Interior designers on how to achieve the idyllic cottage interior

• Updated on: 2022-06-23
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Decoration
Interior designers on how to achieve the idyllic cottage interior
There's just something about cottages that we can't get enough of, but how do you get the look right on your own? Interior designers weigh in
Owen Gale
Benedict Foley
Fundamentally, living in a cottage is about enjoying it, so if you don't like low ceilings, beams, small windows and a few damp spots, probably don't over-egg your cottage dreams. The rural idyll is really only that because most cottage dwellers no longer labour all daylight hours in fields. I think the previous occupants of our cottage might think its latest incarnation was rather foreign to them–but I hope they'd feel happy that the somewhat perfunctory structure which 12 people once called home is still a home, but also a place to have fun! 
Having fun is a cottage must, otherwise you might get overwhelmed by the afore mentioned inconveniences. Set up your drinks cabinet as soon as you move in and everything else gets much jollier much more quickly!
You don't have to get scholastic about how you furnish a cottage; we have a whole mixture of things that have come to jostle together in our compact rooms. Roman and Venetian palazzo chairs, tin plates and charity shop glasses all co-exist quite happily. 
Over scale is always much happier than under scale–small pictures in small rooms can just make everything look Lilliputian without being enjoyable. We have a completely over-scale Nocturne that takes up a whole wall in our sitting room, but somehow the surprise of its size and the rather serious Greek Revival gilt frame combined with the nighttime scene is enjoyably surreal against the colour of the lumpy walls.
I particularly love textiles, and we have a huge variety of patterns in the cottage, some modern, some antique. For me this lends a sense of comfort that would be difficult to achieve with a more Spartan treatment. Almost everyone who's ever come to stay with us has slept in longer than they thought they would (who likes early mornings if they are possible to avoid at a weekend?!), and I hope that is because people find the cottage comfortable and relaxed, as well as having had a good supper. A few extra cushions to chuck on a bed/chair/hammock/picnic rug really help invite you to relax and make the best use of the space you have.
Finally make whatever garden you have into fair weather living space–we have a whole dining set-up next to the kitchen on a little terrace, the wirework chairs and table live outside all year round, it's a real sun trap from spring to autumn, and you can pass everything out through the kitchen window and back in again when you're done at the first hint of a warm day. We also have three little old apple trees on a handkerchief of grass, and I chuck a load of painted cane chairs and the odd rug beneath them when it's really hot and we spend the day outdoors as a welcome change to the cosy knee knocking experience of huddling round the fire in the colder months.
Jonathan Bond
Katharine Paravicini
Antiques are so important to add depth and interest to any interior, and for a cottage, thinking of antiques would be one of the first places I’d start for much of the furniture and lighting. I love mixing antiques from different periods and places, and I always keep an eye on my favourite antique dealers, and scour antique shops, auction houses and Etsy and eBay.   
I think a cottage calls out for lots of colour, and pattern, as well as a mix of natural textures and finishes. But with the rooms being smaller in scale, it is particularly important in a cottage to get the balance of all this just right, to retain a sense of calm, and to keep elements of simplicity which feel authentic to a cottage environment.
Katharine's shopping sources for cottage interiors
Miranda Willes has a wonderful eye and I always find something I want to buy from her.  Her shop is well worth a visit
I had to include the wallpapers by Howe . They fit brilliantly in many interiors, and I think that they they just sing in a cottage environment, and I have used two in my own cottage
Art and pictures are so important to give a room character and to make it feel personal and like home, and I think it is key to slowly collect pieces that you love.  I’ve been lusting after these hand painted framed prints by Get the Gusto for a while for my own cottage
Simon Brown
Caroline Holdaway 
Throw chic out, welcome colour in. Choose a palette of colours (neutrals, to my mind, are best kept to walls only!) and run them throughout. Most cottages are small so I find keeping the palette the same throughout increases the flow. Cushions can be hectic and thrilling and can break the colour mould, I like to edge mine with bright silk velvet. The country is forgiving of idiosyncrasies! Very limited use of recessed ceiling lights, I favour table and standard lamps to give pockets of promise rather than blanket light. I love single wall lights on small turns of stairs or narrow pieces of wall.
Caroline's shopping sources
The idyllic cottage kitchen in Harriet Anstruther's house
Ngoc Minh Mgo
Harriet Anstruther 
Utilise the anomalies of the space and vernacular and make sure you look at the negative spaces around your furniture and objects, to allow the spaces to be flexible in use if necessary. For maximum comfort and relaxation, you want to use organic, soft forms when it comes to furnishing your cottage.
As for atmosphere, candles, texture, colour and scent are all key for cottages, as is softening sound with rugs and fabric overlays.
Ultimately, you need to understand what makes you tick to ensure the space is authentic to you. Source found objects to create a more real look, rather than modern items and this will help you  create stories and vignettes that capture a theme or interest. Throw out thoughts of fashion or trends and take your time decorating.
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