Cottage Fabrics

Cottage fabrics are truly the decorator's key to tying everything together in a cottage style home. Coordinating or matching home decorating fabrics are often used throughout the home to provide color and soft lines in contrast to the white wood, wicker, or wrought iron furniture pieces.

If you've never considered yourself to be all that talented when it comes to coordinating fabrics, then you'll love cottage style fabrics. That's not to say that anything goes, but if you stay within the same color families, the look will be pulled together and truly cottage style.

Cottage fabrics used in your home can include everything from bold or muted floral patterns, stripes, toile, chenille, and plaid patterns. Typically the colors used are those found in a garden or outdoor setting such as pink, green, pale blue, yellow, and white.

Vintage fabrics can be found at thrift stores, flea markets, estate sales, and even garage sales.

These unique fabrics are ideal for tablecloths, table runners, throw pillows, tea towels, or placing inside glass cabinets. Pieces that are damaged or stained can be cut and sewn into brand new items.

A vintage tablecloth for example could be sewn into individual napkins, a table runner, placemats, kitchen towels, or even incorporated into a quilt.

Antique quilts can be used to decorate throughout a cottage home. Bedrooms seem the obvious room in which to use quilts. However, with authentically antique quilts, it's best to only use them occasionally or to lovingly display them in a room.

• Fold them and stack them on a bookshelf.
• A farmhouse bench with storage (leave the lid open) looks fantastic when filled with folded quilts and perhaps one unfolded quilt spilling over the side.
• Quilts can also serve as wall hangings, adorning a loft area, or rolled up in baskets or trunks for family and friends to use when they visit.
• Cottage quilts (that aren't antiques) can be used as a tablecloth or over a bedside table.

More Cottage Style Fabric Ideas

• Using chintz fabric, upholster a favorite ottoman or chair, make drapes or shades, re-cover a headboard, or even decorate a valance box
• Chenille and vintage barkcloth are fabulous home decorator fabrics for creating unique throw pillows or lap quilts.
• Slipcovers are a great way to spruce up weathered furniture and give it a cottage look in minutes
• Vintage linens make great shelf or drawer liners, not to mention beautiful "curtains" inside glass cabinet doors
• Overlay lace fabric and vintage linens on a table
• Create a one-of-a-kind quilt with fabric pieces from damaged or stained antique linens
• Sheer, airy fabrics are ideal for cottage style window fashions
• Details on any home decorating fabric project could include vintage buttons, striped cording, or fringe
• Cover a lampshade with cottage fabric and add a few prisms around the bottom of the shade
• Eyelet fabrics immediately bring the cottage look into the bedroom when used for pillow shams, pillowcases, or window valences

Mix and match your patterns and colors and enjoy the unique cottage style look it creates. You'll be pleasantly surprised to see that large floral prints and bold stripes look amazing together. Go have fun with cottage fabrics!

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