Styling Tips for Country Sitting Rooms
Close your eyes and imagine a country sitting room… a sofa heaped with plump cushions, a bookcase brimming with well-loved novels, and a cosy fire crackling away in the background. Whether in a centuries-old cottage with low beams or a modern townhouse longing for rustic soul, these rooms are layered with character, warmth, and interest, inviting you to slow down and put your feet up at the end of a long day.
Here are some of our favourite country sitting room ideas to help you capture that comforting, layered look in your own home.
How to create the perfect country style sitting room
Embrace nature-inspired colour palettes
At the heart of any English country sitting room lies a deep-rooted connection with nature. Think gentle greens, soft blues, and earthy neutrals that echo the garden beyond the window. These tones create a sense of harmony and ease in your space, especially when used across key pieces such as curtains and armchair covers.
An upholstered armchair in our Woodland Walk Moss colourway, paired with a curtain in Down to Earth in Apple Green and Raspberry, is ideal for capturing both freshness and warmth. To keep things lovely, you could weave in accents of ochre, terracotta, or blush pink. These shades stop the colour scheme from feeling flat and instead create a lived-in, layered look. Finally, incorporate some natural textures such as rattan, wicker, and hessian rugs to add further depth and textural interest to the space.
Let art tell your story
A country cottage sitting room should always feel personal, and one of the simplest ways to achieve this is through art. The art you choose to display doesn’t need to be grand – in fact, the most charming country style sitting rooms often feature a blend of old sketches, family heirlooms, and charity shop finds.
A relaxed gallery wall, hung with interesting landscapes and prints, brings a wonderfully collected feel to your room. The trick is to connect your artwork with the colours of your fabrics, whether you choose to echo a splash of blue from a seascape into a cushion, or mirror the green of a painted meadow in your curtains. That way, the art is much more than just a decoration; it becomes the very soul of the room.
Style up an ottoman
An ottoman is a great way to bring contrast and character into your country cottage sitting room. This versatile piece can serve as a coffee table, extra seating, or a footrest, making for the most charming addition to any living space.
Footrests also provide the perfect stage to showcase your personal treasures – think a well-worn tray with a candle, a stack of books, or even a small potted plant, as seen on our Amberley Footstool in Dotty Check above. We highly recommend keeping it simple and meaningful, and choosing items that bring back memories or add a layer of interest to your room. This turns your ottoman into a focal point that sparks conservation and brings warmth to your room.
Pile on the cushions
If you really want to recreate that country style sitting room feel, just adding one lonely cushion to each corner of your sofa isn’t enough. True English country fashion calls for abundance. Your sofa should be softened with an electric array of cushions in various shapes, fabrics, and patterns – all kept cohesive with a limited colour palette (maximum 3 colours).
For instance, you could pair our floral patterns like Gypsy Garland with stripes such as Stockholm Stripe, or even our Dotty Check design, to create a playful rhythm that still feels harmonious. A sofa dressed in this way instantly invites you to curl up, tuck your feet under, and savour a good cup of tea.
Need more country sitting room ideas? Check out our dedicated blog post on cottage interior design for further inspiration.
Ready to create your own English country sitting room?
Whether you’re styling a small cottage or wish to add some rustic touches to a city flat, our beautiful English fabrics are perfect for creating that country style sitting room feel. From leafy florals and delicate animal prints, to cheerful checks and simple stripes, each design has been lovingly crafted right here in the Cotswolds to capture the natural charm and simplicity of the English countryside.
Explore our full fabric collection and get ready to bring your country sitting room dreams to life.
We sell fabrics exclusively designed by Vanessa Arbuthnott, along side small, bespoke collection of Made to Measure items which includes curtains, blinds, sofas, footstools, chairs, headboards, and quilts, all handmade specially for you by master crafts people.
