Embrace Cottagecore: A Return to Simple Living

by Mom by Design
A rustic kitchen shelf displaying jars of pasta, sugar, and flour, alongside a coffee maker, a plant in a terracotta pot, and a wire basket with utensils. Below, a yellow cabinet holds books, bowls, glasses, and dishes, complemented by a patterned wallpaper.

I wouldn’t say I’m a “trendy” person. I’m not really a fan of the word. It makes me feel like whatever I’m liking at the moment will be gone soon and what a waste of time and money right?

While “Cottagecore” might be a trending hashtag on social media and considered a “style” nowadays, it’s the sentiment behind the trend that I’m really onboard with and have always been prone to. This idea of getting back to a simple, slow-paced lifestyle. Focusing on the home, a return to our roots, and an escape from modern technology. Doesn’t that sound amazing?

A vase of bright sunflowers on a wooden table in a cozy kitchen with a light-colored wallpaper and shelf in the background.

I really think the shift happened for me this past year when I watched the show “Back to the Frontier” on the Magnolia Network. I could write an entire blogpost about this show, and I probably will, but the general concept was these families trying to live out a summer “on the frontier” the way they would have in the 1880s. They learned all about homesteading, growing and preserving your own food, even churning your own butter. While definitely a harder life, you saw these family units coming together with no time (or access to) their screens or modern technology. The result was this beautiful connection and appreciation for each other, the coming together to work as a team in order to survive and thrive.

A family of four, including a boy and three women, gathering around a wooden table in a rustic kitchen, preparing food together with bowls and ingredients.
Back to the Frontier on HBO

Cottage Life and Homesteading

I’ve taken some of these concepts from the show and tried applying them to my 2026 lifestyle. I’ve learned to can and preserve food, which I actually used as my Christmas presents this year. I made baskets with homemade applesauce, jam, and cookies for a few close women in my life. I’m even getting a sewing machine for my birthday this year, so that learning process should be interesting.

A woman in a white sweatshirt prepares lemons on a wooden kitchen table, surrounded by a bowl of fruit and kitchen items.
Screenshot
A jar of cinnamon-flavored applesauce with a decorative label reading 'Applesauce' and a ribbon around it. The jar is set on a table with various background items.

Cottagecore Decor for my home

Decor wise, I just love the simple and nostalgic style that “Cottagecore” brings about. For these items, I think of anything that sparks a memory, happiness, and serves a purpose. I think of gingham, cafe curtains, and cute moments throughout the house. The cafe curtains are actually what I will be attempting to make with my new sewing machine (fingers crossed). This type of decor is popping up all over the place, but I grabbed all of these options from Target.

Collage of cottagecore decor items available from Target, featuring a green checkered chair, decorative vases, a wooden cabinet, and artwork.
All links to products found here
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How to Design a Comforting Space for Your Children

by Mom by Design

Not sure if any of you can relate to this, but my kids are BIG creatures of habit. Whenever I would bring up the idea of “moving” to them, I was met with hard passes left and right. They love their home and what they’re used to, especially since we’ve lived in the same house ever since we had our first baby and that’s all they’ve ever known. So when we had the opportunity to move “temporarily” but still rent our house with the promise of going back to it in 2-3 years, that seemed to be the only way I was ever going to get my girls to try something new.

A young child sitting on a pink bed, reading a book, with a white nightstand and lamp nearby in a well-lit bedroom. Colorful decoration is visible on the bunk bed above.

That being said, I never want my kids to feel unsafe or uncomfortable in their home- so I got right to work designing spaces they would love and immediately feel comfortable in when we moved to the new house. My two youngest ended up sharing a room in the new house, and even though they sometimes say they miss their old rooms where they got privacy, they’ve actually been doing amazingly well living together, and I think the change has even brought them closer together.

Inspiration

In planning out their room, I asked the girls’ input on what they wanted their new room to look like. This was the picture they both loved and agreed upon, so I took it and ran. I think the actual room turned out pretty darn close to the inspiration!

A cozy children's bedroom featuring a lofted bed with bright pillows and a colorful blanket, alongside a lower bed with a pink covering. A rug with colorful stripes lies on the wooden floor, and light curtains frame a window, adding warmth to the space.

Finished Product

A cozy children's bedroom featuring a white bed with pink bedding, a bedside table with a lamp, and a potted plant. A colorful garland is hung above the bed.

Sources

A stylish children's room layout featuring a bunk bed, light pink bedding, decorative pillows, storage dresser, and a dollhouse bookshelf. The design incorporates soft colors and cozy elements for a playful yet comfortable ambiance.

Logan quilt / Logan Sheets / Norah quilt / Norah Sheets / House throw pillow / Dresser / Checkered Throw Pillow / Doll house / Roman Shade / Bunk Beds / Paint Color

The Details

Most of the decor in this room was brought over from our other house so it feels familiar and comforting. We painted the walls “Proposal” by Benjamin Moore and it’s a very pretty, girly pink. All the bedrooms got new wall-to-wall carpeting with extra thick padding so it feels great to walk on, play on, and lay on. I didn’t want to add an area rug in here and risk damaging the new rug and rug pad so it’s just the carpeting for now.

