31 Cottage Style House Exterior Design Ideas

by admin June 18, 2020

Cottage style design is about producing eclectic simplicity. You do not need to exist deep in the woods and by the ocean to recognize the appeal of cottage style design. With its fresh look and unique individual touches, it is easy to understand why this aesthetic has existed for many years. In our opinion, it is not going anywhere soon also.

If you’re a fan of a cottage house, you’re in luck because today, we have 31 cottage house plans and design ideas for you to take inspiration from.

SHORE STYLE

Lolio Architect

Transitional cottage style shore house featuring James Hardieplank siding & white trim.

STORYBOOK HOME

Edgewater Design Group

Traditional cottage materials such as stone and cedar shakes capture this aesthetic.

SMALL YET MIGHTY

Our Town Plans

This home may be small, but between the porch, metal roof, and trellis, it amps up the personality.

WELCOME HOME

Sean Papich Landscape Architecture

Picture riding your bike to the beach and passing this home on the way.

NAHB WINTER

Allison Ramsey Architects

The cottages are simple yet elegant and are geared toward today’s 50+ lifestyle.

COZY COTTAGE

Gatling Design

Orange front door is the perfect pop of color needed against the white wood siding.

WATERFRONT VIEW

Chip Webster Architecture

Untreated cedar shakes weathered naturally to this beautiful color.

LAKESIDE JEWEL

Hendel Homes

A lot of decorative windows along the front to capture the lakeside views.

FACELIFT UPGRADE

WINN Design+Build

A gable roof was framed over the front along with a box bay addition to finish the look.

IN THE DETAILS

Executive Craftsman

The exterior shutters with additional cutout design add a lot of personality to the front of any home.

What Is A Cottage House

What makes a home a cottage? Cottage style homes encompass an extensive selection of designs, but are usually smaller compared to average ones and feature different architectural choices that call to mind cabin or maybe lakefront properties. They might have beautiful touches like, for instance, vertical exterior paneling, a stone façade, and also strong geometric shapes, which set them apart from other modern styles. Popular in rural areas, the cottage design has today made its way to metropolitan residential and semi-residential areas. Originally, the word cottage described the dwelling of a “cotter,” a laborer who was allowed to occupy the residence in return for farming work. Since laborers have been provided very small space apart from permission to inhabit the cottage as well as its surrounding land, these homes were extremely modest, with a little ground floor living space minimizing story bedrooms that fit under a pitched roof structure.

Contemporary small cottage house plans remain compact, usually “two up, two down”—quite simply, 2 bedroom on each floor, but are usually romanticized as quaint or picturesque. Rather than being occupied by serfs or cotters, contemporary cottages were owned by wealthier families as getaway properties, frequently situated near a lake or even in the mountains. In 1842, Andrew Jackson Downing printed a house design book known as Cottage Residences, which sparked a growing interest in these homes as serene and picturesque. In the United States, cottages were generally summer residences for middle-class and upper families. During the 1960s and 70s, A-frame cottages became the preferred cottage plans across the country.

Much more recently, cottages have moved out from the woods to the suburbs, re-imagined as cute cottage style homes. While these properties try to evoke the sensation of a woodsy getaway or maybe cold mountain retreat, they include contemporary electrical, plumbing, & home capabilities. These houses could be determined by their smaller sized square footage and style that is unique—they could have little balconies, bay windows, or maybe gable roofs. Wood is commonly used as an exterior covering rather than the siding, supplying the house with a far more natural look. Many contemporary cottages in rural areas are two-story but do not sprawl across their whole lot. Charm is much more important here, compared to size.

LUSH LANDSCAPE

Cottages Of Rehoboth LLC

Landscaping is reminiscent of the English countryside, which gently leads to a vibrant blue front door.

WAVE PATTERN

Archi-Tech Associates, Inc

In the top section of each gable, a wave pattern design creates interest in a subtle way.

JULIET BALCONY

Jacobs Ladder

Juliet balcony combines a sense of freedom, bringing the outdoors in with timeless architecture.

FALL VISION

MainStreet Design Build

Charming cottage is transformed by adding window boxes, corbels, and painted shutters.

