The most obvious element in decorating with a country cottage touch is the use of colour that is inspired by nature. From palest pink and lavender to soft blue and green, with a splash of yellow. Whites are not quite white, varying in hues from crisp bright to creamy ivory. It’s all about bringing the outdoors indoors: fresh flower arrangements, botanical prints and of course, soft floral fabrics.

But country cottage style is not about floral prints, you can use soft stripes and checks in place of the floral designs used in cottage decorating.

Country cottage style is a personal, charming, and fresh way to decorate. Try some of these decorating tips to create a welcoming cottage look in your home.

Decorating Tips:
• It’s essential to bring elements of the outdoors in, with wire plant stands, distressed garden furniture, botanical prints and masses of fresh flowers - an inexpensive and colourful way to dress up a cottage-style room. Plain pitchers overflowing with bouquets of flowers increase the feeling of garden abundance. Whether from your own garden or purchased from your local supermarket or farmers’ market, flowers add life to any space.

• Mix up the old with the new. Don’t hide the things you collect and treasure. Favourite books, old family photos and other mementos express who you are and can have a place in your cottage scheme. Architectural details, vintage mirrors, tole trays, floral china, and pretty pillows are all candidates for charm in a cottage style space.

Composing like items in groups tells a story and adds to their overall impact within a room. Unify the look with paint. It balances most mismatched furnishings and fixtures. It also can hide imperfections that mar an otherwise useful piece. Buy what you love for size and shape, brush or spray on primer, and bring it all together with a coat of cottage colour. Choose cottage colours from nature’s subdued palette.

• Fabrics, fabrics and more fabrics. From florals to crisp white linens and pastel accents, all these can be successfully combined in a cottage room. Using fabric for slip covers is a wonderful way to get the cottage look on nearly any piece of upholstered furniture.

• Don’t stress - get distressed with furniture finds at lea markets and second hand stores and be on the lookout for aged paint finishes, areas that are chipped and worn. Pop into your local pine shop and look for unfinished pieces that can be given a faux paint effect to match the decor of the room. Use baskets as much as possible for storing and packing away items around the home.

• Keep window treatments light and airy with muslin, linen or cotton - simple drapes, tab-tops and simple decorative valances, or cafe curtains for a country cottage kitchen and bathroom.