“Grow Where You Are Planted.”
A Guide to Cottagecore and its Relaxing Culture
“If more people valued home above gold, this world would be a merrier place.”
By Madelynn Atkins
This iconic quote from Thorin Oakenshield has rung true for me since I first read J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” Like so many do as children and teenagers. I was fourteen at the time, and the second Hobbit film had just hit the theaters. My father had even read it to me many years before when I lived in Washington state surrounded by the tallest oak and pine trees I’m sure I will ever have the privilege of seeing in my lifetime.
Looking back I find it such a privilege that I was able to spend my childhood in places that were so dense with woods and always near nature where my house wasn’t too far away. To this day I seek peace in woods and nature alike. The suburban life is becoming an increasingly hard one as I get older.
When the pandemic hit, like countless others. I was sent home for two months without notice of when I was coming back to work.
My time at home was stressful. I live in a house with three other siblings under my two parents. All of us were struggling for the first month. Like anyone else’s escape, I turned to the internet. I stayed in discord servers writing my life away trying to keep busy. Soon everyone became restless even online and arguments broke out even among my closest friends. I took the rest of the two months that at the time seemed endless to be alone with my thoughts and writing. I hadn’t written anything in months. And it didn’t seem like I was going to be writing anything soon. Tik Toc had not been the juggernaut that it currently is even just a year ago, but it started to pick up steam. Then Taylor Swift released her album “Folklore” And the birth of Cottagecore and my love for the aesthetic lifestyle coincided.
You may ask yourself “What is Cottagecore?”
It does sound like another trend. I admit I’m always the one that strives to be a counter-culture. When are the trends are short skirts and midriff tops? I wear broom skirts and flowing tops with bell sleeves. When slang like “Baddie.” or “Bae.” are the norm I throw myself into books like the Iliad or Shakespeare. What I’m trying to say is, that I’m a hipster in the most hipster way I can be. I try my hardest not to be.
Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, my medieval studies, and historical movies like “The Pilgrimage.” or “Arn the Templar Knight.” Wanting to make my own medicine and go back to living a simple life secluded in the woods. Living in Washington set me on the road of nature, and a way of wanting to live closer to things in the woods. When I say I am counter-culture I’m about as counter culture as you can get, for a young woman who lives in Texas and is perpetually a grandma at the age of twenty-three. I say all this to say, this trend was practically made for me and others similar to me.
So what is Cottagecore? Well, Cottagecore is a mix of things I’m passionate about. Enjoying a good classic book while eating a home-baked treat is one of the things that makes this way of living so appealing. Self-reliance, gardening, and making your own clothes is such a small part of what it is. It’s appreciating the simple things in life without letting go of the things that you hold dear. Like, hot running water, or the internet for a few things. A lot of people loop farming and small living into the aesthetic. Which I would say is in line with being independent in a world where we are so reliant on those around us when it wasn;t like that just fifty years ago.
Cottagecore can be broken down into a few words.
- Small simple living
- Homemade goods
- Flowers and flowy dresses.
- Homely comfort
Like any other aesthetic, it has subgenres
If you are new to the subculture of Aesthetics, you’d know there are many. Some are more focused on classical art or computers. Cottagecore at its very center is about nature. There are aspects of its genres that lean more into types of nature.
The most popular at the moment is Goblin core. Goblin core is taking elements from rivers, mud, bugs, and mushrooms more than normal cottage core. The rougher aspects of nature like untamed trees and weird-looking rocks. There are some parts of it that make it really fun, like the “Lost things” part that is very much present in goblin core. The concept is finding things of lesser value and putting more significance on them is a huge part of this aesthetic. Objects like buttons, sticks, non-precious stones, and things of the earth like creepy crawlies and the want of collecting such things and saving them in a chest.
This is for the people who love saving things of sentimental value. Imagine going on a date, you loved everything about it, you find a rock that’s shiny and you put that little pebble in your pocket and it becomes a keepsake.
I’ve watched quite a few videos on this aesthetic and the people behind this set of pleasing parts of this lifestyle like crafting and making things like jewelry hangers, the aforementioned treasure chests, and of course things like paints and plants.
Fairycore is exactly what you think it is. Tea Parties, pastries, nature, bioluminescence, fireflies, pastels, European fairy tales, wings, and even more are part of Fairycore. Fairycore is one of the aesthetics I have a love for. Taking what we think another world would look like and being normal and celebrating beauty is what this subgenre is about.
