Want to Go Cottagecore? 10 Ways to Embrace Cozy Clutter This Fall

Evelyn Long
Sep 23
4 min read

An idyllic home looks different for everyone, but many people want a cozy, romantic design scheme. If you love decorating that evokes a rustic, homey farmhouse where woodland creatures might visit, you’re likely a fan of the cottagecore aesthetic. Learn how to lean into cozy clutter to indulge in the decorating trend this autumn without taking on any big projects.

Quaint cottage with a thatched roof, surrounded by lush garden and flowering vines. Overcast sky adds a cozy, serene atmosphere.

How Did Cottagecore Interior Decorating Start?

The exact origins of the cottagecore aesthetic are a hot debate. While some people trace its roots to personal blogs, trend trackers note that cottagecore posts rose by 153% in March 2020. People embraced in-home escapism that year, so many turned their living spaces into enchanting bubbles of nature, nostalgia and farmhouse vibes.

You don’t have to love pastel colors and checkered tablecloths to become part of the cottagecore phenomenon. Versatility is part of why it’s so popular. You can choose a color scheme that matches your personality and build your cozy fall world around it.

Rustic dining room with a wooden table set for dinner, featuring candles, flowers, and black chairs. Wooden beams and staircase in background.

Ways to Embrace Cozy Clutter

Need some inspiration to start your redecorating journey? Start with small steps to build the foundation for your cottagecore getaway, no matter what your living space looks like.

1. Showcase Your Thrifted Art

Art from local thrift stores or flea markets can upgrade your decorating style. Vintage paintings or sketches make any space more homey. If your art has different frame styles, you’ll also embrace the mismatched, cozy clutter vibe of cottagecore homes. Hang them anywhere you have empty wall space to make your living area feel full. If you own any, try to use art with autumn themes.

Vintage wooden cabinet with glass doors, oil lamp, and dried flowers. A framed fruit painting on top. Gingham curtains add a rustic touch.

2. Use Vintage Bathroom Decor

Every cottagecore fan needs a place to soak after a day of picking wildflowers and making sourdough bread. However, an outdated tub significantly influences the overall look of your bathroom and can set its design back by decades. Whether your preferences change or you want to sell your home one day, you can keep modern bathroom features while still getting a cottagecore vibe.

Hang a vintage-inspired shower curtain to elevate your tub, or place towels embroidered with fall motifs on your towel racks. You can also thrift glass dishes for potpourri that add to the vintage, cottagecore look and infuse your bathroom with calming scents. Vintage bathroom decor helps you achieve the style without committing long-term.

Vintage bathroom with floral wallpaper, a gold oval mirror, and a blue vanity. Two wall sconces and a soap dispenser are present.

3. Layer Your Blankets

Throw blankets are the ultimate decorating tool. They create inviting spaces and accentuate any theme. Emphasize your cozy cottagecore vibes with throw blankets in rich, autumnal colors. They’ll invite people to spend more time cuddled up on cold autumn evenings, which evokes the charming, tight-knit community feel any cottagecore home needs.

Stack of colorful woven carpets with geometric patterns and fringes, in a sunlit room with tiled walls, creating a warm, cozy atmosphere.

4. Gather Antique Kitchenware

Did your grandmother ever give you teapots or china dishware? If not, you could find some at yard sales. Use them as decor in your kitchen to make it feel like a cottage. They’ll become whimsical clutter that layers your home with nostalgia. You’ll also fill the empty spaces on shelves or above your kitchen cabinets, which can otherwise pose a decorating challenge.

Open cupboard with stacked dishes including red-patterned cups and plates, white bowls, and a metal coffee pot. Warm, organized setting.

5. Grow Vining Plants

Autumn mums and asters aren’t the only seasonal plants you can add to your home. Grow an indoor garden full of vining plants, like pothos. They’ll infuse any space with natural textures and cover empty walls, creating a more cluttered aesthetic. You’ll think of vine-covered stone cottages whenever you walk into the room. If you mix your soil with perlite to improve airflow to the roots, your new indoor garden will thrive while everything outside starts hibernating.

Cozy living room with a gray couch, colorful cushions, and hanging plants. Sunlight streams through large windows. Warm, inviting atmosphere.

6. Pile Your Books

Book lovers have an advantage with cottagecore aesthetics. Bring every novel out of storage and pile them on your shelves. Fill the spaces by organizing them like a library, then turn your extra books sideways to stack them on top. Full bookshelves are part of a cottagecore home’s charming vibe. You’ll also feel prepared for chilly autumn thunderstorms with so many entertaining stories within reach.

Vintage gramophone with a bouquet of colorful flowers. It rests on books titled "Light Fantasy" and "Romance" by Paige Cody, on a wooden table.

7. Store Things in Baskets

Woven baskets bring in romantic, nature-inspired textures. Why store things in plastic containers when you can get mismatched baskets in all sizes at flea markets or craft supply stores? Place them by your fireplace, bookshelves or communal seating areas. You’ll call attention to those spaces with cozy storage solutions, especially if those baskets contain blankets to keep you warm throughout autumn and winter.

Cozy wooden room with blue sofa, patterned rug, and a foosball table by the window. Brick wall, TV, and "GRAY MALIN" book visible.

8. Play With Textures

Adding texture to your interior design creates comfort and contrast simultaneously. Think about how you feel walking into a museum. The sleek benches and echoing floors inspire awe but don’t encourage people to hang out or nap. Chunky knit blankets and boucle throw pillows on your couch will do that with mixed textures.

Cottagecore homes call back to the days of handcrafted goods by adding numerous textures to any room. Make your additions fall-themed with autumn colors and prints. You could even layer more texture into your room by hanging cardigans on a vintage coat rack.

Wooden coat rack with a hat, leather bag, and three brown coats. Set against a white brick wall with a rustic wooden stool below.

9. Add Gourds to Your Grocery List

Fill empty kitchen counters with gourds after your next grocery store trip. The mismatched hues and funky shapes lend an unpretentious vibe to your home. You’ll make your kitchen feel more earthy while creating cozy fall clutter. You can also use gourds as ingredients in seasonal meals or compost them when it’s time to find fresh replacements.

Colorful gourds on a wooden table; orange, green, and striped. Autumn leaves and trees in the blurred background, creating a rustic mood.

10. Collect Fall Foliage

On your next morning walk, bring a basket to collect foliage. Crunchy leaves and fallen branches could become aesthetically pleasing mantle decorations. If you don’t have a fireplace, put them on your TV stand, dresser or above your fridge. Dried autumn flowers could complete your new decor. You’ll pull more of an essential nature vibe into your interior decorating.

Fall-themed mantel with pumpkins, yellow flowers, and greenery. A mirror and two tall candles are against a shiplap wall. Cozy vibe.

Upgrade Your Home’s Autumn Aesthetic

Cozy clutter is the ultimate way to make your cottagecore dreams come true. Embrace some whimsical mess this fall with seasonal home upgrades. Whether you fill empty spaces with gourds, more books, extra blankets or baskets full of prized possessions, you’ll transform your home into a charming getaway.