Turning your mobile home into a country cottage is a task that calls for hard work and invested time. And it calls for a little know-how, too. Just how are you going to go about creating a refreshing space that deserves the name “country cottage?” Knowing how to achieve the look you want is, of course, an important step on your mobile home renovation road. So today we’re delving into the style so you can recreate it in your own home.
The beautiful variety among country cottages means you have plenty of room to take the style in your own personal direction. Still, even as you place your unique stamp on the look, here are some principles to guide your designing and decorating journey.
Establish a neutral backdrop
Begin by bringing in neutral wall colors. And light ones at that. It’s almost as though you’re creating a canvas on which to work. Light, neutral colors get you off to a good start for creating a fresh environment. Check out the calm neutrals in this French home’s living and dining rooms to see what we mean.
Love light wood
Wood is a powerful thing in a home. Use it to lend authenticity and even warmth to your area. In your country cottage style, incorporate wood in various places around the home. Naturally, you might consider the floor, first. A lovely, light-colored wood floor could be your next step if your mobile home needs a new floor anyway. Check out Installing Hardwood Floors in a Mobile Home.
But your work with wood certainly doesn’t need to end at the floor. Actually, the ceiling can even use the treatment—let exposed beams add country cottage charm.
Naturally, wood furniture also makes a lot of sense, from bedroom side tables to living room end tables to kitchen islands to bed frames. While plenty of light finishes will help you keep the light & bright country cottage style going, don’t be afraid to embrace other wood finishes, too.
Mix & match
This is the real glory and ease of country cottage style. It can be a smattering of differences all pulled together in an easygoing way. Antiques can coexist with modern items. Even differently-patterned textiles can be blended. And instead of limiting yourself to a minimalism that calls for selecting only a few key items, country cottage decor can free you up to be a little more liberal.
Feel free to ditch your rigorous 10-step process for determining if a charming new piece is allowed in your home. If you love it, let it join the family!
Lean into beams
As we mentioned above, exposed beams are a great way to go. And if you thought that that look was off-limits for a mobile home, prepare to be surprised. Check out how you can create this look for your mobile home ceiling with Mobile Home Repair’s Adding Wood Beams to Your Home On a Budget.
Paint things light
Don’t take our encouragement toward light wood to mean that you have to stick with organic furniture finishes. Actually, paint can be a perfect option, too. If you’ve found a delightful piece of furniture that would augment your country cottage style, consider it part of the family even if it does need a new coat of paint. And don’t be shy about antiquing it either.
Flea markets, online auction sites, or antique stores might reveal pieces whose shape and size you love, but whose finish just doesn’t cut it. In that case, transform it. Gather some inspiration from How to Paint Furniture: A Beginner’s Guide. Or take a look at How to Paint, Distress and Antique a Piece Of Furniture.
Even ceiling beams can gratefully accept a coat of white paint. So those wood beam options we just told you about don’t have to keep their wood finishes.
Incorporate color thoughtfully
With all this talk about white and light, we don’t want you to think color is off the table for your mobile home that’s soon to be a country cottage. Deploying color thoughtfully alongside your neutral and natural look can have a beautiful effect. For instance, the green in this country cottage is a striking thing to behold. But notice all the other light and neutral colors, too. This very beautiful cottage also demonstrates the power of colors, neutral, and wood all working together.
Work with white
White is your friend in creating a country cottage that feels like living in a breath of fresh air. It’s definitely neutral, which frees you up to adopt color in other areas. If you’re afraid that white furniture will show all sorts of dirt and grime, naturally you might be hesitant. After all, who wants to create a beautiful space then spend a bunch of time cleaning (or trying meticulously to prevent the dirt from intruding in the first place)?
Find ways to make white doable for your home. Selecting paints that will wash easily might be one way. Finding a good washable (and bleachable) white slipcover for your couch is yet another option. And if you’re going to be placing rugs that are a little too large to wash conveniently, think about finding a neutral color that will be better at hiding dirt than snow-white would be.
Cultivate collected eclecticism
Remember how we said you could mix and match with this design style? Well, it’s easy to envision how mixing and matching could go south. So we understand if you’re wary of the idea. Eclecticism can seem like a negative design strategy—and it can be if it devolves into distracting clutter.
But eclecticism itself can add warmth and uniqueness to a home, making a space full of history and character. Plus, it could put your stamp on the place.
One way you can try to preserve the relaxing airiness of a country cottage while still embracing eclecticism is to evaluate each proposed piece on how it will fit into your overall picture. When bringing in a new pillow, ask yourself if this will blend in with your neutral items or will it stand out on its own. It’s not that some items can’t stand out a bit in the room. But if you’re shooting for your overall look to be light, gentle, and neutral, then don’t let too many “stand out” items take over by accident.
