Cottage Accessories

One sure sign of a cottage room is a handful of fresh flowers arranged loosely in a white ceramic pitcher.

Bring in white painted baskets that contribute texture to a cottage room. Plus, they make handy containers for everything from extra towels to DVDs.

Floral trays look like vintage art pieces when propped up in a plate stand or hung on the wall.

Fill a cottage room with pastel colors for the walls, furnishings, and accessories.

Think of a cottage and you may picture a little bungalow by the seashore with small, charming rooms. Small-scale furniture takes up less space and fits better into cottage-sized dwellings.

Vintage furnishings often come with weathered and worn painted finishes. Preserve the look by thinking twice before repainting or refinishing. This old chair is full of interesting detail.

Consider floral prints and fabrics for a cottage room. This motif is the perfect way to give any space garden cottage style.

Display your vintage collections on racks or shelves. Here, a trio of old straw hats brings a vintage feel to this corner location by a back door.

Beadboard is a classic cottage touch. Though this kitchen is new, the beadboard backsplash gives it texture and charm, making it seem more like a vintage room.

Go for what is authentic rather than what is a reproduction. A collection of vintage oil paintings adds more character to a room than a handful of newly framed photos or prints.

Balance pastels and florals with liberal splashes of white. The color scheme in this bedroom is crisped up by a matelasse bedspread, pillows, and lampshades in white.

Small doses of sparkling crystal give a cottage room a bit of vintage glamour.

Cottage window treatments should look sheer and fresh. These lace panels swag back to reveal a garden view and billow in the breeze.

When shopping flea markets or other vintage outlets, eye objects for a new purpose. A flower pot can be used as a pencil cup, a flower arranging frog as a pen holder, and a muffin tin as a divider for office supplies.

Old items, like these tarnished sugar and creamer, have at least nine lives, imparting more and more vintage style with each incarnation.

Garden benches, latticework, and accessories fit well into cottage rooms. Paint everything white to unite mismatched pieces, and soften the edges with pillows and flowers.

Cottage is one of the few styles that are perfectly at home with wallpaper. Florals, ticking stripes, and tiny geometrics are just a few good possibilities.