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Romantic Cottage

Softly faded, freshly felt

Rooms that feel like a sun-faded cottage afternoon where every piece has a story.

Distressed romance. Whitewashed furniture, floral patterns, vintage charm. Feminine, soft, deliberately imperfect.

Softer and more romantic than Farmhouse; more faded and relaxed than French Country.

Jeid Studio

What sits closest

The styles nearest to yours, measured the same way the quiz measured you. A room of yours that does not quite fit this style often fits one of these.

French CountryCoastal & Sun
English CountryHeritage & Formal
HamptonsCoastal & Sun

How pattern works here

  • Pattern in this style is mostly roses.
  • The prints run large and lifelike, in the line of the old English chintzes that Victorian critics faulted for direct imitation of nature, but the color is washed back so the flowers read faded, not bright.
  • A room often holds one rose print on paper, blinds or a chair, then softer stripes, checks or plain white on the rest.
  • The palette is white, cream and pastel: rose pink, sage, duck egg and powder blue.
  • Big plain whites, like slipcovered sofas and painted floors, give the florals room to breathe.
  • If the prints look crisp and saturated, the room has drifted toward Traditional or Maximalist.

Surface by surface

What this style asks for on each surface, and what pushes it into a different style entirely.

Flooring
  • Floors stay plain so the florals can lead.
  • White-painted wood, often pine, suits cottage bedrooms.
  • Some wear is part of the appeal: just add another coat.
  • A budget route is two coats of low-luster exterior deck paint over an oil-based primer.
  • A white floor can be harder to keep clean.
  • Avoid: dark stains, glossy finishes, busy tile, and gray-washed plank that reads modern.
Cabinets
  • Cabinets look like old painted furniture, not a fitted run.
  • One method is a thick coat of chalk paint, sanded back at edges and around hardware, then waxed.
  • The thicker the paint, the more it chips.
  • A two-tone distress lets a pastel base show through a white top coat.
  • Beadboard door panels give a relaxed cottage look, but the grooves trap grease, so many clients keep them off the range wall.
  • Glass-front uppers can show china, though the contents are always on view.
  • Avoid: slab doors, high gloss, crisp factory white, and stainless everywhere.
Lighting
  • Chandeliers are a signature of the style.
  • Look for crystal or glass droplets, beads, and a vintage or Rococo shape, and use one in any room, bedroom and bath included.
  • A simple ceramic pendant on a cloth cord can light a kitchen without fuss.
  • Mix one sparkling fixture with plain lamps so the room does not feel formal.
  • Avoid: recessed cans as the only light, industrial cages, and sleek modern pendants.
Paint
  • Walls are white, cream or a very pale pastel.
  • For furniture, chalk paint in Old White or Cream suits this look.
  • For walls, warm whites such as Farrow and Ball Pointing or All White avoid a cold blue cast.
  • Soft pinks such as Setting Plaster or Middleton Pink warm a room.
  • Chalk paint wax takes up to two weeks to harden, so treat new pieces gently.
  • Avoid: bright blue-white, saturated color, and high gloss walls.
Wallpaper
  • Paper is where the rose print often lives.
  • Ashwell's licensed line includes Royal Bouquet, an archive print of cabbage roses in rose pink and sage first issued in 1992, along with Romantic Rose and Wildflower.
  • A soft stripe such as Watercolour Stripe can sit in the next room or on a ceiling.
  • These papers are matte and hung by pasting the wall.
  • Use one rose paper per room and keep the rest plain.
  • Avoid: bold modern geometrics, metallic papers, and dark grounds.
Wall details
  • Wall details are simple and painted.
  • Beadboard wainscoting on the lower wall gives a cottage feel, especially in a bath.
  • A vintage mirror with a worn or distressed frame is a recurring touch.
  • Setting Plaster above a dado with Dead Salmon below gives two soft pinks a frame.
  • Avoid: heavy crown, dark stained paneling, and stone accent walls.
Furniture
  • Furniture is old, painted and comfortable.
  • White slipcovered sofas started the brand, and the covers were made to wash, so pre-shrunk fabric matters.
  • Painted dressers and chairs keep their chips and wear, and French chests with cabriole legs keep their nicks.
  • One shiny piece, such as a mirrored armoire or a gilded fire screen, adds a little bling.
  • Avoid: matched sets, glossy new finishes, and heavy dark wood.
Textiles
  • Cloth is soft and a little rumpled.
  • Cotton and linen lead, and faded floral linens suit cushions and napkins.
  • Rose chintz is the pattern most linked to the style, and old floral chintzes are still made for drapes and upholstery.
  • White cotton slipcovers and vintage chenille bedspreads add plain texture next to the prints.
  • Avoid: crisp synthetics, shiny satin, and saturated jewel tones.
Rugs
  • Rugs are quiet.
  • A large faded rug on a plain wood floor is the classic look, and jute gives a plain base.
  • A small sheepskin can soften a spot by a bed or chair.
  • Keep the strongest florals on walls and fabric so the floor stays calm.
  • Avoid: bold geometric rugs, high-pile shag, and dark Persian reds that pull the room toward Traditional.
Windows
  • Windows carry soft pattern or none.
  • Ashwell's licensed blinds come as roller and Roman shades in prints such as Rose Chintz, Sunbleached Floral and Watercolour Stripe, in blush, duck egg and sage.
  • Curtains read worn and faded, the same way the sofas do.
  • Keep one print on the window if the walls are papered in another.
  • Avoid: heavy swags, metallic sheers, and dark blackout panels that show from the room.

Where to start

Real paint colors and products, so you have something specific to take to a paint counter or a showroom.

Wall paint
Old WhiteAnnie Sloan Chalk Paint; for shabby chic furniture
CreamAnnie Sloan Chalk Paint; pale alternate for furniture
Setting Plaster No. 231Farrow and Ball; dusty pink, warms north rooms
Middleton Pink No. 245Farrow and Ball; delicate light pink; Archive, made to order
Pointing No. 2003Farrow and Ball; warm white
All White No. 2005Farrow and Ball; pure white, no cold blue cast
Flooring
Sherwin-Williams Extra White SW 7006White for a painted cottage floor
Benjamin Moore Cloud WhiteWhite for a painted cabin floor
Lighting
Shabby Chic Ceramic Pendant LampBrown cloth cord; can be hard to find

The architecture underneath

A lot of what makes a room read as this style is in the architecture, before any furniture comes in.

White-Painted Wood FloorsPine boards, repainted as they wear
Beadboard WainscotingLower walls in baths and kitchens
White or Pale Pastel WallsWarm whites and soft pinks, matte
One Rose-Papered RoomFaded floral paper as the lead pattern
Chandelier as the Ceiling FocalCrystal drops, even in a bedroom
Soft Pattern at the WindowsFloral or stripe blinds, faded curtains

What to know about the materials

A few materials this style uses need more care than they look like they will. Worth knowing before you choose them.

PineIt blotches. Pine takes stain unevenly, so it is either painted or handled with a gel stain, and you see it on the real board before it is ordered.
MarbleMarble can etch. Lemon, wine and tomato can leave dull marks, and sealing does not stop that. A stone pro can polish the marks out, and a honed finish hides them better. Plenty of people like how it ages. If you would not, we will steer you somewhere else.

If you are working on a house and want to see what this style would look like in it, set up a time with Jeid Studio and we can go through it with your answers in front of us.

Bring it to us

Want us to translate this into your house?

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