How to Create a Colonial Cottage Style Bedroom
I’ve shared a bit about the style that we’re going for in our new home, which we moved into on February 17! It’s a New England Colonial meets Shingle Style home, architecturally. (More on that, in this blog post.) Therefore, for the bedrooms, I’m pulling elements of these styles as well as some cottage style staples into the mix, because nothing oozes cozy vibes like a pattern- and color-rich room full of texture, as seen in cottages in the woods… and in classic fairytales :)
If this style interests you, then you’ll want to keep reading. I’m addressing everything from furniture and flooring, to wall patterns and textures, and subtle touches you can bring in to completely change the look of a room and turn it from bland to brimming with coziness.
Inspiration pics above! Photo Credits: 1) Amber Lewis, 2) Studio McGee, 3) Magnolia Home
Here’s a look at the ways I am planning to create a colonial cottage style bedroom for one of the guest bedrooms at our new home. We’re still in-progress here, so I’ll share updates as we reach the next checkpoints!
Designing a Colonial Cottage Style Bedroom
Anchor the room: Flooring
If you have the flexibility, the opportunity, or any interest in swapping carpet for hardwoods, I highly recommend the flooring we installed here! It’s called Bellawood Monaco White Oak Engineered Hardwood from LL Flooring. It’s pre-finished in a really pretty mid-tone brown stain, and it has a matte sealer for protection. I personally love a matte finish on my flooring if I’m going for a more organic look, which I tend to gravitate toward. Polished is beautiful, but it gives “fancy” in my opinion, and I wanted this space to feel upscale while not looking too posh.
Select a bed that makes a statement
For the focal point in this bedroom, I chose the Allis Upholstered Low Profile Platform Bed for our guest bedroom. I love how this bed sets the tone for the space; the slight arch of the headboard has a softness to it that makes a statement without stealing all of the attention. The little wooden block feet are cute, too.
Choose a stylish rug
If you’re new around here, you’ll soon learn that Loloi rugs are one of my go-to, all-time favorite brands! They publicly launched their Loloi Heritage collection on March 11, and it’s their prettiest launch to-date! I know, that’s a bold claim. But if you love warm-neutrals, moody-vintage, and a handcrafted aesthetic, you’d likely agree. Every rug in this collection is warm, neutral, comfortable, and pulls in a variety of my favorite colors for creating cozy spaces. What makes this collection different from all of the Loloi collections that have come before it is the new technique Loloi used to make these look and feel like actual restored vintage rugs. They shaved down the pile, allowing you to see the base of the rug, giving it some interesting texture and an old-world design. The rug for the guest bedroom is the HER-08, or the Heritage Sage, Navy.
Play with furniture
Furniture doesn’t have to be permanent to a space, but when it’s as timeless as the armchairs I’ve rounded up below, I’m thinking any of these would be the most precious addition to our colonial bedroom vibe. The checkered, striped, and velvet upholsteries bring in a nice pop of texture. What’s funny is after finding all of these contenders, I saw that the McGee & Co. Clegg armchair was on sale over Presidents’ Day, so as I sat there staring at my laptop screen, LOVING the cinnamon-colored cotton-velvet upholstery combined with the modern take on rolled arms and the unique iron legs, I decided it was a worthwhile spend. At only $1,063 when it was on sale (regularly $1,250), it came in better priced than some of the chairs included below! Use my code NESTOUTWEST at McGee & Co to save 10% on orders of $100 or more!
Consider millwork details (and wallpaper!)
If you see a room with wainscoting and you’re anything like me, you immediately fall in love! The charm this wood detail adds is immeasurable in my opinion. I’m planning to add wainscoting around the bottom portion of all four walls in this room, and then wallpaper above. I’ll determine the wainscoting paint color as soon as I make a decision on wallpaper, but there are so many patterns and color ways that I’m loving right now, and I don’t want to rush to make a decision. The right wallpaper can pack some serious power when it comes to creating a cottage vibe, and I’m excited about the samples I have! Linking a few of my top contenders from A Street Prints if you’d like to achieve a similar look…
Here’s where we are at this point
I still need to order a dresser and style that once it comes, and I’m excited to select a wallpaper and coordinating paint color for the wainscoting below it! We’ll likely paint the ceiling and crown moulding, too, or possibly add some T&G to the ceiling. We’ll see what Jason’s up for ;) I might also swap out these Roman shades for cordless since we have little ones, and I’d love to eventually order some new curtains, but I also kind of love the dainty charm of the sheers the previous owners left for us in here! They can stay for a little while :)
Shop everything in this bedroom in LTK | The art is “New Mercies” in the Framebridge Chelsea Gold Frame by Coleman Senecal Art
Any questions? Let me know in the comments! Follow along on Instagram @nest.out.west as we renovate our new home :D