Cottage Style
Everything I actually use to decorate our home: the books I keep pulling off the shelf, the people I learn from, and the handful of shops worth knowing about.
The books and blogs I go back to when I am stuck on a room. Books beat a screen every time.
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Over the years I have found a handful of interior design books that fuel my love for the English country style, mixed with the classic, traditional elements of gracious Southern style. I return to these again and again while decorating our home. Each time I look through them I am at a different stage, or facing a different problem, and a gorgeous solution always turns up.
See the whole shelfThe writers whose homes and projects keep teaching me something new.
Tessa Foley Interiors Blog Timeless English-inspired rooms and vintage-look textiles, with a laid-back, lived-in ease. 
Pine and Prospect Home Blog Serene, neutral cottage style on a budget, almost all of it built by Andrea and Mike themselves. 
Miss Mustard Seed Blog Marian’s gift for giving a plain builder-grade house real old-house character, one project at a time. 
French Country Cottage Blog Courtney’s 1940s house and guest cottage, full of roses, chippy paint, and elegant chandeliers. For when you want to see how something is actually done, start to finish.
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One of the key elements of the layered English cottage look is mastering the subtle art of pattern mixing. It is also the thing people write to me about most. So I built a course that walks you through it, step by step, until you can do it confidently in your own rooms.
Explore the courseChannels I return to for tours, makeovers, and honest process.
Where I buy. A curated cottage comes together slowly and second-hand, but these are the places worth knowing about.
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Wallpaper is my favorite way to bring color and pattern into a room. We have ordered from wallpaperdirect several times and the service has been good every time, with a selection wide enough to suit any style.
If you are not sure where to begin, our guide to choosing wallpaper walks through it.
Shop wallpaperdirect
Blinds.com Shop The bamboo blinds in both our homes, plus curtains and shades. Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through them I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.