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The Appeal of English Cottage Style Furniture
If you are lucky enough to live in a country cottage you will recognise the utter appeal of English cottage style furniture. There is no doubt that tasteful furniture that is in keeping with its surroundings, contributes to the convivial heart of a home and this is no more so than with the appropriate use of cottage style furniture.
Historically cottage furniture was designed to be practical, comfortable and above all affordable. Although these days many genuine antique pieces can fetch enormous sums of money, originally much of the furniture designed and created for cottages was modern in its day and was simply hewn from natural materials that were easily to hand.
These materials would have included mighty oaks, beech, ash, tall pines, wild cherry, pliable willow and the great elm trees – sadly no longer with us. All were cut and felled from fields, woods, river banks and open moorland and then left to season before being turned into chairs, tables, stools, settles, four-poster beds, dressers and cupboards by skilled local craftsmen.
The dark stained and polished traditional cottage style furniture you see today, in antique shops, cottages and even old manor houses, would originally have started life as light or pale coloured wood that only darkened over the centuries. Any furniture that survived through to the modern day became more valued and much sought after items in their own right.
Many of these pieces would have originally have been part of co-ordinating sets of furniture comprising a double bed, a wash stand, a dresser, a small table, chairs, and sometimes a wardrobe. A hundred years ago or more an English cottage would have been a very small and unsophisticated dwelling occupied by local villagers and farm workers.
These were generally speaking quite poor people, who wanted nothing more than simple and affordable comfort at the end of the day. Their furniture needed to be functional and robust, which is why genuine cottage furniture is rarely elaborate, except for bucolic carvings and painted decoration.
Flowers, fruit, hedgerow plants, farming symbols, birds and animals were the most common carved features; these were done by local cabinet makers, who in the main didn’t have any formal training. The painted embellishments were either slightly primitive, with a Folk Art feel to them or, if the artist was talented, featured highly detailed and beautifully executed scenes.
Furniture made from pine was the cheapest and probably the easiest to work but because it lacked the patina of the beautiful hard woods many pine pieces of furniture were painted and then decorated to enhance the rather plain appearance; although there are a few examples where the natural wood was varnished but left unpainted with the exception of some painted floral accents.
True English cottage furniture is homely and unfussy and should feel inviting when you walk into a room. It does in fact have a charming naïve quality that is a large part of its appeal; indeed to people from all over the world. Many a well-worn country kitchen chair, lovingly fashioned from a piece of elm or beech, has gone on to become a collector’s item, far from its native land.
Quite a lot of cottage furniture in the past could be picked up cheaply from auctions and junk shops or even be passed down from relatives. These days though original pieces of cottage furniture are less attainable, more costly and highly desirable, especially since the shabby chic style became so popular; which is why there is now a growing demand for good quality reproduction pieces.
When putting together a cottage style room it is important to be sure of which direction you want to follow so be certain to focus your ideas before you start. For instance do you want to create a classic old cottage look using mostly old oak furniture alongside lots of pretty fabrics or do you lean more towards the shabby chic look using distressed and painted furniture, with corresponding accessories? Once you've decided on the general theme tie your look together so that it appears effortless and uncontrived.
You can probably now see just how important it is to use the right type of cottage furniture to ensure getting the exact look you want for your home. You will not achieve a calm rural ambience in any room that looks a mish-mash of ill-chosen furniture and oddments. Keep a rigid sense of direction and try to plan as near as possible the exact layout and room position of your major signature pieces. Once these are in place the rest of your furniture and special treasures will fit naturally round them.
It is sometimes worth spending a reasonable sum of money on one stunning item if you feel it will transform a hitherto plain area into somewhere captivating and welcoming. There is no doubt that something like a beautiful polished antique chest sporting a vase of cottage garden flowers can turn a room into a masterpiece of design.
As with all décor pick your colour schemes carefully to complement your English cottage furniture, making sure there are plenty of nature’s tones on the walls, floors and upholstery. Shades of pink, rose, brown, yellow, rust and green are perfect for that English cottage look but keep it subtle to maintain the antique, aged and cosy feel that is appropriate for this style. Be sure to stay well away from sleek, highly polished and modern furniture; even one inappropriate piece can destroy the whole balance of a room.
