How Cottagecore conquered social media
Beautiful courtyards full of greenery, picnics in lush meadows, neat houses decorated with bouquets of wildflowers, girls in ethereal dresses walking in the woods or arranging tables in the open … Social networks overflow with sunny idyllic photos and this longing for the countryside solitude and the aesthetics of the summer villa quickly found its name – Cottagecore. It is becoming a strong internet trend that has conquered the world, which interior designers explain with the need for small pleasures.
The longing for simple pleasures
Our need for intimate spaces to enjoy “time for ourselves” is growing and the design is adapting to this need, where the main goal is the affordable well-being. We need a stronger sense of place and a belonging to it, a deeper contact with nature. The obsession over small pleasures such as breakfast on the grass in front of a wooden house with hearts on the roofs will not pass even in the autumn.
Cottagecore is a visual trend based on a romantic view of rural life with all its colorful rugs, homemade lemonades and pastries, hand-sewn patchwork blankets, clay jugs, flower beds and unity with nature.
The philosophy behind this aesthetic
The idea of luxury living in a five-star hotel gave way to make room for a mania for comfort, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, tranquility amidst natural beauty and ecological lifestyle, enjoyment of small things.
Cottagecore got its name in 2018 as an aesthetic for young people, but it would hardly have become such a powerful trend today if it were not for the long epidemic and quarantine.
The charm of rural life shines through a hashtag on Tik-Tok and Instagram, as if it were a discovery of modern people. Even Marie Antoinette and her court ladies disguised themselves as milkmaids to run free outside the castle and to be away from the etiquette of palace life.
The difference between modern Cottagecore and past centuries is that now the implications are visual rather than real. A pastoral photograph of an ivy-covered country yard, a video of centuries-old cobblestones and a freshly baked cake are like a short dream in which we forget about information technology and the hustle of the city life – they have nothing to do with what surrounds us.
But the trend is unique in a way that it recreates an idealized version of life in the countryside. The shots with rose bushes do not mention the difficulties, labor and efforts of the people in the village to enjoy their beautiful gardens. The idea of urban people for rustic romance is a delightful beauty, peaceful nature, a sense of liberty and free spirit. Cottagecore followers promoting country stylistics are growing in response to the challenges of modernity. The emergence of this trend seems inevitable after widespread concerns about the earth’s environmental problems, fatigue from urban life and coronavirus stress.
The rural idyll transformed into modern life
We find an atmosphere like in Jane Austen’s novels more and more often in various aspects of modernity:
Boho outfits
Long dresses with floral elements and lace abound in designer fashion collections.
Interior Design
Rustic elements occupy the interiors. Even in small apartments with claims to modernity, we find antique furniture and hand-carved beams on suspended ceilings, flooring and cladding of rough stones, wicker baskets and “natural” moss as ornaments borrowed from rural homes.
Handmade items
Handmade ceramics, hand-woven carpets, knitting and all kinds of items created by rural grandmothers are becoming more and more relevant, so we will come across more and more videos dedicated to how to make homemade bread, how to paint a vase with natural dyes, etc.
All kinds of flowers
Wreaths of dried flowers, flowers in pots, in the hair, pillows with aromatic herbs, herbal teas – the flora in all its variations stands out on the Internet as the embodiment of natural beauty.
Folk ornaments
In the rural landscape, which surrounds us in the city, additional emphasis is given to embroideries and handicrafts with folklore ornaments.