How to Decorate a Country Cottage: 6 Examples

A home where all new furniture is old forgotten stuff

Owners of this home are creative people, so they approached its arrangement creatively. First of all, they decided not to spend much money. For example, an old advertising sign is now a desk, and a picture in the child's room was previously a real estate sign, and even an old staircase is now a clothes hanger. Almost all the furniture was found and bought at flea markets and antique shops. The family is convinced: if you go through the old junk that people bring to garages and cottages, you will find a lot of useful things, and most of them just need a couple of nails and paint to be transformed.

Read moreAn old estate turned into an enchanting cottage
Owners of this 1860s-built home had to work hard to bring it into order. To make sure the budget was enough for everything, they decided to simply update the walls with new paint, leave the furniture and interior items as they were, and restore them a little. For example, mirror frames were simply repainted, and the upholstery in the chairs was changed. But they didn’t skimp on replacing windows and doors, which are many in the house. The kitchen island was given a marble countertop since it’s used often. As for the old fireplace, they didn’t install a new one but instead made a decorative version of it. In the end, the house turned out just as they wanted, even if some things had to be saved on.

Read moreA family home where space was made for three generations
This house in the Australian suburbs accommodates three families who take care of a 48-hectare farm. To make space for all, the owners renovated an old paddock by attaching it to the existing house. The family even moved a small cottage from its previous location where they used to live. Now, the relocated cottage serves as a guest house. Following the example of the owners, you can turn an old barn on the property into additional relaxation space and move the shovels to the garage or basement.

Read moreHow an old barn became a dream home
The owners of this house transformed an old livestock barn into a chalet with nine-meter-high ceilings. In such large-scale renovations, it's important to keep in mind the nature of the space and try to work with the existing layout. For example, they created spatial zoning in the house using the original barn beams that were preserved. Where the former door openings used to be, they installed panoramic windows — now a kitchen with a view to the veranda and a stunning outlook. In the bedrooms where there was less space, they didn’t break down walls but instead left everything as it was, replacing bedside tables with built-in niches where they placed shelves.

Read moreA cottage with 200-year-old history
The owner of this house almost single-handedly completely renovated a 1860s-built cottage in just six months. To avoid doing everything at once, she simply re-evaluated the functionality of items. For example, to fix an old fireplace on the kitchen (not the best place for it), she would have had to spend several weeks and incur considerable costs. Instead, the space under the fireplace is now used as a wine cellar. Or the leftover piece of corrugated sheeting that was used to cover the roof, which worked perfectly as a budget-friendly kitchen apron.