In short, gently corral your eclecticism. Don’t let it run away with you. Having most of your items pull together for an overall look of whites and neutrals could lend almost a theme to your eclecticism. While each item will have its own history and charm to add, try to create an overall picture that’s cohesive enough not to be overwhelming.
Don’t be afraid to add and layer
While some design styles embrace a less is more mentality, the country cottage theme could actually lean into adding items. Whether it’s another perfect piece for your dresser top or a second, third, fourth, or fifth pillow for your master bed, let your new item add its own charm to the scene.
Continually use cut flowers and living plants
Imagine that your cottage is set in an idyllic country garden. You’d have roses, hydrangeas, and shrubs right outside the door. And the scene would be perfect for early morning cups of tea or late afternoon parties in the porch & garden. With an abundance of flowers nearby, you could easily fill a clean white pitcher or an antique milk jar with blooms.
Whether you truly do have a flourishing garden just outside the window or not, tap into the freshness of blooms and greenery by bringing them into your country cottage. No matter if you have to supplement from your local florist or grocery store. Use cut plants and living ones to simultaneously add life and peacefulness to any room.
Gather what you love
A country cottage home is a perfect backdrop for you to keep, display, and use the things you love. Your penchant for antique China plates could find a home here. So could your abiding interest in baskets of all kinds. Even a special fascination for a particular kind of animal or plant could star in your decor.
Country cottage for the outside, too
While your mobile home may not have a stone exterior, there’s no reason you can’t recreate some country cottage elements outside the mobile home, too.
Garden
Begin by envisioning your ideal country cottage and the road you take you to approach it. Is a winding dirt path leading to a charming cottage in the English countryside? Or is it a small New England cottage strategically placed near a lighthouse on the coast?
Maybe you’re drawing from your own imagination or from realities you’ve experienced in your travels. Some images might be drawn from books you’ve read or movies you’ve watched where country cottages played a part.
Whatever you’re envisioning, use that as your springboard to create the outside of your mobile home in the likeness of a country cottage. Naturally, a mobile home isn’t an actual country cottage (and you probably don’t need us to tell you that). Thus, you’ll want to identify elements of country cottages that are repeatable in the structure and surroundings of the home you do have. Then, use them to evoke the overall image of a country cottage.
The surroundings
Flowers, trees, shrubs, and other plants will surely add warmth and life to your home’s surroundings. Why not begin with a note of the classic (and a whiff of one of the plant kingdom’s most iconic scents)—the rosebush. Check out these Step By Step Instructions To Plant A Rose Bush.
Bring in a fence for rustic charm. Peruse 12 Charming Picket Fence Ideas to get you thinking. A slat fence with upright wood slats in a rough finish is another option. And don’t think your fence has to be tall, either. Short fencing can provide some visual tidiness and classic appeal without rising so high that it obstructs the view.
A stone wall could also add tremendous country cottage feel—reminiscent of the English countryside. If you can get a creeping vine or moss growing on and around it, even better.
Cap things off with a wrought iron gate. And certainly don’t forget a stone pathway for extra country charm. If you need more ideas to spread the country cottage look beyond your mobile home’s four walls, try 7 Secrets to Creating a Country Cottage Garden.
The structure
Try revamping your mobile home’s exterior, too. If your home’s siding is hopelessly modern-looking, thanks to its color, try repainting in a more neutral hue. Also, consider vines and creepers—perhaps you can train them to climb on or near the home itself. Switching out your windows is also a possibility. Try cottage windows to help you create the country cottage feel.
Follow another style path
Country cottage style could be personalized by other design flairs, too.
Retro to Victorian
A retro country cottage kitchen might build its design around a retro stove. Or perhaps it would give a gentle not to retro style with a checkerboard tile floor pattern—in a neutral color. Victorian style is also on the table—see this Victorian Country Cottage in Surrey.
Minimalism
While maximalism could be a part of your country cottage strategy, minimalism isn’t taboo either. It depends on what appeals to you. See this lovely Atlanta home’s fresh blend of items and openness. Their use of light and dark together also demonstrates that you aren’t obligated to keep your country cottage all on the light side.
Modernity and the country cottage
Just like blending dark and light isn’t off the table, neither is embracing a modern look alongside your country cottage aesthetic. See how this British home’s rustic exterior preps you for a completely classic interior. Yet, you’ll be surprised, because the home’s kitchen is a masterful blend of old and new.
Mobile home all the way
What about a ready-to-go country cottage with modern flair? Turns out Clayton Homes actually has a manufactured home to fit that bill. Check out their Country Cottage model.
Ready for the new
A country cottage will make for a wonderful place for you and your family to create happy memories. If you’ll be renovating before you move into your used mobile home, get a handle on things with 7 Things You Need To Do Before Moving Into A Mobile Home Fixer Upper. And when the big day finally arrives, get ready for it with How To Get Settled In Your New Mobile Home In Just One Weekend.
About EZ Homes Design Team