Embracing The Cottage Home Style

In case you are a fan of relaxing cottage vibes, this particular post is perfect for you. Continue reading to get the supreme training regarding how to create this look work inside your interiors. With our tips, even the busiest spaces will be transformed into a soothing oasis. Cottage style is about creating airy, bright, and light spaces. When developing these rooms, this must be your main consideration, beginning with the color palette. Because lots of cottage interiors provide an eclectic edge to them, the color usually winds up becoming a formidable, unifying factor. Of course, begin with a neutral foundation. In this specific situation, fresh whites have become the gold standard. A few cottage interiors even go as far as to create their design around a completely white appearance. Doing this provides the space a sophisticated and simple feel. If you like to go that route, simply make sure you play around with loads of various shades, shapes, and patterns to bring to the room a lot of variety.

If an all-white appearance is not really your style, the main color palettes can also be popular with cottage styles. Nevertheless, they are usually in softer shades. Think about using shades like raspberry, robin’s egg blue, or maybe cornflower yellow to then add obvious interest to the basic foundation. Choose eclectic furniture. Cottage style interiors revel in being something other than cookie-cutter. In these areas, each design element typically has a backstory, particularly the place that the furniture is involved. It is better to give up buying single sets in favor of handpicking even more eclectic pieces that catch your eye. Traditionally, a cottage couch features a vintage feel to it, also. Do not hesitate to look at several outside-of-the-box sources to locate the greatest buys. Watch out for local antique shops, flea markets, yard sales, and thrift shops. Who knows what treasures you will stumble upon (given that they are in a sturdy, practical state, of course!).

When you take your finds home, everything you will need is several coats of paint to connect them together. Pick a shade which fits nicely with your chosen color palette, with possibly a matte or maybe eggshell finish—and you’re all set. Having said that, in case you are not big into DIY, slipcovers are additionally quite typical in cottage looks, allowing it to go quite a distance on to making various types of furniture appear cohesive. Use unifying patterns. Incorporating style is one more way you are able to bring together the hodgepodge feeling that often comes with cottage-like designs. Historically, floral patterns had been extremely popular, but in order to create the appearance much more contemporary, think about utilizing geometric pattern or a chevron. Cottage looks are about embracing comfort; therefore, you’ve lots of opportunities to function pattern into the home through textiles. As you take the area together, concentrate on employing an assortment of throw rugs, seat cushions, pillows, and blankets, making it inviting and warm as you possibly can. Something we do not talk about quite often usually is window treatments. With cottage interiors, you need the space to feel like a rejuvenating breeze may just come through the window at any second. Putting a couple of large panels around your window frames is a simple method to obtain this particular visual. They, too, may gain from a great dose of pattern.

FRENCH INSPIRED

Mike Healey Photography

Sophisticated and simple, elegant yet rustic. This French approach straddles the line effortlessly.

STAR QUALITY

TKP Architects

Enduring the test of time this design was inspired by old national parks rough stone shelters

ORGANIC APPROACH

Chioco Design

Natural stone builds the foundation of this aesthetic.

GREYWALL COTTAGE

Frusterio Design, Inc.

Beyond the adorable facade awaits an expansive floor plan with space for everyone.

SEARS CATALOG

Kaja Gam Design, Inc

This home is one of many in the neighborhood that could be ordered from a 1920’s Sears catalog.

CALIFORNIA CLEAN

Just the Touch

Stucco painted exterior with clean lines and little ornamentation clears the path to the front door.

Decorating Ideas For A Cottage House

One of the more charming areas of cottage living is its bare-boned, simplistic, and natural style. Instead of cover your wall space in artwork, you can show off the architectural beauty of the salvaged pine boards by themselves. The small imperfections & discolorations of the boards produce an earthy, distressed appearance that offers a perfect backdrop to the sharp, white headboard, and nightstand. One of the better wall remedies that can be used for a cottage style interior is wainscoting. This particular wall treatment offers a cottage and beach look on the room and sometimes covers just the bottom part of a wall. Another option is adding another style of molding or maybe paneling on the walls. A soft colored wallpaper is yet another strategy for cottage-like walls.

