Photos taken at River Cottage in Abergavenny.

As an idea, cottagecore celebrates a quiet life, with simple pleasures and a nurturing relationship with nature. In terms of what it looks like, it’s a modern fantasy vision of a traditional cottage in the English countryside: sweet, warm and cosy. 

It is in part a rejection of capitalism and an alarming amount of time spent in front of a screen, but also connected to prioritising wellness, sustainability and slow, conscious living. There is a thriftiness to this trend; mixing hand-me-downs and vintage treasures with meaningful objects that are collected slowly & sentimentally over time. 

The murmurings of autumn have us craving some of those simpler activities that are synonymous with this idea of cottage-living: gardening, reading, cooking, resting, knitting, walking in nature. An affinity with this dream of living in a cottage in the country is a craving for domestic simplicity. It’s a dedication to making a beautiful life, through our surroundings and how we spend our time, when the world doesn’t always feel beautiful. 

Whenever an aesthetic trend is inspired by the past, it comes with ties to the cultural environment at that time. We can take the joyful, inspiring parts of styles of these times while still be aware of the context from which we’re borrowing the aesthetic details. With the cottagecore trend, there's a movement social media, one that is inclusive and takes only what is joyful from this trend. An article on the cottage core trend for The Zoe Report explains: “On the Cottagecore Black Folks page, there are various women, men and gender queer Black folks who feel connected to the cottagecore themes of sustainability, minimalism, and love for nature.” It’s a community that celebrates the whimsy and beauty of the inspiration but brings it into the present. 

Glassette does Cottagecore 

We wanted to show you how to bring this trend to your space, wherever you live. Late in September, early in the morning, we drove from East London to the Welsh village of Abergavenny to visit a very special, cosy, hideaway. River Cottage is a converted 17th century corn mill that has been thoughtfully renovated with both care and flair. Find River Cottage on Kip Hideaways. We brought with us curated homewares from our autumn/winter collection to add an extra layer of cosy & magic to the very beautiful bones of River Cottage. 

Cottagecore is a celebration of natural materials, a feeling of bringing the outside in. This can begin with a classic, neutral palette but this doesn’t mean colour can't have a role to play. Use rich, warm tones as your accent shades in a room: merlot coloured bedspreads, grass green woven doormats and cushions in navy, deep red and mustard. 

A beautifully laid table need not be restricted to formal occasions, but is something that can be done every day to make all meal times special. The Punto Antico tablecloth by Bettina Ceramica is a linen and cotton cut-out embroidered tablecloth, handcrafted using the traditional 'punto tagliato' technique. It pairs perfectly with the Fiore Dinner Plate, handprinted with an expressive floral design, nodding to cherished ceramics handed down across generations.

This trend is romantic in its details. It’s a collection of things that are loved and that tell stories. Playful hand-made bobbled candlesticks by Lorraine Robbins, wonderful vintage hand embroidered throws by Chloe Jonason Interiors & swirling creamware cirrus vases by 1882 Ltd. and ceramicist, Frances Palmer.

If you lived in shared accommodation and you’re thinking of refreshing your bedroom ahead of the colder months, layering mismatching blankets is a simple nod to this cottagecore feeling. Our tip is to pick blankets or throws with at least one common colour, so this colour acts as a thread, tying everything together, keeping the overall vibe cosy and quiet. Look for patchwork designs and handwoven details, mix vintage finds with handcrafted modern pieces, new heirlooms to hold new stories. 

Take this slower season as an invitation to soothe your nervous system and give your body the relaxation and rejuvenation that it needs to process the vibrant summer months. In her book Wintering, Katherine May says: 

“Plants and animals don’t fight the winter; they don’t pretend it’s not happening and attempt to carry on living the same lives that they lived in the summer. They prepare. They adapt. They perform extraordinary acts of metamorphosis to get them through. Winter is a time of withdrawing from the world, maximising scant resources, carrying out acts of brutal efficiency and vanishing from sight; but that’s where the transformation occurs. Winter is not the death of the life cycle, but its crucible.” 

Basically, it’s ok to rest now for a little while. This can be hard, or not always possible, or only possible in tiny little slivers of time and so we’ve curated our favourite nourishing wellness products to help your body find some rest in this fallow period ahead. Mineral-rich bath salts from Mirrorwater for slow, easeful soaks to feel more grounded; an antioxidant-rich medicinal mushrooms supplement from The Nue Co. to increase energy and maintain a functioning nervous system and Mystic, a spellbinding candle from August & Piers to ignite your instincts energise the spirit. 

For more Cottagecore inspiration - follow us on Instagram @glassette. 

Take yourself to River Cottage to hibernate and rejuvenate this season, book now via Kip Hideaways.