Decorator and antiques dealer Amy Krogh specializes in cottage style, at home and in her business. Her advice on colors, collections, and comfy room settings will help you bring country's most popular look home.

How would you describe cottage style?
Cottage style is relaxed. It's a little bit whimsical. It's a little bit shabby in that you surround yourself with lovingly recycled items. I especially like folksy pieces, like the green painted chair in my living room, because you can speculate about their previous purpose, but you never know for sure.

Cottage also has an "anything goes" approach. You can mix and match all your favorite things and just have fun.

I think it's really important for people to develop and trust their own sense of style, and cottage-style decorating gives you the freedom to do that.

How do you create a cozy room?
It's important to form intimate furniture groupings. Nestle sofas close to chairs and have lots of little tables close by so you can easily set a book or coffee cup next to you.

Slipcovered upholstery also adds to the relaxed, romantic look. I used striped bedsheets on the living room seating and bought the slipcovered bedroom chair at the Virginia shop where I sell antiques. Fill your sofas and chairs with lots of plump pillows and informally drape all kinds of vintage textiles over the arms. I really think textiles are a huge part of making a room look comfortable. They invite you to curl up in that chair with a good book.

Everything in a room should be meant to be touched. I only buy things with the intent to use them. I want my son to be able to climb up on the coffee table.

What role does color play in the cottage look?
I think that color is the major part of cottage-style decorating. Having color creates the foundation of the look of your rooms. There are no strict guidelines to the color schemes that are "cottage." It all comes back to your sense of style: If they are colors that you love, that you keep coming back to, then go with them.

If you feel like you don't know what colors you like or what colors to pick, go to your local antiques shop and look around for a piece of vintage fabric that you especially like. Then, pull three or four hues out of that piece of fabric and let that be your palette for a room or an entire level of your home.

I always start with my wall color. For me, yellow is a no-fail color for walls. It works great with everything, especially soft, faded reds and blues.

If you can't decide on one palette, that's okay. My whole downstairs is bright colors and primaries, but my upstairs has a soft, cool color palette. That way, I get to have the best of both worlds, and I think it's fine because the palettes are well-separated.

In a house filled with color, there are two things I love to do: Try to incorporate worn, mellow pine pieces such as a dresser or even a kitchen island; and paint your moldings white.

How do you bring the cottage look to a small bathroom?
Keep it simple. Focus on a few key cottagey pieces that you love and leave it at that. Otherwise, the space can very quickly get a cluttered feeling. I love putting unexpected things in places like the bathroom. Maybe you hang a mantel shelf over the toilet or replace the standard mirror with a great salvaged medicine cabinet. It's also a fun place to display a small collection of things that you have such as shells or white ironstone.

Keep things as functional as possible. Pile towels on a chair next to the bathtub or store toilet paper and toiletries on a side table. Things are at your fingertips, but stored and displayed creatively and beautifully.

What kind of textiles are best for cottage style?
I'm a textile junkie. I love vintage fabrics and quilts and old blankets and comforters. I drape them over sofas and chairs, use them for curtains, and, of course, sew them into lots of plump pillows.

If you want a romantic cottage look, vintage florals are wonderful, especially cabbage-rose florals. In my rooms, I've combined them with some stripes to add texture and help break up and balance their busyness. One of my favorite, favorite things to do is to pair an unlikely match in textiles, such as a 1940s vintage cabbage-rose comforter with a 1950s camp blanket. The reason that they'll work together is that they share the same colors. Another favorite effect of mine is to mix florals, the way I did on the master bedroom bed (pictured on the previous page). They are completely different flowers and really vary in scale, but again, they work together because they have the same hues.

Another great textile for cottage-style interiors is white linens with crocheted edges. They're timeless and definitely a no-fail purchase. You can use one to line a mixing bowl and then fill it with freshly baked muffins. Drape linens over the side of a table to soften it a little, or just use them in the bathroom as guest towels. I've even hung them over the door of an open cabinet to add another layer. Don't just tuck your things away. Try to think of creative ways to have them out where you can see them every day and they can make you smile.

What kinds of antiques should I collect?
When you buy things for your home, try to stay true to your sense of style and your color palette. The first thing I started collecting was old mixing bowls and batter bowls in different hues of green. If the shape and color of the bowl appeal to me, then I buy it. I don't care if its really, really old or just from the 1940s. I like to mix and match them.

My advice to people if they want to start collecting, because I made this mistake when I first started, is to be specific. If you are just as general as Art Deco clocks, then it's really easy to acquire a collection of them and, before you know it, your whole house is full of Art Deco clocks and the fun is kind of gone. Instead, really hone in. What kind of Art Deco clocks do you like? Do you like round ones that are painted white with little ball feet? Well, then collect those, because those are going to be a little harder to come by, and the whole collecting process is going to last you a lifetime.

Text: Jennifer Kopf

Photography: King Au/Studio Au

Interior Design: Amy Krogh