When life gets too hectic, and the pressures of our high tech society have you wanting to run for cover, many of us long for the simplicity of country life.
While a cabin in the woods or an English cottage set in green pastures may be a highly romanticized version of what actually constitutes country living, the fantasy does provide a much desired escape from the reality of the everyday routine. Is it any wonder then that we are seeing “Cottagecore” living at the forefront of both decor and collecting for 2024?
According to the Urban Dictionary, Cottagecore is “an aesthetic and design style that encourages adopting a simpler and more bucolic lifestyle”.
Handcrafted furniture or pieces that can be up-cycled, handmade doilies, quilts and bed linens, gardening tools and garden decor and kitchen wares are at the top of the “must have” list and our local malls are reflecting this demand with an ever-growing number of spaces that look like you have stepped back to mid-century rural America.
For many years the debate has raged whether to paint or stain when revitalizing a piece of furniture. In 2024, however, the answer appears to be . . . neither. The current trend is unfinished/stripped furniture, allowing for vintage treasures and valued family heirlooms to coexist in harmony.
Cottagecore encourages us to be more self-sufficient, replacing screen time with homesteading practices like gardening, crafting and baking.
It has introduced many to the calming sense of satisfaction you receive from making homemade bread, cookies and pies. This increase in preparing foods at home has sent vintage dealers scurrying to fill their booths with mixing bowls, pie pans, cookie cutters and cooking jars, canning jars, rolling pins and kitschy little salt and pepper shakers.
You may think it a bit early to start thinking about your garden but the first day of spring (March 19) is about two months away. Time to start watching for concrete planters, birdbaths, iron fencing, watering cans, galvanized buckets and vintage spades and trowels.
If you long for a simpler time when women swapped recipes and sourdough starter, evenings were spent crocheting and, more often than not, the aroma of homemade soup simmering on the stove, then the Cottagecore way of life may well be for you.
Until next time . . . Linda
Linda Kennett is a professional liquidation consultant specializing in down-sizing for seniors and the liquidation of estates.