Nothing has to match, and if it doesn't, so much the better. The overall effect you want to achieve is a look of charm and distinct comfort. Anything that you have found or bought that is a bit worse for wear can be painted or covered with new fabric to help it fit into your overall scheme. In the past it was not unusual for pieces to be adapted from one use to another, for example an old cottage door have might be remodeled into a kitchen table; don’t be afraid to do the same if you have the talent.
Finally if you are furnishing a small space it is often best to choose one large focal piece of furniture and then add smaller well-chosen items to fit in around it. When a restricted space is filled with to many smaller pieces, it tends to make the room appear fussy, cluttered and even unkempt. Also avoid the temptation of pushing everything directly up against the walls, it is usually best to arrange furniture in an “L” shape, without blocking the natural flow of the room.
Good storage methods are a must when it comes to living in modest spaces so try to make your larger pieces of furniture such as blanket chests, dressers and settles double-up as extra storage space, this way they become dual purpose pieces and help keep your home both tidy and well-organised.
About the Author
Karole Howard is passionate about interiors, fabrics and colours inspired by the countryside. She launched her well known online shop http://www.countrycream.co.uk in 2003 in order to help people who want to create the country look in their homes.
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Infuse Your Cottage With Charm And Personality Through Interior Design
The whole point of cottage style living is unpretentious enjoyment of home, friends and life. Unlike the big manor houses for which cottages originally housed servants, cottages not only are absent of dining rooms where 24 people can enjoy a regal 12-course meal, they rarely have dining rooms at all! In short, cottage style is about the way most of us live today, not about wanting to live the way the very rich lived yesterday!
Since cottage style derives from servants' cottages, which were usually furnished with pieces cast off from the manor house, cottage chic unabashedly turns discards into desirable objects by reclaiming and re-presenting them in a new context. This is good news for those of us on a budget, and who among us isn't?
Flea markets, garage sales and thrift stores are Mecca for cottage style decorators, who train themselves to view the merchandise they find there in light of what it can be, not what it was. An old painted bench can become a stylish cottage coffee table, an old mahogany corner cabinet can keep soap, towels and other bath necessities at hand, a piano stool with a wrought iron base can serve as a small end table, a largish piece of wrought iron can be affixed to the wall behind the bed to serve as a headboard.
Turning pieces from different eras and styles into a harmonious decorating whole by simply appreciating them is the heart of cottage style. Here are a few ways you can achieve a chic cottage look using decorating rather than renovating:
• Think white: White paint can cover a multitude of architectural sins. A too-small kitchen with dark, dated wood cabinets feels more spacious the moment the walls and cupboards are painted white. Inexpensive white slipcovers on furniture with stained or damaged upholstery unify different styles and brighten the living room. Even white sheets can be artfully draped over sofas and chairs to achieve the cottage slip covered effect.
• Showcase collections: Go through your belongings and select the ones you most love and enjoy. Even if you only have one or two items in a category that gives you pleasure, such as antique wicker baskets or wide-brimmed summer hats, put them out to enjoy. What you collect matters less than how you display it: Even three small antique bottles will appear charming on your kitchen windowsill when each bottle holds a single flower; a hat collection displayed on a wrought iron wall rack near the door lets you enjoy viewing your chapeaux even when you're not wearing them. Removing doors from upper kitchen cabinets allows you to easily showcase pottery and china in a very charming manner.
• Focus on comfort: When buying upholstered furniture, look for pieces that appear "overstuffed" and inviting. Ignore inappropriate upholstery and finishes. A little white paint and a slipcover will change them instantly!
• Use accessories: Pillows covered in floral prints, vintage tablecloths and pillowcases, brightly colored Fiesta ware dishes and old china pitchers used as vases are just a few of the things that make a cottage feel homey. Again, don't worry about using things that match; a floral throw pillow can coexist happily with a checked or striped one, and mismatched dining chairs look fine together when painted the same color. Remember... in cottage style, anything goes!
If you are lucky enough to have a weekend retreat or summer getaway cottage, keep the interior décor light, comfortable and whimsical. After all, the reason you purchased a cottage in the first place was to retreat from the stresses of everyday city life. Your cottage should never be a mirror of your home in the city. The country is a place to let your personality shine through in your decorating.
About the Author
For unique, different and quality wall and home decor products like wooden wall sculptures or modern wall clocks shop at Wall Decor and Home Accents.
