How To Make Even A City Apartment Feel Like A Country Cottage

Situated in the midst of a concrete sprawl, city apartments can feel cold and sterile. But with the right natural materials and textures, even a high-rise studio can take on the warm, inviting charm of a countryside retreat. The key to decorating your home like a country cottage is to incorporate tactile natural elements wherever possible — think wood, stone, woven fibers, and soft, organic fabrics. These contrasting textures soften the hard edges of new construction and bring character into spaces typically dominated by metal and glass. Just because your building is new, or your area lacks country charm, doesn't mean your cottagecore decor has to follow suit. There are plenty of tips for adding warmth and character that don't involve making major changes to your space. So focus on adding natural materials and vintage-inspired details wherever possible that evoke that lived-in country cottage coziness. 

An easy place to start is by incorporating wood, wood, and more wood. A weathered wooden TV stand or credenza, a light oak bookshelf or coffee table, or even something as simple as a pine stool in the corner can make noticeable differences. You don't need exposed beams to get that cottage feel; the presence of any type of wood introduces warmth and texture to a metropolitan space.

The cozy cottage feel embraces charm, not minimalism, so lean into color and pattern. Patterned prints are perhaps the least effortful way to decorate your home like an English cottage and quickly bring in more warmth. Classic geometric patterns like buffalo check, plaids, gingham, or ticking stripes are great options. Florals also work well to bring the natural feel of the countryside indoors. Curtains, couch covers, pillows, rugs, even kitchen towels and napkins — there are plenty of ways to layer these prints into your home. And, embrace the mismatch. Don't be afraid to combine prints or even to power-clash. As long as your fabrics are working within the same general color scheme, the room will still feel cohesive. As a general guide, you want to work with a more muted color palette: soothing shades like muted pastels, earthy neutrals, warm whites, taupe, beige, and browns. 

Deepen the warmth of your wooden pieces and cozy color scheme with natural, textured fibers like jute, sisal, or wool in chunky knit throws, quilts, linen pillows, woven storage baskets. These kinds of character-filled pieces give a space personality and bring that grounded cottage feeling into even the most modern city apartment. No city-country apartment-cottage hybrid is complete without elements drawn directly from nature. Items like living plants, dried or cut flowers, branches or driftwood, seashells, river stones, or any other object collected out in the natural world bring a literal sense of earthiness that reinforces that country cottage feeling, no matter how urban or stark your apartment might be.