The beds are the same ones they had at home, just in their “bunked” form so that felt familiar too. And all of our bedrooms got new white blackout roman shades from Home Depot that have been perfect.

A children's bedroom decor featuring a white dresser with six drawers, a decorative mirror, and a unicorn wall mount above a pink wall. A plant and framed photos are displayed on the dresser, along with decorative artwork that says 'Hello Beautiful' and 'Boo to You'. A cozy blanket is draped over a wooden ladder by the dresser.

Bedding

I have become a loyal shopper of Crate and Kids for all my kids bedding. In almost every kids space I have designed, I use Crate and Kids bedding. It’s great quality, holds up, and they always have the cutest designs in the softest materials. My youngest is in a big “cheetah” phase in her life. Everything she picks out is cheetah. You should see her wardrobe. So this adorable cheetah quilt was a no-brainer when picking out her bedding for the new house. She loves it and got right to work naming every cheetah on the blanket.

Close-up view of a colorful quilt featuring whimsical animal designs, including leopards, atop a neatly made bed with decorative pillows, against a soft pink wall.
A cozy child's bedroom corner featuring a white dresser, a mirror, a green side table with a dollhouse and books, a piggy bank, and a potted plant.

Kids rooms are definitely one of my FAVORITE rooms to design. I love thinking through how they will use the space and how to make it inspiring, creative, and whimsical. The girls are loving this room and play in here every day, even though they have a designated playroom in this house as well. It’s just comfortable, light and airy and has been just what they needed during this big transition of moving.

A young girl sitting on a bed in a bright and cozy bedroom, reading a book. The room features light pink bedding, a cozy throw, and decorative string lights above the bed. A bedside table with a lamp and a plant is visible next to her.
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Riley’s Room

by Mom by Design

Hey everybody!! It’s only been…..I don’t know- a year (???) since I wrote on here. I’m finally dusting off this old blog to show you some of the things we’ve been working on and some of the things I’ve been dreaming about. Today, I’m bringing you Riley’s room in our new house. We’ve been living here for 3 months now and I only just got around to photographing it last week.

Here’s a peek of the room before we moved in.

Riley’s Room Before

Before photograph of a room intended for a child's use, featuring green walls with some areas of unpainted drywall and a closet with no door.

This room was used as a nursery by the previous owners and is slightly smaller than Riley’s room at our other house. Having the girls love their spaces was incredibly important to me in moving to a new home. I always want them to feel safe and happy and inspired in their rooms. Riley also loves to “tinker” (build with Legos, draw, make things, paint, crochet, etc), so I knew she would really miss her old built-in desk from our other house. Getting her a new one was a top priority once we moved in.

Riley’s Room Sources

Collage featuring design elements for Riley's room with a beige upholstered bed, pink and white bedding, a wooden desk, a white chair, various pillows, a dresser, and a floor lamp, all set against a textured background.

Desk Chair / Upholstered Bed / Sheets / Roman Shade / Dresser (similar) / Wallpaper / Quilt (similar) / Floor Lamp / Desk

Riley’s Room After

A cozy bedroom with a bed, a small desk with a white chair, and a wall decorated with striped wallpaper and a colorful garland.

We painted her walls Farrow and Ball “Light Blue” and basically color-drenched the room except for the ceiling. The walls, trim, doors, and inside her closet are all that awesome blue/green color. To break up the color and create a focal point, we used this wallpaper on the wall with her headboard. We got her a new dresser (which I wouldn’t actually recommend- so I linked a similar one above), a new desk (I HIGHLY recommend this desk from Target- so sturdy, solid, and comes nearly fully assembled!) and that was about it. We are still deciding what to do for her closet doors- either a curtain or an accordion door of some sort- it’s just an odd width so it would need to be custom.

Cozy bedroom featuring a striped wall design with pastel colors, a bed with a quilt, and decorative pillows. A framed 'Flower Market' poster is above the bed, and a nightstand holds a lamp and colorful decor.
A cozy bedroom corner featuring a dresser, a bulletin board with holiday decor, and a small decorated Christmas tree, all set against soft green walls.

She is quite happy in here and spends a good deal of time working on her homework or her own little projects at that desk. She even decorated it all for Christmas with some garland and her little tree she’s had forever. It’s a great room for her and definitely a space a pre-teen girl can grow into and be proud of host friends.

A girl's room featuring a light wood desk with a white rolling chair, a colorful corkboard, and decorative wall art. The walls are painted in alternating stripes of beige and cream, and a bed with a light quilt is visible in the corner.
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The Ultimate Disney Staycation

by Mom by Design

(Note: This blog was posted a year after the actual event. We may not be in total quarantine anymore, but you can always plan a Disney staycation even if travel restrictions are lifted! Hope this is helpful to those who are looking for some Disney magic and inspiration to spruce up your summer!)

Okay, brace yourself. This is going to be a long one. This staycation was weeks of planning on my part and a good chunk of change, but compared to an actual Disney Vacation, it was a huge savings with lots of magic and tons of fun!

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