Modern Cottage Style Kitchen Decor

Cottage style kitchen decor doesn't have to be defined by one element, like a braided rug or rose covered curtains.

Modern cottagecore design allows for so much more.

Take a chance and experiment. You may love what you create.


It's official. My kitchen makeover is finally complete.

Ok, well, not completely complete, one thing certainly does lead to another, but the breakfast area is done and I must say, it was totally worth the wait.

And phew...because honestly, I had my doubts.

There were bumps from the start of this project, which began with the simple idea of new curtains.

I mentioned in an earlier discussion, that it's taken me months to realize my vision and mapping out the project was only the beginning of the hold ups.

Stuff seemed to pop up constantly and since I wasn't really sure what I was doing, I was easily distracted. I was also in the middle of sewing other things, like dresses for my girls' latest video and pillows.

But today, I'm finally ready to share the tale of how I updated my cottage style kitchen on a whim.

It all started with this fabric and these ball fringe curtains.

I love ball fringe, as a matter of fact I just added it to my sofa.

It wasn't really a traditional cottage style pattern, or not my cottage style anyway, but once I saw it, I couldn't stop thinking about it.

Something about it had me at hello.


Now, I'm a tried and true cottage style girl. I love red, roosters and flowers on my fabric, squishy pillows, embroidered anything, patterned furniture and floral wallpaper...like the one we recently hung in my family room.

And most of all, braided rugs.

They're warm, charming and a bit of a throwback. They have soft edges and a plushy feel.

They're decidedly country, casual and totally cozy...and they've always been the anchor of my style. I have at least one in almost every room.

Including the hallway where we painted the floors.

But this fabric was different. It didn't quite fit - with anything I owned - which, I think, is exactly what drew me to it.

It was modern. Clean. Geometric and also a little more orange than my favorite, true red, but I couldn't get it out of my head.

It had a starched, regal air about it and my long loved treasures suddenly looked a little out of place next to it.

So, it was a true leap of faith when I purchased those four yards, but I was determined to make that henna hued beauty work, even if it meant replacing a few things.

Including my beloved braided rug.

I've had that rug since we added the kitchen, more than 20 years ago, it's been my staple. It's completely defined my kitchen's cottage style.

My kitchen nook has changed again - Peek at its first new look here 

And its second here 

And its third in 2023 here

I've changed curtains numerous times and wall decor, but the rug always worked.

I removed it once a few summers ago, but after a little trim, it was back in short order. I missed the color and way it defined the nook.

You see, I tried a few others along the way, but nope, nothing compared or felt right. There was something about those braids, a warmth, a feeling of home, that no other rug could capture.

But this time, set against the potential new curtains, it was out of place...and I really wanted that fabric in the room.

The bright red on the floor made the valances look more orange than they were. Then the color of the roses on floral sink skirt didn't look right and worst of all, my gorgeous patterned chair clashed.

Worst of all, I doubted if that uppity fabric would ever really feel like it fit in my version of cottage style.

I honestly wasn't sure how to make it all work, until the rug was rolled up.

In avfit one night, I removed it.

Suddenly, I could picture the new curtains perfectly and everything in the room worked well with them. It was sad, but those braids had to go.

Finding something new, however, was no picnic.

I needed a round rug, about 7 feet in diameter, obviously in my particular style, in the right reddish orange color and in a pattern that would compliment, not clash with, my new window treatments.

And I had to do all of this online since round rugs are not usually carried in stores.


 Luckily, I was able to order several with free shipping and a return to store policy which made the process easier than expected. I ordered five. Only one looked like it did on my computer screen. Unbelievable.

This beautiful Safavieh rug was perfect. I knew from the start it was the one.

It's a total departure from my tried and true style choices, but it looks gorgeous and felt right. And with that one purchase, I knew that fabric was going to work.

YOU CAN SHOP MY COTTAGE STYLE HERE

Some might think it's busy, but cottage style is not really about matching, but rather layering and mixing.

The new rug and valances were just the beginning of my quest to get the look I craved. The beginning of melding my old cottage style and my new.

I stripped the color off my dining chairs, exposing a lighter fabric, that would blend better with the latest additions.

That made a huge difference in the feel of the room and believe it or not, as luck would have it, the original pattern on the chairs, matched my skirted, upholstered, dining chair.

That was great, but bland. So I ordered a pillow (this one is similar) that I thought would bridge the visual gap between the windows and the floor.

Again, it was not my normal pattern or style choice, but the scrolling vines blended so well. I loved it immediately.

So much in fact, that I bought another for the living room...but that's a redecorating tale for a different day!

To give the room a little more interest, I relocated a pair of floral pillows that I'd made years ago, from the living room, to the kitchen.

Funny, the more items I added, the more all the reds seemed to become one. Now we were getting somewhere.

The room looked great, it was modern and fresh, the orange was gone, but still, something was missing. I could feel it in my gut. It was still a bit cold.

So as I mentioned a few weeks ago, I dug through my stash and found some pom pom trim. I suspected that ball fringe curtains would be the answer.

And I was right. A quick zip through the sewing machine changed the entire look of the breakfast nook.

It was the cottage style kiss I was looking for...that one tiny addition, took the room from pretty and personality-less to outstanding in my eyes.

It was way more than I'd hoped for when I began this redecorating journey and I can't get enough of the view.

That fabric fits now. It fits in the same space as my darling sink skirt, my tulips, my old thrift store pine server, my red wall, my roosters. And most of all, it fits me.

It's full on cottage style.

Cozy and charming but also elegant, with a bit of a modern edge.

Which is a different aesthetic for me.

Yet this new version of my 1920's kitchen still manages to be classic and warm.

And all without a braided rug in sight.

Who knew?

Happy Decorating, Friends!