country wallpaper borders

Give Your Home a Fresh Look With Country Cottage Style Decor

Country Cottage decor offers a fresh approach to the pink-mauve-blue Country decorating that ran its course years ago. The secret to the new version of this decor lies in combining new and vintage elements in unusual ways.

This style starts with color, namely the classic primary colors of red, blue and yellow, plus a hefty helping of green. Add whites and creams as accents, and there are nearly infinite combinations for a Country Cottage home. That's a far cry from the restricted pastel palette of previous Country schemes.

Walls in this decor style can be painted in any combination of these basic colors. The style also welcomes wallpaper in charming country patterns and motifs. If an entire wall of wallpaper seems too daunting, wallpaper borders are an inexpensive and fairly easy way to incorporate some Country Cottage appeal into a room.

One of the most popular wall treatments in this style is an ample use of bead board. This type of wood can be found in natural shades, or already primed for paint. It's available at any hardware or home improvement store that carries wall paneling. One of the common ways to use bead board in Country Cottage style is to attach it to a wall up to the height of a chair rail, and top with molding. Bead board also is used to create shelves, headboards and cabinets as well.

When it comes to choose fabrics for this decorating style, think in terms of florals, checks and stripes, mixed together in complement colors. Checks, as in checked tablecloths and curtains, have long been a part of Country decor, but here they get a contemporary update partnered with florals and stripes. Keep in mind the harmony rule of decorating if using these patterns together; one pattern should dominate, while the others are used as accents.

Country Cottage Floors typically feature tile or natural wood flooring, topped with a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colors of area rugs. Think in terms of floral rugs in living rooms and bedrooms, while braided area rugs or red rugs with an apple motif are perfect for the kitchen.

Keep in mind that the flooring itself can be painted with a pattern of stencils for greater appeal. If you choose to decorate a floor with painted stencils, then select solid color rugs so as not to clash with your beautiful floor. Don't forget to put a good coat of varnish on top of your floor decorations. Also don't be afraid to let the floor develop a distressed appearance. That timeworn look only adds to the country appeal.

Country Cottage Furniture tends to be simple and less ornate than other styles. It's often made of natural woods such as pine and oak. There are also lots of painted furniture pieces. Antique pieces or antique reproductions provide ideal accents to finish out this theme. Old pie safes, jelly cupboards, and other pieces make great additions to your country kitchen.

One of the advantages of the Cottage style is the freedom to mix up the furniture, as if it's been handed down through generations. Thus you can easily add some painted pieces in with the natural wood finishes, along with some weathered metal and other rustic touches. Simply think in terms of what will give your rooms the most welcoming, homey feel, and you'll be right in the Country Cottage style.