Makeup, bright hair, and angelic eyes are some hallmarks of the fashion of Fairycore. If you’ve been on Tik Toc, there are some individuals who have expanded on this to include Goblincore and making bog fairies and found faes. Being in nature as any other part of Cottagecore takes center stage. Flowers, veggies, animals, and shiny things are just what you need to become a fae. Grab a couple of friends, and head to the nearest park. Have a tea party and don’t forget to grab those wings!
The last biggest aesthetic on this list is Grandmacore. Granmacore takes the comfort of visiting your grandparent’s house as its main inspiration. Sewing, baking, doilies, and vintage decor. Anything that reminds you of home and gives you comfort can be found in this aesthetic. Out of all the subgenres of Cottagecore, I fall into this one the most. I find joy in going to resale shops and thrift stores to find old and unique pieces to decorate my personal space. Finding that perfect piece that has had a life and history really resonates with me as a person and especially as someone who enjoys talking and learning from the last generation.
A good project to start with is either restoring a piece that you’ve found or a sewing project. My personal favorite sewing projects are embroidering and making handkerchiefs. I would also encourage anyone who loves writing to write letters and maybe pick up wax seal stamping. It is a wonderful and therapeutic way to make a letter feel homey and personal to whom you are writing in the digital age. Make the letter to a friend’s birthday gift
part of their reason to celebrate, or add them to your wedding invitations. Baking is a good way to get in touch with your inner grandma. Look up some videos on old-world cooking and baking, learn the history behind some of your favorite foods, and maybe even call up your own grandma and learn a family tradition. After all, Grandma’s are known for keeping a family’s roots alive.
Thrifting and Craftiness
One thing that goes right along with finding rest in the everyday struggle of busyness for me is being a thrifty and crafty person, and luckily for me, that’s how Cottagecore fits for me personally. As mentioned earlier, one of my favorite things I love doing is sewing projects, and not only sewing but enjoying a good book. Thrifting has introduced me to so many books and subjects that I didn’t even know were real or existed beforehand. I’ve been on adventures that I can only dream of taking. Through those ventures, it inspires one to take things on that once we would never dream we’d want to do.
I took up embroidery because of The Hobbit. Strange way of going about it isn’t it? I was on Tumblr at the time and saw all the fantastic things people were making based on the popular films, and I wanted to as well. These are only a few ways Cottagecore and things like it have inspired me.
This aspect of the living aesthetic has bled into things like Etsy and Patreon. Creators have found a new audience and consumer base of the wild and fantastic to cater to. Most of these creators I’ve found have a heart for nature and animals, making them passionate about the things they love and putting that effort forward into their work, and it clearly shows.
Resting is important.
In our bustling world, I learned beyond the shadow of a doubt how busy I really became after graduating high school. Again when the global stopping point happened a couple of years ago, did I realize how much I actually do. Learning how to rest is an art I’m still struggling to master. Being lazy and resting are two different things. I can be lazy, but relaxing is a whole other monster. Romanticizing rest is honestly really helpful. Disconnecting ourselves from technology is one part of resting. Reading a book, drawing, sewing. These are restful activities. Don’t be afraid o let your mind wander from day-to-day stresses to a more peaceful train of thought, if only for a few minutes.
Taking the stress and not giving it a thought is something everyone needs to recover from if at least one day a week. Learning these few tricks helps me personally try to lead a peaceful life along with my religious practices being at the forefront. Keep those hands busy, but not for busy sake!
I say all this as if my life is slow, when in fact it is very fast-paced, I’m always doing something that requires my attention.
Turn on a comfort show. One that always seems to hold your attention and takes you away to that world, but enough for you not to ache for it. It’s a tricky thing to achieve balance, an art, and Cottagecore reflects that.
In the very body of Cottagecore and all the wonderful things it can bring to the world, it has taught me a few things about myself, and if you decide to follow along, remember it’s not a fad for fad’s sake, this is a lifestyle change that is a more restful one and focuses on self-improvement while being gentle with yourself and letting things grow where they are planted.
“I am glad you are here with me. Here at the end of all things, Sam.” -J.R.R. Tolkien Return of the King
What I wish to leave with, is something that I wish more people would understand, and that is time spent with loved ones. This is what makes a home a home, and Cottagecore is about the heart of the home, true comfort, and not manufacturing fake happiness. Sharing the real feeling of home with those who are closest. That is a special type of magic that nothing in the world can replicate.
