If the kitchen is the heart of the home and cottagecore is a warm, nostalgic hug, then why not have both?

After all, cooking and eating is waaaay more fun when you’re in a space where you’re cozy and comfortable, and cottagecore is probably one of the more cozy interior design styles out there.

After I had some flexibility in customizing my kitchen— adding some green wall color, changing out the hardware, adding twinkle lights, and creating a simple tablescape— I spent probably half of my work-from-home time in it!

I hope after these home decor ideas, you can give your kitchen a little cozy upgrade so you can start cooking, eating, and dwelling happily in your kitchen, even without breaking the bank.

The basics of cottagecore kitchen design

First things first, what is a cottagecore home?

If you’ve somehow missed the memo, it’s an aesthetic that takes its cues right from the pastoral life—think cozy, vintage, nature-inspired, and bursting with homely warmth.

A life set in a cottage surrounded by wildflowers, babbling brooks, and fluffy sheep, all with an undertone of feminine, carefree, quaint, creative, and lovely.

Now translate that into your at-home cottagecore kitchen decor and style:

Instead of stark white cabinets, perhaps yours are ivory or pastel.

Instead of a bare wooden table, yours has a beautiful floral tablecloth with a simple fried floral arrangement.

Instead of simple chrome handles, you have whimsical Etsy ones shaped like bumblebees or with a floral shape.

Kinnarps tells us that being around nature, or even just elements that remind us of nature, can significantly reduce stress and boost our creative mojo, which is everything we’re about here.

Honestly, I believe your home should be the creative lifeforce of your ideas, the place where you dream, create, and explore what you love, and using a cottagecore style to influence your design is a perfect way to get closer to the equally cozy space to help you dream your biggest dreams and drop into your most inspired being.

And the great thing is, it doesn’t take an interior design expert to infuse cottagecore and add a touch of whimsy to your kitchen. Without further ado, let’s bring rural life straight into your kitchen!

Design Your Cottagecore Kitchen

A Pastel and Muted Color Scheme

One of the first things you’ll want to do when uncovering your cottagecore kitchen is to pick out your colors. This is where a Pinterest board and inspiration come into play, particularly, finding post pastel and muted tones to create your cottagecore kitchen. I’m talking…

Purple pinks

Ivories

Warm creams

Sage greens

Light grey blues

Soft golds and yellows

This color scheme should feel like you’re stepping into a light and airy dream-like atmosphere, which is really what cottagecore’s overarching nostalgic vibe really is.

[Insert 3 color schemes and the paint colors]

Related: Best Amazon curtains for cottagecore, whimsical + moody spaces

Rustic Accents

A big element of the cottagecore vibe is its rustic, woodsy look. If you’re going for this look, you’ll want to decorate your kitchen to look more cottage-like, handcrafted, and makeshift than, say, a modern, Japandi-looking kitchen.

We’re looking for ✨old-world charm✨ over new, fresh, and clean.

Clean lines in designs and architecture are always wonderful, but make sure you balance these with some textures so you look like you’re embodying that true cottage home look.

Wooden beams

If you have the means to experiment a lot in your kitchen, consider adding some wood beams if you’re in a more modern space– it’s not just for a farmhouse style!

You can do this through some fun DIY, or you can do it through purchasing some handmade creations on Etsy for a true artisan to create it for you. Wooden beams don’t have to be totally real, btw. Faux wood beams can create that rustic vibe you’re looking for without being too heavy to set up.

Wooden countertops

Speaking of wood, swap out those cold, stone countertops for warm, wooden ones. The grainy texture adds an extra layer of coziness and is a nod to the natural world, much more than an aluminum or metal one would, and can totally transform your kitchen into a warmer space pretty much instantly.

Remember, we’re thinking warm colors, and the browns in wood are included in this!

Wooden utensils

Finish off this added country charm with some wooden utensils, especially if you have them in a jar next to your stove for easy access. Plus, these are a whole lot better for you than rubber or plastic alternatives, which could heat up and release toxins into your food.

✨ Whimsical Lighting

If you can only do one thing to give your kitchen a warm and welcoming vibe, make it through the lights. So many people don’t take into account the different types of lighting in their homes, but without it, your eyes don’t quite know where to go.

For a kitchen specifically, you’ll want the lights to have equal parts function (so you actually know where the pan is to crack that local egg) and vibe, so you can enjoy your food in a true vibe.

