The Slow Cottage style is simplistic, honest and pared back, nudging on austere but with plenty of comfort and a hint of pretty. Characterised by a neutral colour palette with oversized furnishings & accessories. This style is grown up and sophisticated but also calm and understated. A Slow Cottage is furnished mostly in vintage and period pieces, sympathetically restored, renovated or displaying original signs of age, with mushy and muted accent colours.

If you love restoration, simplicity, clean lines and a slow, easy pace of life, this home style might just be yours!

 ‘Slow Cottage’

5 STYLE TIPS

1) Restoration

This style is based on the restoration of period properties, cottages in particular due to their unique scale and proportion. The restoration is an important part of the style since if too many features are left in their original state the style veers more towards a rustic home. Opt for tiles, carpet, engineered boards or painted wooden flooring instead of natural wood, paint beams and ceilings and only leave stone exposed if it is gentle on the eye. 

2) Clean lines

When choosing to style your home Slow Cottage, part of the renovation challenge will be to honour the simplicity of cottage living but in a more contemporary and cohesive way. The charm of the Slow Cottage style is the neat uncluttered feel. Avoid cottage-y nooks and crannies where possible, choosing integrated fittings instead. Select a unifying colour palette throughout so that the cottage allure isn’t lost in a myriad of details.

 3) Honour the simple pleasures

Slow Cottage lends itself to those who enjoy home comforts at a leisurely pace, where there is time for putting away, plumping cushions and drinking in the unhurried pace. If there are other family members not quite so taken with these habits then plenty of extra storage might be necessary to achieve peak bliss! When choosing new, larger pieces such as sofas and dining tables, opt for something soft, comfortable and classic, thats neither too contemporary nor too traditional.

4) Add oversized furnishings & accessories

To add interest to this style, use oversized furnishings despite the smaller room proportions, but limit these to table lamps, floral displays and decorative accessories in limited numbers. The more neutral the better to draw attention to the scale rather than the detail of the item. 

5) Avoid the chintz

The overall feel of this style is more academic than Simple Vintage so when choosing fixtures or fittings keep it simple. Limit pattern to a few select items and even then use it sparingly in simple stripes or faded florals and put the chintz back down!

You might enjoy reading other articles from the Homing Instinct feature: Old and New, Neutral Living, and Soulful Minimalism or browse some more styles from the Home Style Collection in Pinterest.

The Home Style Collection

Bright bazaar, Kinfolk Home, Modern Eclectic, Globally inspired, Scandi classic, Coastal Decor, Easy contemporary, Thrifty Decor, Neutral Living, Naturally inspired, Modern Boho, Bold & beautiful, Old & New, Pale and interesting, Soft industrial, Simple Vintage, Muted mode