Cottage Style Home Decorating

Cottage style home decorating is a wonderful way to decorate any home or apartment. Whether you are looking for a toned down version of the country look, or you are simply looking for a comfortable and colorful look then the cottage style of home decorating is what you want. This beautiful style of decorating has a natural and comfortable feel to it that many other styles seem to lack. In order to get the most out of your next foray in this style of decorating, simply follow these simple guidelines.

• Color. When choosing the colors for your new cottage, try thinking of a garden. Believe it or not, the colors that we find in gardens are the perfect colors for the cottage look. Think of the colors like apricot, rose, various shades of green and purple and so on. For many people these colors evoke feelings of comfort and security.
• Furnishings. For the furnishings you are going to want to go with as natural of materials as you can. Using things such as wicker and wood are a natural idea for many people, but what you may not have thought of using is also iron (for things like end tables, and highlight center pieces). Again, the reason for this is you are trying to evoke the feelings of a garden, and iron does that. To help "soften" the harshness that iron may present, be sure to use fabrics and cushions that have a floral print to them. Older, worn furniture can help to give your area more lived in and homey feel.
• Fabrics. As stated earlier, you are going to use fabrics that have a floral theme to them, but you are also need to use fabrics that have a natural or organic feel to them. Fabrics such as cotton and linen are perfect, though wool is another great fabric but tends to be a bit warm during the summer months.
• Finishes. When deciding on the furniture for your room, try to go with the items that have a good solid finish, but that shows a little bit of wear and tear. Basically something that looks like it has been around for a while, but that does not look too inelegant. Another idea that you might want to consider is contrasting different finishes with each other, like a porcelain pottery piece with the natural wood of an older bookshelf.