Cottage style decorating usually encompasses colors that are soft, like pastels. Baby blues, mint green, soft yellow, and soft pink are several typical choices. White is commonly utilized for the wall or even furniture color. Styles that mirror a beach scene may also be used, like teal, pool blue, and sandy brown. A household is able to enhance a cottage style interior in an assortment of methods. Wrought iron is commonly utilized for table bases along with headboards. Slipcovers can be utilized to cover less appealing couches, dining room chairs, and armchairs. A weathered appearance is usually connected with cottage style decorating. You are able to achieve the appearance by painting a portion of furniture a cottage color, like gray, yellow, or blue. You then are able to distress the surface by utilizing sandpaper or perhaps tapping on the furniture piece gently with a hammer or perhaps chisel. Wicker furniture is yet another choice. Huge storage devices like dressers, armoires, & wardrobes can also be utilized with this particular decorating scheme.

Accessories have a tendency to be antique in nature. Shabby chic accessories include older pieces which have a weathered look, like a well-used trunk or paint peeling shelf. Other fabrics and pillows reflect the different hues which are used all over the space. Lace is commonly used as a table cover. Stylish pieces like candelabras, teacups, lamps, candlesticks, and chandeliers are usually placed throughout different home interior spaces. Collections are usually generally utilized to produce a slightly cluttered look. The cottage-style look incorporates more recent pieces that are combined together with more mature pieces.

OUTSIDE LIVING

Visbeen Architects

A pair of gables with copper roofing flanks a covered outside dining area,

TWIN PINES

The Rauland Agency, Inc.

Symmetry of the house was planned from the beginning to complement the trees outside.

BLUE BEAUTY

Haynes & Garthwaite Architects

Adorned with a window box, this cozy dwelling is a perfect place to call home.

MODERN REFRESH

Sicora Design/Build

Painted exterior finishes in a mushroom gray with decorative trim highlight the accent pieces.

MAGICAL ABOAD

Alan Mascord Design Associates

Straight out the pages of a fairytale this home delights all with its compact charm.

DAZZLING DELIGHT

Edgewater Design Group

Everlasting cottage design that incorporates innovative details into every nook and cranny.

ELEGANCE

Peabody Architects

Traditional materials were used on the exterior, including slate roof and copper gutters.

PICKET FENCE CUTE

BKA Architecture

This small white house packs a punch in cuteness with all the woodwork details.

COTTAGE CASTLE

Stonewood, LLC

Cottage appeal in a larger version with a stacked stone facade and sweeping gable rooflines.

WHITE WONDER

Cottage Home Company

All white stucco look streamlines the details for a more modern look.

Different Ways To Add Cottage House Appeal

Generally, there will come a time in everyone’s life when you’re really totally prepared to escape from everything. You begin daydreaming about secluded cottages during work and spending your weekends browsing Airbnb when you should be washing. Effectively, imagine returning home to a cottage each day. Does not that sound beautiful? You will find specific things that most cottages have that you are able to very easily add to your very own home’s exterior. Check out these strategies for making your house look like the cottage everybody else daydreams about.

Front Door – Truth be told, the front door you decide on is essential when you are choosing that cottage vibe. When you would like your house to appear open and airy and inviting, you will certainly like a front door with a big window.

Screen Door – Indeed, we are still discussing your front door since screen doors are the next piece on the puzzle. All comfortable cottages have one. It enables the fresh air and also birdsong inside while allowing the scent associated with a scrumptious dinner as well as the audio of family laughter drift out. Extra points in case a person in your house plays the piano.

Porch Plants – While many English cottages abandon a front porch, lots of American cottages bring them in. Yay for much more decorating space! Putting a little greenery on a front porch is a simple styling addition and gives a homey feel. I suggest Boston ferns when your porch is shady.

Porch seating – Doesn’t that look like you wish to curl up on Saturday afternoons? You are able to have that on your porch also with a wicker chair, a blanket along with some pillows. It is going to make the ideal spot for a good read or maybe a chat with a buddy.

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