Country Cottage Decor Ideas - Georgian Home Tour
Over the last couple of years, I have been working with some lovely clients on the transformation of their quaint Georgian country cottage. It's located on the outskirts of Halifax and has fantastic views of the surrounding English countryside. The first part of the interior design project involved the refresh of the living room and dining room which were looking a bit tired and needed to be brought to life. They invited me back last year to help them with colours for their new kitchen. As well as showing you the before and afters, I'll be sharing lots of interior design tips on how to incorporate cottage decor ideas into your own home.
The ground floor of this country home consists of a kitchen and a living room with a dining room between them. The main thing the clients were struggling with was getting the dining room to feel like a welcoming and inviting space, rather than just a corridor linking the other two rooms.
Before - dining room
The dining area was painted in a cool light blue and the stone floor continued through from the kitchen, a combination that contributed to the cold and unwelcoming feel.
Before - dining room
There was scope to change the wall colour but we wanted to keep the stone flagstones because they’re perfect for this type of home so I needed to find other ways of adding warmth and cosiness to the space. My first thought was that we needed to incorporate pattern.
Before - living room
The living room is quite spacious and the walls were previously painted in a magnolia shade. With two large south facing windows, the colour felt washed out.
Before - living room
The ceiling beams are either false or there's cladding covering the original ones. Either way, they're not a feature worth celebrating and the light ceiling colour just made them stand out. In short, this room really needed a bold colour change.
These are the key interior design elements I try to incorporate when working on country-cottage style homes:
1. Greens (whether soft greens or deeper shades) and earthy neutral colours
2. Floral patterns
3. The use of natural materials like stone and wood
4. Vintage decor and vintage furniture mixed with more contemporary items for an eclectic feel
5. Traditional, classic style bespoke furniture
6. A mix of textures for a comfortable look
7. Styling with plants and dried or fresh flowers
So here's what we did…
The dining room design
Dining room interior design visual
The clients were really drawn to green and blue colour palettes so I used these as a base for the colour scheme in each room. Because soft furnishing options are limited in a dining room, I knew that the best way to add cosiness and character was with a patterned wallpaper. Using Little Greene's Georgian patterns as a starting point, I picked out Stag Trail which is based on a classic design found in a medieval timber house in Worcester. The curved floral shapes were perfect for adding much needed softness to the dining area and the Arsenic colourway with its green and blue hues fitted the clients' Brief perfectly.
After - the dining room
I also recommended adding a dado rail so that the bottom half of the walls could be painted, saving on wallpaper costs. Harley Green is a strong green paint colour which also originates from the Georgian era, making it a perfect pairing for the Stag Trail paper. The beautiful patterned wallpaper really draws you in and it has created such an inviting atmosphere.
Opting for full length curtains as opposed to blinds here was an easy decision - not only do they work well with the country decor style but they add a much needed softness. I chose a yellow fabric with a gold tone for warmth.
We kept the clients' existing mahogany chest of drawers but I recommended adding a metal black console table for a more modern, industrial look on the opposite wall. They haven't quite got round to purchasing this yet but it's on their list!
The living room design
Moving through to the living room, I wanted to create a sense of lived-in charm. We painted the walls in Little Greene’s Livid - a deep, moody colour somewhere between blue, green and grey that flows perfectly through from the dining room. The woodwork and ceiling are painted in coordinating Green Stone Pale, including the ceiling beams so that they blend in. These colours have completely transformed the room into an enveloping space with a welcoming feel.
This photo was taken in winter with the lovely soft sunlight shining through.
I wanted to incorporate floral pattern in this room too. William Morris designs are always a classic choice for traditional interiors and we chose the Lodden Blush fabric for curtains at the glass door and for roman blinds at the two windows, linking them together without feeling too matchy-matchy. We then added full length curtains in a blue fabric at the two windows for extra softness and to help hide the central heating pipes that reach into the window alcoves. Wood furniture is a must in homes with a country design style so we kept the existing oak chest of drawers which also adds a vintage feel.
Mixing different styles and materials is a great way of heightening the sense of comfort and cosiness in a space. I chose plush sofas with velvet fabric that contrasts with the window treatments and the dainty florals of the Graham & Green cushions.
The fireplace is the focal point of this room but previously it felt a bit lost. Now it stands out against the wall colour and I styled it with a moody landscape artwork from a gallery in nearby Haworth which picks out the colours in the accessories. I also added vases and candles for a cosy feel.
The kitchen design
The clients engaged Ryburn Valley Furniture, who I’ve worked with on previous projects, for their kitchen design but they asked me to review the plans and to help them with choosing paint colours, fabric, worktops, tiles, taps and handles. We made a few small tweaks to the layout so that it works better visually and practically.
This room gets lots of warm natural light and is used by all family members especially at breakfast time. I wanted to stick to light, soft colours to enhance the feeling of brightness and create an airy, open feel in contrast to the deeper tones in the dining and living spaces.
The classic shaker style kitchen is always a good choice for country cottage style homes and the existing green aga suits the style of the new kitchen perfectly.
I suggested different shades of Little Greene’s Portland Stone colour family for use on kitchen cabinetry, walls, ceiling and woodwork - it works really well with green and although it’s an earthy colour, it doesn’t feel too warm in a south facing space.
The William Morris leaf design fabric gives a subtle nod to the surrounding countryside and provides a link with the Morris fabric in the living room. See how this room gets bathed in warm light?
So there you go! A beautiful English cottage style home now packed with character and cosiness. What do you think? Let me know in the comments.
And for more country decor ideas, take a look at the before and afters at my cottage bathroom project.
