How to Bring Cottagecore Into Your Daily Routine

You don’t need to live in the countryside or in an actual cottage to enjoy the romanticism of cottagecore. In fact, you can weave it into your daily life no matter where you are. From a small town home to an apartment in a bustling city, you can insert daily rituals to make you feel like you can still be living the cottagecore dream. Cottagecore is less about where you live and more about how you live: slowing down, finding joy in small rituals, and reconnecting with nature and simplicity. In this post I will go over some easy, everyday ways to bring that cozy, rustic charm into your routine so let’s get started!

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Morning Rituals:

The morning is the start of everything. You’ve slept through the night and now it’s a brand new day. All the weight of yesterday has shed itself off and was left in the past. So after you’ve rubbed the sleep from your eyes and had a good stretch, the first thing you should do is head to your kitchen and put on a nice pot of something warm be it coffee, tea, or even hot cocoa. When it’s done, take a moment to pour it in your favorite mug, hold it close, and enjoy the aroma and enjoy the warmth of it.

If it’s a nice day, or even a bit rainy, open your windows to let in some fresh air. If not, that’s okay, just let in some natural light, even if it’s cloudy. It will help ground your senses and help to honor the start of the day.

While you’re sipping your warm drink, take a moment to sit down and consider writing down a few sentences about what you’re grateful for or what you hope the day will hold. If you can’t or don’t want to write them down, you can also just meditate on them. It’s all about intention setting and will help anchor you to the moment.

If you keep any plants at all make sure you spend a few moments checking on them, watering them or pruning them. Even just being in their presence can be so grounding and rewarding.

Workday & Productive Hours:

Create a cozy workspace for yourself. There are all sorts of ways to do this. Use natural materials like wood and linen, consider having dried plants around in some form. You could put them in jars or you could hang them around your workspace. Another good thing to have in your workspace is just soft, nature inspired things that can help you remember the peaceful things in life if you get stressed out from work. You can check out some of my ideas for this in my cottagecore office space post and in my small artist on threads finds post.

Another really helpful thing for a productive workspace is to play something peaceful. You could play some soft ambient music, some nature sounds or even just some lo-fi that really helps you feel at peace. This is my current favorite playlist to use while I work.

The next step is to make sure you’re taking small breaks. Every hour or so, step away for just a few short minutes. Breathe in, stretch, look outside and even make another warm drink if you’re feeling up to it. This will help you to reground yourself when work gets to be a bit too chaotic and starts to pull you away from your peaceful place.

One thing I find super helpful is to always keep a notebook or some sticky notes next to me. When I have a few moments it lets me write down a quick fleeting thought, take a quick sketch break or even just ground myself by watching the pencil or pen create something on the paper.

I designed this one and it’s one of my favorites.

Something else that’s really important to my setup is having things that are fun to touch and also having comfortable things. Notebooks that are soft are one of my favorites. Even if I’m working I can just reach out and touch it to help me refocus. My biggest must is having a nice warm blanket. The time of year doesn’t matter for me. If I’m not covered up with it, then it’s on the back of my chair. There’s just something special about a nice fuzzy blanket being within reach.

It’s very important to have things you enjoy looking at or touching within your workspace. Every job can get stressful at times and having tools to help bring you back into focus is very important, it doesn’t matter if its sounds, something to touch, or even a really nice smelling candle. Each person has their important things and sometimes we tend to lose sight of that. So don’t forget to surround yourself with things that ground and calm you.
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Homemaking & Domestic Moments:

If you have the kitchen and the space, one thing you can do to really help you live that cottagecore life are things like baking, cooking from scratch, or preserving. The simplest things like bread or granola align beautifully with cottagecore values. If you don’t have the space or even the time though, that’s okay. Just take a break when you have a chance and go visit a bakery that has fresh items. And remember, you don’t have to do EVERY cottagecore thing to BE cottagecore. Some people just can’t do kitchen work for many reasons and that is okay! You can check out my cottage core kitchen tools post to see if any of these items align with your dream cottagecore kitchen.

Another great way to help with this step is to bring in seasonal plants. Wildflowers, leaves that you collect on walks to press, your own plants, or even if that’s not possible for you due to allergies or pets, decorate with fake plants! The idea is still there and they’re not as fragile either! Go ahead, decorate that wall with false vines if that’s what makes you feel safe, calm and grounded.

When you’re cleaning your home, open your curtains and let in natural light. Also put on some soft music or nature sounds to make tidying up seem like much less of a chore. While cleaning up, try to use natural cleaners like vinegar, citrus, baking soda, rosemary and lavender. These will not only help prevent harsh chemicals from entering your home but they will help things smell amazing and smell clean as well.

Consider putting herbal sprays or sachets in with your linens. It can be calming but also is a natural way to help everything smell extra amazing.

Let your tools be part of your decor. Woven baskets if you can afford them help give a cozy vibe to your home. Glass jars, brooms with wooden handles and anything that gives a much more natural and rustic vibe will help your home feel more cozy and cottagecore.

Crafts and Handiwork are another great way to pull yourself into that cottagecore vibe. The best thing about it is that cottagecore celebrates the joy of making, not the perfection. So if your stitches are crooked or your paintbrush strokes are shaky, no one even needs to know. It’s all part of the charm.

Try some crafts like making candles (I use teacups to make mine in and they’re adorable!), pressed flower art, knitting, crochet or even simple embroidery if you’re skilled in needle work. When you make your creations you can then decorate with them. Make some garlands to hang, put up some hand-painted jars or even decorate with some dried flower arrangements. And if those work out well for you, you could even consider selling them locally at vendor shows or farmers markets!

