Best Cottage Core Decor Ideas for a Home Office

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Designing a room with the cottage core home aesthetic is a charming way to infuse appeal into your home. While it is common for bedrooms, dining rooms and even kitchens to embody this design style, it is more rare to see it in utilitarian spaces like an office. However, I’ve rounded up some practical ways to infuse cottage core decor into this home office makeover!

Before we dive deep, let’s look at high level elements to utilize for cottage core decor.

1. Flora and fauna themed wallpapers, fabrics and patterns
2. Highly textured items like woven baskets and chunky knits
3. Natural items like wood bowls or wooden frames
4. Antiques
5. Books
6. Plants and botanicals

What Is Cottage Core Decor?

Now let’s get into the details by defining what cottage core decor is.

Cottage core is a maximalist design style that focuses on creating an intentionally slow paced life full of beautiful and useful items. Florals, warm wood tones, heavy textures, and vintage elements all work together to design an atmosphere of sophisticated peace and simple living.

While there are common design elements that take center stage, like colorful florals and woven baskets, it is more a mentality of using “the good stuff” for everyday life. It harkens back to more traditional times of growing your own food and making your own clothes.

For example, a basket isn’t just for decor; it holds the harvest from the garden, cradles the yarn for your next blanket or stores potatoes for the winter.

Similarly, the good china isn’t kept for special occasions. It’s pulled out daily to be enjoyed without restriction. Cottage core is more a way of life than a decorating style.

With that said, there are plenty of elements of design to be considered for a home office! So let’s dive in.

Designing a Home Office with Cottage Core Decor

My home office is a spare bedroom with just enough room for a desk and some storage for my blogging equipment. The perfect place to decorate with cottage core decor that I love!

This tiny room started drab and dingy with original 70s orange shag carpet. I transformed it to the cottage core home office of my dreams. See how I accomplished this makeover for $0 here!

Affiliate links provided below for your convenience.

Cottage Core Wallpaper

One of the biggest elements of cottage core decor is wallpaper.

Rather than simply use one type of wallpaper, I mixed two patterns. The lower 1/3 of the room is a subtle thin stripe from Sandberg wallpaper, called Alfred Sand.

The top 2/3 of the room is a whimsical floral vine from Sandberg wallpaper, called Elmire Spring Green.

They bring a feminine and masculine component when paired together to balance out the room.

Vintage Accessories

Beyond the wallpaper, which is overtly cottage core style, it is easy to bring in vintage accessories to match the theme.

How to Use Vintage Decor

Vintage decor is perfect for a cottage core style home office. It adds loads of character and charm with many unique elements.

My favorite way to bring cottage core decor into a room is with antiques.

Some of the easiest vintage pieces to use in a home office are:

• Wood bowls: Use small bowls to corral paper clips, business cards, thumb drives or other small items you need to be easily accessible.
• Books: My office contains design books from across the decades. However, the brilliant thing about antique books is that you can find books on every topic. Dive deep and find some interesting books that relate to your interests to use as practical decor.
• Picture frames: Snag affordable picture frames for family photos in the office.
• Artwork: Vintage artwork is a staple for cottage core decor. Whether you love oils, watercolor, sketches or charcoals, adding vintage artwork is the perfect way to decorate a home office.
• Baskets: In my office I’m using baskets to corral paperwork, as a waste can, and as wall decor. Baskets are arguably one of the most versatile pieces to add. Plus, their woven texture adds great detail to the space.
• Coat or wall rack: Even if your home office isn’t going to be seeing any visitors, adding a coat rack is a great way to decorate a corner. I use mine for blankets, fabrics I’m considering for a room, or even just to hang a bundle of dried lavender from the garden.
• Cottage core decor accessories: Use interesting cottage core decor like my wood and brass swan, handmade candle holder, or pressed flowers. This is where you can really get creative to use items that make you smile. Vintage scissors, spectacles or even ink wells and pens all add vintage charm.

Where to Find Cottage Core Style Antiques

When you’re shopping in a department store, it’s likely that what you’re purchasing is a replica of something from the past.

We see this very often with wood bowls, marble trays, baskets, and architectural pieces. So, rather than buying these items new, I like to hunt for the original.

In cases where the “real thing” can’t be found in a local antique or thrift store, I shop on Etsy, Facebook Marketplace, Chairish or Vintage Keepers.

Flora & Fauna

Cottage core decor is very nature focused. You see flora and fauna in wallpapers, fabrics, prints, artwork, throw pillows, blankets and more.

I love to utilize these patterns in actual decor like blankets and throw pillows. However, I really prefer to bring it in with live plants.

Adding houseplants to your cottage core home office is a great way to brighten the space, clean the air and release endorphins as you work. Learn more about caring for houseplants here.

You can also add dried bundles of soothing aromatics like lavender, eucalyptus, rosemary, rose or chamomile.

Cottage Core Themed Office Accessories

Finally, let’s discuss some of the more practical items of a home office.

Thankfully, it’s fairly easy to find cottage core themed office accessories.

Here are my favorites:

• William Morris File Folders
• Rattan Storage Cubes
• Storage Cubby
• Acrylic Desk Organizer (Clear acrylic allows it to blend, so it doesn’t detract from the other decor.)
• Retro Floral Desk Lamp
• Wooden Fauna Shelf
• Weekly Desk Pad
• Floral Lighting
• Classical Floral Artwork
• Floral Pen Holder
• Cottage Core Desk Mat
• Adjustable Desk
• Executive Desk

More Interior Design Resources

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog today! I hope that this home office makeover with cottage core decor helps as you design your own space.

If you’re looking for more interior design resources, make sure to sign up for my free interior design e-course. You can also find additional resources below.

You can also follow along daily on Instagram and weekly on YouTube!

~Sarah