Fairy lights

String some fairy lights around parts of your kitchen that won’t be affected by oils or water, or add accents like lights in a bowl for a more upscale, cohesive look.

Vintage lanterns or lamps

Introduce vintage lanterns and lamp designs into your space. Take a look at each of the lights in your kitchen, and ask yourself if they can be swapped out for something vintage or handmade to add a more rustic element. Chances are, if you’ve purchased a newer home, there are a bunch of opportunities to change out your lighting for something more cottagecore.

Bonus: Find a safe place to add a desk lamp for an even more cozy atmosphere.

Related: 19 aesthetic cottagecore color palettes for creative inspiration

Wiz light bulbs

Out with the old, and in with the LED color-changing light bulbs. We’ve had our Wiz light bulbs for years, and could not imagine what our home would be like without them.

You can customize the colors using the app, set schedules, and even use custom settings like “Fall,” and “Pastels” when you’re in the mood for some ongoing color-changing action. If nothing else, get these for your kitchen (and the rest of your home, while you’re at it).

☁ Gingham, Floral, and Solid Warm Textiles

Remember those pastel colors we talked about? Let’s extend that charm to your textiles. Whether it’s gingham, floral, or something in between, your fabrics should give the impression that you’re basically in a faerie garden picnic every time you step into this space.

Window blinds or curtains

You likely have a window in your kitchen already, so when considering how to cover it, look into basic blinds with a light, warm color. Depending on the direction of the sun, you could find that getting a more light-blocking design will help block that harsh morning light, but for me, I like sun trickling in creating beautiful glows, and I like blinds that are slightly thinner.

Kitchen skirt (to hide clutter)

Using a floral or gingham kitchen skit can hide away open shelving with pots, pans, or blenders without making them in impossible-to-reach storage.

Linen tablecloth

As for a simple and elegant touch, add a tablecloth or runner to your dining area to enhance the color palette of the kitchen even more. It’s totally up to you whether you want to show more of a rustic wood element, or totally cover it up with a beautiful pattern, but either way, adding some texture to your table will make it all the more warm to sit at.

(Add a candle? You’re golden.)

Marie Kondo’d Organized Open Shelving

What Should Be Open-Shelved?

Open shelving can be quaint as heck, but only when it has a very well-organized, matching scheme to it. No, we’re definitely not here for cereal boxes with words and colors all over it muddying up your kitchen. Instead, open shelves should be filled with your most joy-sparking items so they’re equally functional and aesthetically pleasing.

Go for your prettiest plates, your favorite cups, and those antique jars filled with homemade jams or pickles for your open-shelves areas, because your open shelving in your kitchen space will only be for displaying items that make your heart skip a beat every time you use them.

Ideally, in a Marie Kondo home, that’s everything you own (and it sure became a reality when we did it around a year ago), but of course, in your cottage kitchen, you’re going to have those labeled protein powders, the cereal boxes, and the snacks that might force loud colors and labels into a space that doesn’t want them.

Here’s a handy little table to help you determine what should be on your kitchen’s open shelves vs what you should put away:

Open Shelves

• Aesthetics mugs, dishware, and teapots
• Simple decor like dried flowers
• Houseplants or fresh flowers
• Vintage and antique items
• Pretty bowls and serving dishes
• Decorative plates or art pieces
• Copper pots and pans

Put Away

• Industrial looking appliances
• Food in unattractive packaging
• pots and pans
• Tupperware

How to organize your open shelves

There are soooo many ways to organize shelves, so I want you to choose for yourself.

Stick with clustering together in sets of odd numbers— preferably 3 or 5— don’t ask me why, but it just works so much better than even numbers!

Add little sparks of non-functional, decorative pieces in between, like a recipe book here, some dried flowers there, or even a framed picture leaning up against the wall.

At the end of the day, your cabinets should feel like it’s curated, not thrown together, and while there are lots of ways to make great decor choices, it’s also a bit easy to make it look rambling, if you’re not careful.

I hope you got a little inspiration for your own cottagecore lifestyle, so your kitchen feel can feel all the more comfy, warm, floral, and cozy vibes it needs. There are lots of ways to create your dream cottagecore aesthetic in your kitchen, so mix and match these inspo pictures and ideas, and let these cottage style decor ideas make your kitchen your favorite spot to be.