15 Cottage Style Homes That Are Sure To Charm You

Dreaming of owning a cottage one day? We don't blame you! We'll let you in on a fun fact: cottages are really just small houses, and they come in many different styles—some take cues from English homes, others are Cape Cod style, and some convey farmhouse elements, just to name a few. You'll find cottages in all parts of the world, and even within the United States, certain styles are more popular in specific regions. We've rounded up 15 cottage homes that make us smile and are guaranteed to inspire you, too.

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Simply Stone

Molly Culver for Lauren Ramirez

Stone cottages like this one immediately transport us to the English countryside. Here, a beautiful wood paneled roof draws attention upward and adds gorgeous architectural intrigue. Stone, while stunning, is pricey and difficult to source, making it a less commonly used building material today.

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Mediterranean Magic

Julie Soefer for Creative Tonic

Mediterranean style cottages, like this one, are characterized by red stucco roofs and plaster exteriors. They're seen in a variety of locales, but in the United States, they have an especially strong presence in warm-weather areas.

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Brick Beauty

Par Bengtsson for Meg Lonergan

White brick cottages evoke a farmhouse look—and this one, with a large front porch, is particularly welcoming and encourages friends and family to gather together. Half moon windows above the front door and on the second story add extra charm.

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Moss Moment

Alise O'Brien for Ryan Street Architects

Cottages with thatched roofs are often popular in coastal areas. We often see such roofs covered in moss over time, which only adds to their charm. However, note that moss generally is thought of to be bad for a roof's structure—while it looks like something out of a fairytale, it actually is detrimental to shingles' function.

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Chic Shingles

Good Carma Photography for PDG Studios/Lisa Haude

Shingled siding is also a popular cottage characteristic and is associated with Cape Cod style homes—we also see many of such houses in other high-end, waterfront vacation spots, such as Nantucket and The Hamptons. However, one can absolutely enjoy this style anywhere.

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Amazing Ivy

Brian Bieder for Maggie Griffin Design

Cottages are often surrounded by lush, green landscapes. Ivy siding in particular is also a quintessential English cottage feature, and it adds character and a storied touch to such homes. Ivy is more of a threat to older buildings than it is to new, well-constructed ones.

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Porch, Please

Stacy Zarin Goldberg for Rill Architects

This larger farmhouse style cottage features a sprawling porch equipped with swings and seating aplenty. Just because a cottage is small in size doesn't mean it can't make for a wonderful spot to spend time with friends and family.

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Cool Cedar

Danielle Driscoll

Danielle Driscoll, the owner of this home dating back to 1927, notes that the exterior shingles are red cedar and aged to a weathered gray over time. This authentic aged look is meant to be celebrated, not altered. Good things truly do get better with time!

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Light-Filled Look

Mark Stumer

An expansive panel of windows adds a more modern twist to this shingled cottage. Let the sun shine on in!

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English Elements

Hartness Construction

Despite appearing quite small in size, this cottage home boasts two bedrooms and bathrooms. With cedar plank siding and a cedar roof, it seamlessly brings English style to states.

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Bit of the Bahamas

Catherine Nguyen

The Bahama shutter used here adds an element of tropical style to this cottage home. While ideal for withstanding hurricanes, they can look lovely in any climate.

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Tiny Trellis

Catherine Nguyen

A trellis style design on the screen porch of this home makes it feel like gardening season all year long while adding a laid back, rustic element to the design.

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So Shabby Chic

Catherine Nguyen

The limewashed brick on the exterior of this cottage home gives off shabby chic vibes. Muted blue gray shutters add vintage character to the house. A benefit of limewash? It tends to only look better with age, meaning that it requires no maintenance to retain its charm.

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Rockin' Robin

Catherine Nguyen

Cottage front doors are often colorful and charming. This robin's egg blue beauty pops against the home's white backdrop while evoking signs of spring all year long.

52 Front Door Colors to Choose From

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Lakeside Bliss

Craig Thompson for Esther Dormer

This lakeside cottage makes for the perfect coastal escape. These types of homes make for popular vacation rentals and make for delightful guest homes when adjacent to main properties, too.