Redecorating your home, farm home, cottage, or chalet is one of the best ways to fall back in love with the space by providing the rooms that you know and love with some much needed TLC.
If you’re wondering how to brighten up your dark, old cottage, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, I will provide you with white decorating ideas to brighten up your old cottage and make it a much more light and inviting space.
Let’s get into it!
White Cottage Décor To Brighten Up Your Cottage
When it comes to decorating your home, there are a variety of different ways to brighten up your old cottage with white.
1. Paint Everything White
There’s nothing like a blank canvas to get your creative juices flowing. White on white is a trend that has been around for years and isn’t going anywhere any time soon.
As a paint shade, white is one of the best colors you can use to brighten up the place and make it feel bigger.
Walls that are painted with a light color are more reflective, making a space feel much more open and spacious. On the other hand, walls painted with dark colors can absorb light, which can make rooms feel smaller than they are.
However, if you’re set on mixing in some dark and light colors, take a 45 seconds to learn from a decorating professional, Kate Smith.
In a space such as a cottage that is typically smaller than a house, making the rooms feel light and airy is important. If you want to transform your old cottage, painting the walls, trim, and ceiling white is a great way to hide imperfections, and you would be surprised by how much a lick of paint can freshen up the place.
Related Article: 5 Charming Exterior Paint Colors
2. Replace Your Old Curtains
Nothing dates a home like old, musty curtains that you’ve had for years. A good way to make your cottage feel less old-fashioned is to replace your old curtains with fresh white ones.
It’s common to cover your windows during the winter with thick, heavy curtains to help keep out the cold.
However, this can also block out the little light that you get during the early hours of each day, which doesn’t do anything to help the atmosphere in your old cottage.
Whether you opt for linen or voile, muslin or cotton, white curtains can work wonders to brighten a room, with each fabric varying in how much light they allow into the room.
If you opt for a more transparent fabric to make your cottage feel less dark and dingy, such as white linen, you can always pair them with blinds to help keep out the cold during the colder seasons.
3. Invest In White Rugs
Whether your floors are wooden or carpeted, rugs are an excellent way to make a space feel more cozy and inviting, especially on those cold winter days at your cottage.
Adding rugs to your floors is a good way to bring different textures into your cottage. Rugs can make the space feel more warm and lived in, particularly if you have hardwood floors.
Rugs work to transform the feeling of the room, especially if you opt for a style of rug with tassels and fringing.
4. Buy White Blankets
There’s nothing quite like curling up under a soft, comforting blanket with a good book.
Adding white blankets to your home and draping them over your furniture is a lovely way to make your home feel cozy, especially when the night’s draw in earlier during the winter months.
Plus, they’re always handy to have around the place to make guests feel comfortable, no matter where they’re sitting in your cottage!
5. Use Lamps With White Lampshades
Everyone knows how important lighting is in your home, and having lamps around the place can work to make a room feel more warm and inviting.
If you already have a few old lamps that are in need of an upgrade, why not opt for a few statement lamps with white lampshades?
If your table lamp base makes a statement, you can let it shine with a simple yet effective white lamp shade to brighten a room.
6. Experiment With Textures And Patterns
Opting for a white on white theme to brighten your old cottage doesn’t mean you want everything to look the same in your home.
Experimenting with textures and patterns will add dimension to your cottage. From patterned cushions to different fabrics, let your creativity take over when you’re mapping out the overall look of your home.
A great way to add textures is to invest in some white wall hangings. Wall hangings come in a variety of different interesting fabrics, and will add another layer of texture to your white walls.
Adding a unique white wall hanging to your cottage can add a beachy, bohemian feel to your cottage that is contemporary.
7. Replace Or Reupholster Your Couch
Replacing your couch is another way to brighten up your old cottage. If you have a dark colored couch that you no longer resonate with, opting for a lighter, more contemporary couch can transform the living room.
From leather to fabric sofas, the different styles of couches are truly endless, and can be matched to your interior style down to a T.
If you don’t have the money to replace the entire couch, then reupholstering your couch is an excellent way of modernizing an old couch that is a significantly cheaper alternative.
8. Add White Plant Pots To Your Home
Adding flowers to your cottage is a great way to bring nature inside while adding a pop of color to the room.
Plants can work to brighten your cottage, while also breathing new life into spaces that need some serious TLC.
To accentuate the beauty of your indoor plants, why not opt for white plant pots? The chic and plain shade will work to enhance the color of pretty much any plant, and will also compliment other white accents you add to your home.
9. Replace Your Backsplash
The majority of older homes (and cottages) have older backsplashes that can make your kitchen look and feel dated.
Your backsplash might be damaged or chipped, and the color might have faded over the years, contributing to its shabby and old appearance.
Replacing your backsplash with new white tiles can give a refresh to your old cottage kitchen.
If this project is currently out of your budget, you can always paint over your old tiles with white paint.
10. Replace Old Door Knobs
Door knobs add a small but effective accent when you have painted the interior of your home white.
Replacing old door knobs with decorative door knobs is a great way to bring a pop of color to a room that you’ve whitewashed.
There are a variety of different options when it comes to choosing door knobs depending on the look that you’re going for. From ceramic, to glass, to stainless steel, to porcelain, the designs are endless.
In Summary
So, there you have it! Now you have a few white decorating ideas to brighten up your old cottage.
Once you’ve got the vision for your cottage and have planned how you want the space to look, you’ll be surprised how much just a few of these decorating ideas help to brighten the space.
Good luck and happy decorating!
Thank you for sharing your time with us at Today’s Cottage Living!
Disclosure: TodaysCottageLiving.com participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for publishers to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
- Top 100 Handyman Services List (2023) - March 17, 2023
- Pellet Stoves vs Propane Heating: Which is Best for Your Home in 2023? - March 10, 2023
- The Pros and Cons of Pellet vs Wood Stove: Which One Wins in 2023? - March 9, 2023
