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Cottage what? -

At its most basic, cottagecore is about cottage living. However, it goes a bit further than that. It describes a simpler approach to life, adopted through what you wear, eat, or buy.

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A movement -

Cottagecore is linked to the slow living movement. Slow living is a mindset where you adopt a meaningful lifestyle that's in line with your values. It's reducing the pace of life so you can appreciate your life, and the world around you.

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Aesthetic -

The cottagecore aesthetic resembles life in small European villages and forests. It embraces hygge and Scandinavian countryside living, as well as 19th-century, rural English life.

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Escapist -

Followers of cottagecore can tap into the collective fantasy of running away to a cottage in a meadow. The concept offers an escape from constant noise, striving, and demands of modern urban life.

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Tradition -

Cottagecore is focused on harmony and taking your time to do things. Traditional skills and crafts take patience and dedication, to reach mastery or to create something beautiful by hand.

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Utilitarian -

Cottagecore is a functional design aesthetic. Adopting a utilitarian approach involves making your life simpler through what you wear, eat, or buy.

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Slow decorating -

Slowing down means you can enjoy the hunt for perfect pieces and decorative notes for your home. Thrifted or pre-owned furniture, ceramics, and antiques add to the story of a room.

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Lifestyle -

Cottagecore embraces the charm and pace of country life, to create an idealized representation of rural living. It captures a feeling and turns it into an overall state of being.

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Activities -

Embodying the cottagecore lifestyle involves doing hands-on activities such as painting, pottery, gardening, cooking, and making jam or beeswax candles.

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Capitalism -

Cottagecore stems from a desire to self-soothe. It rejects the fast-paced anxieties of capitalism and the toxic masculinity associated with it.

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TikTok -

Videos with the cottagecore tag have racked up billions of views on TikTok. People became more exposed to crafting via the app, making these activities become trends.

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Pandemic -

During the pandemic, we spent a lot of time at home. This created a desire to make our homespace warmer and more welcoming.

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'Bridgerton' -

'Bridgerton' influenced the cottagecore trend during the pandemic, with its visuals based on the domestic lifestyle providing a sense of comfort.

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'Folklore' -

Taylor Swift released her folk-inspired album, 'Folklore,' in 2020. The cottagecore aesthetic became even more well known, influencing a whole new swathe of fans.

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Garden -

Cottagecore returns people to our roots and to nature. It focuses on living in connection with the land and tending to it. Cottagecore imagery commonly features wildflowers, dwarf fruit trees, bird feeders and baths, walkways, draped vines, and seating.

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Decorative -

Cottagecore embraces rustic furniture and accessories. Decorative china and ceramics are set against natural features and furnishings.

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Romance -

Romanticism emphasizes the connection to nature, the past, and the senses, rather than logic.

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Romance -

Cottagecore romanticize timeless simplicities: tending to the garden, sipping on a hot cup of tea, or reading a good book in peace, for example.

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Simplicity -

Cottagecore indulges the beauty and simplicity of the every day. There's an emphasis on wood furniture, botanical patterns, textured fabrics, and pieces that have an heirloom quality.

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Crafts -

Crafting, journals, and letters are also part of the aesthetic/lifestyle. Screen-free activities help to enter a flow state, without any distractions.

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Digital detox -

In the cottagecore world, there are no phones pinging with updates, no urgent work emails, no days spent responding to the unrealistic demands of modern life.

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Inspiration -

It could be seen as a backlash to hustle culture. Cottagecore serves as an antidote to burnout, depicting a slow enjoyment of life’s mundane tasks.

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Self-sufficiency -

Foraging for mushrooms, raising your own chickens, and cultivating a herb/vegetable garden are cottagecore-friendly activities that encourage greater self-sufficiency.

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Natural -

Warm neutrals and soft greens are go-to colors, in a home that looks well-lived-in for decades.

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Natural -

Cottagecore takes its inspiration from nature, so natural materials such as wood and floral patterns are common. Finishes like natural stone countertops, stained wood floors, and brass fixtures look good and last a long time.

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Baking -

Baking is a big part of the cottagecore lifestyle aesthetic. Making bread or cakes from scratch has a strong rustic appeal.

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Fabrics -

Cottagecore fabrics are simple and made with natural materials like cotton, linen, or hemp. They prioritize comfort and sustainable materials.

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Casual -

Clothes are loose fitting and casual. Dresses are comfortable and femininity is accentuated, with floral prints and neutral colors being very common.

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Refuge -

Home is a personal sanctuary, providing a refuge from the outside world. Cute animals accentuate the feeling of docility and relaxation.

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Nostalgia -

Everything from fashion to home decor inspires a sense of nostalgia. It taps into the human desire for a peaceful, simple life in the face of accelerating invention or social change.

Sources: (Architectural Digest) (The Good Trade) (Who What Wear) (The New York Times) (House Beautiful) (The Spruce) (Good Housekeeping) (Gardening Know How)

See also: Explore the UK's literary inspirations

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