White Washed Wood – The Cottage Craze

Recently, Cottagecore design truly came into its own as a style of warmth and comfort that makes you feel as though you've escaped to a pleasant cottage somewhere in the woods. While Cottagecore's initial emergence may have been a reaction to more people staying at home, people have started venturing outside again, and the Cottagecore craze is here to stay. Now, whether you've literally escaped to a cottage in the woods or you simply want to create a more relaxed aesthetic in your living space, we can assure you that the key to achieving the ultimate Cottagecore aesthetic is whitewashed wood furniture. It's elegant yet rustic. It's both simple and textured. And, above all else, it adds light and comfort to your space. 

But before we get into styling your space with whitewashed furniture, let's dive into what encompasses a true Cottagecore interior.

Cottagecore is an interior design aesthetic all about comfort, simplicity, natural elements, and hominess. The aesthetic started as a movement to incorporate more nature and ease into our lives in a world immersed in technology. It's designed to help us bring a sense of peace and pleasantness back into our day-to-day living activities. Most homes featuring this look include furniture with lighter colors to make the home look and feel more spacious, like this bedroom featuring the Surfside Panel Bed from Universal Escape's Coastal Living Home Collection.

These types of homes also utilize vintage and antique-looking furniture in order to create that sense of familiarity and home, even if the space is brand new. This aesthetic also integrates outdoor elements into the interior space, such as flowers, plants, seashells, and branches. Experts advise using objects and furniture pieces made from wood in order to further incorporate nature into the space.

Wood is an important ingredient for achieving this look. You might wonder, though, "why does it need to be whitewashed?" The answer is pretty simple. Whitewashed wood furniture has a unique texture that makes a space feel as though it's already been lived in for a long time, which can make people feel more at home. Additionally, any piece of white furniture will make a room look and feel more spacious and uplifting because of the lighter colors. Finally, the rough texture of wood brings the outdoors indoors and allows you to feel as though you're in nature without even stepping outside.

It might seem odd that furniture that looks seasoned is trendy, but when it comes to Cottagecore, it's all about texture! Whitewashed wood provides this distressed and lived-in look to furniture that actually makes it look more like vintage and/or antique pieces passed down through generations, making a house feel more like a family home. This Lexington Oyster Bay Oakdale Buffet with Dining and Silverware Storage has both a distressed exterior and smooth antique-looking edges that make the space look more classic and refined, yet relaxed.

A whitewashed wood piece easily brings more light into any space because it has a light color. However, we know that a space with too much light or white furniture can look almost like a museum, and we want the room to feel comforting. When we combine the color white with the dark color and rustic texture of wood, it's a happy medium! Look at how this Coast2Coast Home St. Claire Two Drawer Lift Top Cocktail Table brings lightness into a space with darker walls and furniture.

It's large enough to balance out the darker elements while also adding class and comfort. If you have a tea set and plants on top, as shown here, it'll be perfect for entertaining and making your guests feel welcome!

In an ideal Cottagecore design scheme, it's crucial to bring the great outdoors into your living space. The whitewashed wood incorporates those natural elements and also serves as a good juxtaposition for technology that might be placed on the furniture piece. This Lexington Oyster Bay King's Point Media Console has a beautiful rustic texture with the washed wood and indented lines on its doors that perfectly balance out the large TV placed on top. You can watch your favorite Netflix series and still feel a sense of nature in the space!

A Cottagecore aesthetic is definitely achievable with the right furniture pieces — just be sure to select pieces featuring whitewashed wood, incorporate some plants and flowers to dress up the pieces, and include pieces that have variety in texture. Now that you have the tools to create a relaxing Cottagecore feel, visit the Baer's Furniture site to view various pieces with whitewashed wood. Shop Baer's today!