Cottage decorating is usually a lot of fun! Cottages are not like the average and typical  homes, but are a lot more fairytale like. So when you are cottage decorating you should just let your imagination soar, though you might want to remember the one rule of cottage decorating, which states that simple is better.

In the old times cottages were used as the servants’ quarters on large estates.  Therefore, traditionally, country cottage furniture was mainly made up of unwanted pieces from the manor house.  This habit of taking discarded items and reusing them is still the prominent method of cottage decorating. And this is great news for those who are and a budget and looking for affordable cottage decorating ideas.

When cottage decorating and creating your own cottage look there are three key ingredients to achieving the prefect cottage design and they are:  white paint, slip covers and being creative!

By painting the various mismatched, damaged and old white the luster of your country cottage furniture will be restored. Also use white to paint the walls of your cottage, as this will brighten up the small cottage rooms and give the appearance of spaciousness.

Slip covers basically do the same for sofas and armchairs as white paint does for walls and furniture.  So cover the worn out couch or chair with a white or off-white sheet and watch it be transformed instantly into cozy and well kempt pieces of cottage style furniture. Worn out hand-me-down items and things found at various flea markets will just light up under nice clean, though you shouldn’t be too worried about a wrinkle of two in the sheet.  That way the living room of your cottage will look so much more homely and lived in.

And thirdly, when cottage decorating and planning the furniture layout of your cottage be creative and let your imagination run wild! For example, think about using some of the pieces of your furniture for things that they were not originally intended, such as using a an old piano chair as a side table or else along those lines.   You might also consider setting up displays of your favorite collection, such as a doll collection of a teddy gear collection, or removing the doors of your kitchen cabinets to display the cottage style plates and dishes.

Imagination and creativeness is also very necessary when shopping for country cottage furniture and in thrift stores, flea markets and garage sales. You have to view the items you find there not so much in terms of what they are now, but more in terms of what they can be transformed into, by restoration or clever cottage decorating design.

Cottage decorating ideas are endless and the only limit is your imagination.  However, you should take care not too get carried away and clutter your cottage as keeping lots of open space is essential to good cottage decorating.

Technorati Tags: Classic Cottages, Cottage Decorating, Cottage Decorating Ideas, Cottage Designs, Cottage Furniture Style, Country Cottage Furniture

And now it is time for another great cottage decorating idea…

The whole point of cottage style living is unpretentious enjoyment of home, friends and life. Unlike the big manor houses for which cottages originally housed servants, cottages not only are absent of dining rooms where 24 people can enjoy a regal 12-course meal, they rarely have dining rooms at all! In short, cottage style is about the way most of us live today, not about wanting to live the way the very rich lived yesterday!
Since cottage style derives from servants’ cottages, which were usually furnished with pieces cast off from the manor house, cottage chic unabashedly turns discards into desirable objects by reclaiming and re-presenting them in a new context. This is good news for those of us on a budget, and who among us isn’t?
Flea markets, garage sales and thrift stores are Mecca for cottage style decorators, who train themselves to view the merchandise they find there in light of what it can be, not what it was. An old painted bench can become a stylish cottage coffee table, an old mahogany corner cabinet can keep soap, towels and other bath necessities at hand, a piano stool with a wrought iron base can serve as a small end table, a largish piece of wrought iron can be affixed to the wall behind the bed to serve as a headboard.
Turning pieces from different eras and styles into a harmonious decorating whole by simply appreciating them is the heart of cottage style. Here are a few ways you can achieve a chic cottage look using decorating rather than renovating:
• Think white: White paint can cover a multitude of architectural sins. A too-small kitchen with dark, dated wood cabinets feels more spacious the moment the walls and cupboards are painted white. Inexpensive white slipcovers on furniture with stained or damaged upholstery unify different styles and brighten the living room. Even white sheets can be artfully draped over sofas and chairs to achieve the cottage slip covered effect.
• Showcase collections: Go through your belongings and select the ones you most love and enjoy. Even if you only have one or two items in a category that gives you pleasure, such as antique wicker baskets or wide-brimmed summer hats, put them out to enjoy. What you collect matters less than how you display it: Even three small antique bottles will appear charming on your kitchen windowsill when each bottle holds a single flower; a hat collection displayed on a wrought iron wall rack near the door lets you enjoy viewing your chapeaux even when you’re not wearing them. Removing doors from upper kitchen cabinets allows you to easily showcase pottery and china in a very charming manner.
• Focus on comfort: When buying upholstered furniture, look for pieces that appear “overstuffed” and inviting. Ignore inappropriate upholstery and finishes. A little white paint and a slipcover will change them instantly!
• Use accessories: Pillows covered in floral prints, vintage tablecloths and pillowcases, brightly colored Fiesta ware dishes and old china pitchers used as vases are just a few of the things that make a cottage feel homey. Again, don’t worry about using things that match; a floral throw pillow can coexist happily with a checked or striped one, and mismatched dining chairs look fine together when painted the same color. Remember… in cottage style, anything goes!
If you are lucky enough to have a weekend retreat or summer getaway cottage, keep the interior décor light, comfortable and whimsical. After all, the reason you purchased a cottage in the first place was to retreat from the stresses of everyday city life. Your cottage should never be a mirror of your home in the city. The country is a place to let your personality shine through in your decorating.

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Technorati Tags: Classic Cottages, Cottage Decorating, Cottage Decorating Ideas, Cottage Designs, Cottage Furniture Style, Country Cottage Furniture

The three key ingredients to any great cottage furniture style are slipcovers, white paint and being creative.  It is thus that white covers on sofas and couches can hide flaws in the upholstery, painting walls and furniture white gives rooms and old, mismatched and damaged country cottage furniture new life, while keeping everything white also ensures that it all matches and creates unity.

Slipcovers are to upholstered furniture what white paint is for walls and wooden furniture.  In other words, they can be used to rejuvenate county cottage furniture found in flea markets and old attics, since a white or pale cream cover or sheet will doubtlessly breathe new life into these pieces of cottage style furniture and make it all the more unique.  When cottage decorating you also want the rooms to look lived in, though not unkempt, so do not worry about the wrinkles in the covers or sheets.

And with the layout of the furniture you should stay in tune with your creative or artistic side.  Here you might want to also think about using certain items for purposes other then that which they were originally intended for. Some cottage decorating ideas here would be to turn a chair into a side table, use old cupboards as display cases for your quaint saucers and teacups, while you might also want to set up display of a vintage doll or teddy bear collection.

Also when cottage decorating remember to keep the window accents as few and simple as possible to let the air and the warmth of the sun in undisturbed. Keep vases filled with flowers on the windowsill and lacy curtains flowing in the breeze, but otherwise try to keep everything as undisturbed as possible.  And when choosing covers for your upholstered furniture consider the tea-stained look, as it lends itself beautifully to cottage style furniture in creating that special cottage look. The only thing that really limits you with cottage decorating and choosing your cottage furniture style is your imagination so let it run wild!

Technorati Tags: Cottage Decorating, Cottage Decorating Ideas, Cottage Furniture Style, Country Cottage Furniture