up a mudroom (or almost any other space) with the texture in beadboard. Better yet, use it as wainscoting and paint it one color and the wall above another. This California cottage’s space also boasts a 1930s factory stool, which retains its original green paint, while the iron hooks on the coatrack swivel from side to side.
RELATED: More Wainscoting Ideas to Add Character to Every Room in Your Home
20
Pick Furniture With Patina
Mark Lohman for Country Living
Mismatching painted furniture brings a cozy warmth to a home. Here, in this Arkansas dining room, a pale sage green cupboard may seem an unlikely pairing with the chippy turquoise farmhouse table, but thanks to white walls, natural wood chairs, and reclaimed wood that boasts a little of each color, the result is one-of-a-kind charm.
Erin Cavoto is the Editorial Assistant at ThePioneerWoman.com, covering food, holidays, home decor, and more.
Madoline Markham is the assistant managing editor for Country Living, where she covers shopping, home decor, news, and culture.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below