Cottage Area Rugs: Style Guide to Choose Wisely

Quaint cottage decor featuring area rug

Cottage area rugs can anchor your home décor and serve as the design binder that brings your room into a cohesive design.

Choosing Cottage Area Rugs

The cottage style has different meanings to different people. Some people immediately think of a country cottage décor while others may think of a beach cottage. Others associate Americana with cottage design while many immediately think of a French or English cottage décor.

Braided Rugs

Braided rugs are a popular choice for cottage designs. A braided rug goes with a country cottage theme or a beach cottage theme. Braided rugs are a long tradition for cottage designs and are an outstanding choice when it comes to a weekend retreat in the mountains or a cottage on the shore.

Types of Cottage Styles

The first thing you need to decide is what kind of cottage style you're going for.

Americana Cottage

Like the country style, Americana uses braided, rag and hooked rugs. Americana designs tend to use more primitive artforms. The colors red, white and blue are prominent color schemes. You aren't limited to these three styles of rugs, and you can use pile rugs as well. Some of the rugs may repeat the American iconic star symbol.

Beach Cottage

Nothing says beach like white-washed floor and a blue and white braided rug. There are several kinds of rug styles you can opt for in designing your by-the-shore retreat. Go with a pile rug with a seashell border or maybe you prefer a colorful lighthouse design. Whatever you decide is right for your beach cottage, you can find just about any seashore rug design to fit your needs.

Country or Rustic Cottage

A country cottage is considered to be charming. Many of the styles you find in this type of rug include braided, rag or hooked rugs. A rustic cottage often incorporates mountain-theme motifs such as bears, trout, deer, pine cones, and other elements found in the wild.

English Cottage

When you think of English cottage, your mind may conjure up the image of a white picket fence and rock walkway strewn with wildflowers on either side. Window boxes spill over the sides with various flowers and vines. The windows are draped with delicate lace curtains so the early morning light can spill into your cottage. Area rugs in hues of green, blue, lavender, rose, yellow, and red are just a few of the colors you can find in area rugs. You may be timid about using a patterned rug in your English cottage, but there are many floral and vine-designs that can liven up your cottage theme.

French Cottage

Bonjour, it's time for pale yellows, lavender and flower fields when you design a French cottage. Your choice of area rugs is varied and as you can imagine, full of soft pale colors that incite a wistful sigh of a breezy French morning. You can find floral borders gracing soft yellow, green or lavender rugs. If you want to make a bolder cottage statement, then you may prefer a pale floral rug. Solid-colored area rugs aren't out of the question and every color of the rainbow is available in a muted hue to give your cottage just the right touch.

About Rug Yarn Fibers

When you consider the various rug styles, you need to explore the various yarns that are used in the construction of the rug. For example, wool has always been a very popular choice for rugs because the fibers absorb color with a vibrant and consistent finish. If you prefer a softer color palette, then a cotton fiber is the choice to make. If you want a very vivid colorful rug, then the best choice is an acrylic yarn. There are also yarn blends that give you even a wider choice of colors, styles and prices.

Area Rugs with Cottage Appeal

One thing you want to remember when shopping for your cottage area rug is your personal style. You may be timid about using a patterned rug for your cottage décor, but there are many floral and vine-designs that can liven up your cottage and give you just the touch you want.

  • Homefires: If you're seeking an authentic, hand-crafted cottage rugs, then you need to check out the line created by Homefires. The company uses the same techniques that have been used for centuries. The majority of the rugs are made from wool, but if you spend some time shopping, you can find a few rugs made out of cotton or acrylic. While the website is strictly for designers and other trade customers, you can purchase Homefires rugs on various websites and designer stores.
  • Wayfair: This website offers cottage and country style area rugs in a variety of colors and patterns. You'll find braided rugs in oval and circular shapes as well as rectangular rugs in beautiful patterns to suit the rest of your decor. One or two-day shipping is available.

Other shopping options:

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Cottage Area Rugs: Style Guide to Choose Wisely