The Moment I Fell In Love With the Cottagecore Aesthetic

Discover how I fell in love with the cottagecore aesthetic. A cozy, nature-inspired lifestyle that changed the way I create, decorate, and find peace in everyday life. For me, cottagecore wasn’t just about things like dried flowers, sewing, or lace curtains; it was about rediscovering warmth in simplicity. It’s a reminder that joy doesn’t have to be loud or fast. Sometimes it lives in the flicker of a candle flame, the quiet hum of a kettle on the stovetop, the soft rustle of the leaves as a breeze rushes past, or the golden light from the sun outside that spills across your home. What started as an aesthetic became something deeper. It became a way of reconnecting with the slower, softer parts of myself that I didn’t realize I’d been missing. The parts that I didn’t realize I needed the most.

A Heart That Fluttered Toward Simplicity

If you’ve ever stumbled across something that just felt like home, nota physical place, but rather a feeling, that’s what cottagecore was for me.

It started simply enough. I wasn’t wandering through a forest or baking a loaf of bread from scratch (not yet, anyway). I was scrolling online like I always did, just shopping around for some clothes that I would put in my wishlist and never actually purchase. But I came across these beautiful, flowy, floral dresses. They were simple and in such pretty colors. I wanted a pastel goth aesthetic at the time but it just didn’t suit me very well, so when I saw these pale greens and yellows with the simplest flower designs on them, I fell in love. They felt like they belonged in another world, one where the air smells like wildflowers and morning dew and the days move a little bit slower.

That small discovery sparked something in me. Around the same time, I found lo-fi music. Those calm, looping beats that feel like cozy, rainy afternoons in sound form. Between the dresses andthe music, I started searching for more, chasing that cozy, peaceful feeling. That’s when I discovered cottagecore.

A Slow Bloom into the Cottagecore Lifestyle

What drew me in wasn’t just the visuals, though, honestly, the visuals were enchanting. It was the idea behind it. Cottagecore isn’t about living in the middle of nowhere or giving up on modern life entirely. It’s more about finding peace in simplicity. Slowing down enough to notice the small things like the sound of the birds chirping in the morning, the smell of something baking at home in your own oven, or the way sunlight filters through the window letting the light dance around your home.

It reminded me that it’s okay to pause. That not everything has to be optimized, productive or efficient. Sometimes the most meaningful moments are the quiet ones that we often forget about.

Over time, it changed how I looked at the world. My decorating style shifted. For example, instead of wanting everything gothic and dark and Halloween themed all year round, I started becoming more interested in textures like natural looking wooden shelves. I began spending more time outside. I even picked up gardening (thankfully I’m decent at it), learning to appreciate the calm rhythm of nature. It wasn’t a dramatic change. It didn’t just happen instantly either. It was more like slow, gentle nudges toward something that had always been waiting for me.

The Heart Behind Doki Doki Hollow

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to create things. I’ve always wanted to build a little world people could step into and feel something special. When the opportunity finally came to start a business, I knew I wanted my niche to focus on cottage core. Things that were simplistic yet cute, things that were practical. Things that could be calming to the soul.

I’d already been running a blog called Doki Doki Otaku that focuses on reviews of video games, anime, graphic novels and books so when it came time to name this new adventure, I wanted to keep in the same theme. Doki Doki is the sound of a heart fluttering, so it only felt right to include it in the business name as well. Adding Doki Doki to the word Hollow gave my business a name that meant something magical. Stepping into a cozy little place in the woods could set someone’s heart aflutter. It was perfect.

Doki Doki Hollow became a name that captures exactly what I want this space to be: a small, gentle corner of the world where cozy aesthetics and creativity make you feel comfortable but make your heart happy too.

A Scene That Still Lives In My Mind

When I think of cottagecore, I imagine a moss-covered cottage that’s tucked deep in the forest. It’s surrounded by so much greenery and wildflowers. There’s also a crystal clear stream that runs beside it, it’s water bubbling softly over the stones. I can hear birds chirping in the distance. I can smell a freshly baked pie cooling inside. (Sorry little woodland creatures, this pie is mine)

It’s not just a fantasy that I’d love to escape to on some days but it’s also a feeling I try to bring into my everyday life. It’s in so many things like the way I arrange a shelf or choose colors for my art projects. It’s stopping to enjoy the rain instead of trying to run away from it.

Cottagecore reminds me that even in a busy, modern world, there is still room for softness and for a little bit of magic to be spun and woven into the ordinary.

Finding Peace in the Hollow

Looking back, the first encounters with those dresses and the lo-fi music seems so small, but it changed everything about how I see the world and how I create things to share with the world.

Doki Doki Hollow was born from that moment, from the simple joy of realizing that coziness, creativity and nature could all live together in one all encompassing aesthetic. As I keep creating, I hope this space helps others find their own little cottage in the woods to mentally go to. Even if it’s just from a space created in the corner of their room with a cup of something warm to drink in hand, surrounded by things that make their heart flutter.

Thank you so much for reading about how I found cottagecore and how it affected me, good luck with your journey and remember, show the world your magic and whimsy and be the you that you really want to be.