Let your crafting follow the seasons. In spring utilize flowers, in summer grow and use herbs, in autumn use those beautiful leaves and finally in winter, get cozy and warm and make some cozy candles! Keep a small basket of craft materials ready for any spontaneous inspiration you may have! Also be sure to check your local thrift stores for craft supplies. There’s one near me and every time I go I always get carried away with all sorts of things. Teacups for candles, holiday items to make decor with, cozy art, yarn, fabric and so much more. If you’re looking for some cottagecore DIY ideas for crafting, pinterest is always a great place to look!

Creating Atmosphere & Scent

 

A cozy home is as much about how it feels and smells as how it looks. There’s no denying how much more comfortable you can feel when you walk into a home where the smell of freshly baked cookies or bread lingers in the air. However, the nice thing about this is that you can still achieve a wonderful smelling home without going out of your way to bake something.

One of these options is a simmer pot! There are many combinations of ingredients you can use in a simmer pot to make your home smell amazing and cozy. Items like cinnamon, orange, and clove are common but I’ve seen recipes with vanilla, apple, pears, rosemary and so much more. It’s just all about getting the right combination for smells that you’re going for. And of course there are many seasonal combinations as well! The goal here is natural home fragrances that are pleasing and calming to the senses.

Another way to achieve a cozy and comforting smell and ambiance is to light some scented candles. You’ll get a nice aroma as well as a beautiful, gentle glow.

For visual warmth and tactile comfort, going back to having things around your home that are of nature or homemade are a perfect way to get this result. Some things you could display besides just your handmade items are some dried flowers, shelves with cute trinkets that just make you feel happy, or even some crystals or rocks that bring you peace of mind. Just keep that cottagecore decor idea in mind.

The Art of Slowing Down

 

At it’s heart, homemaking in the cottagecore sense is about rhythm and not rules. It’s simple things like lighting a candle before meals or before working as a moment of mindfulness. Or listening to the sounds around you that come naturally: birds chirping and singing, the pitter patter of raindrops, a cat purring, or just the hum of life.

Let your space reflect the seasons if that helps you, switch linens and add seasonal decor. Or pick a season that resonates with you most and focus on that. I really enjoy the cozy vibes of fall decor and most of my decor tends to be that way year round and that’s okay too! It’s all about what feels cozy and reflects nature in some way to you.

Treat care as a daily gentle cottagecore ritual, not a burden. Make the time to take it all in, even if it’s only for a few minutes. A little bit of calm and reflection each and every day will slowly help you start to feel better and more relaxed over time. It doesn’t happen overnight, remember that. But a short reflection every day goes a long way.

Evening & Wind Down

 

When the day slows down and starts to come to an end, embrace the calm and comfort as you start your cozy evening routine. If you have the ability, dim your lights and switch them to warm, soft glows. fairy lights and lanterns are perfect for creating this ambiance. Candles are another good option for this. I personally find candles super relaxing especially when they have a wonderful smell that I enjoy, typically somethin sweet.

Sit down in the light you’ve just created and opt to read a few pages of a good book you have in your tbr (I know you have one) pile instead of scrolling your phone. Make sure you’re sat down with something warm to drink while you do this. It could be tea, cocoa, cider, just so long as it makes you feel good and relaxed.

After you’ve read and relaxed for a bit, reflect on something that made you smile today. You can meditate on it or you could even journal about it. For me, personally, writing things down makes them so much more amplified. If I just think about it, my AuDHD brain tends to wander but if I can sit down and focus on writing it down, I’m forced to really think about it and reflect. That makes it resonate so much deeper within me.

Weekly & Seasonal Rhythms

 

Visit a farmers market or a local park for fresh air and inspiration if it’s the right season for it. There’s always something comforting about walking through a farmers market and seeing all of the wonderful things that people have grown and made all with their hard work and their hands.

You can also tend to houseplants all year round if you have them. Keeping plants indoors is a great way to stay in touch with nature even when it’s bitter cold and nothing is growing outside. I love being able to walk into a room and see the greenery in my home. It reminds me that even though I’m cold and miserable in the snow, that spring will come and the outside will bloom again.

Another weekly slow living habit that’s great to have is to plan one small creative project each week. It could be baking bread or cookies on the weekend, taking an evening to journal some deep thoughts or even crafting something. It’s really important to keep these simple creative hobbies in mind. Not only are they peaceful but they can also help bring you a sense of accomplishment if you need it. Not to mention, whatever you create could always be turned around and sold locally to recoup your cost or even be be given as a gift to someone who really needs a pick me up!

Cottagecore isn’t about retreating from the modern world, it’s really about rediscovering the magic within it. It’s the art of turning chores into rituals, of choosing to see the beauty in the small things, of finding peace in rhythm.

The biggest piece of advice I can give though, is to start small. Don’t go immediately buy yourself a cabin in the woods away from the world you currently live in. While that may work for some people, it may be too much of a shock for others. I recommend picking one new habit to work on, even something as simple as sitting down with a warm drink each night, even if you’re scrolling your phone while you sip. Or even a pressed flower that you can be proud of. Maybe even just lighting a candle with the intent to be calm and peaceful as the flame flickers.

With time, your days will begin to feel softer, your space will start to feel warmer and eventually your heart will also feel lighter as you learn to let the weight of the chaotic world burden you much less and you find peace in simple things.

Thank you so much for reading, good luck with your journey and remember, show the world your magic and whimsy and be the you that you really want to be.