35 Ways To Bring The Cottagecore Trend To Your Manicure

Cozy, cute, and oh-so-charming, cottagecore is the aesthetic to emulate if you love all things natural and romantic. The backdrop for this aesthetic is a simpler, pastoral life in the countryside — picture a storybook cottage scene, with a quaint cabin, lush fields, and bubbling streams. As the name suggests, cottagecore takes a lot of elements of idyllic cottage life, romanticizing it into pretty inspiration for both your home and closet.

Cottagecore fashion tends to incorporate flowy fabrics and nature-inspired patterns and motifs, often in warm and muted earthy colors. Cottagecore manicures can be simple, such as a mellow single-color manicure in shades like burnt orange or forest green. They can also become much more detailed, painting a cottagecore scene like a field of wildflowers or a rainy day in the cottage. Decals can include wildflowers, mushrooms, butterflies, fruit, and other objects from the natural world, as well as other items associated with coziness, such as books and teacups.

Part of the attitude around the cottagecore aesthetic is appreciating the little things, whether that's a pretty sunrise or a bumbling honeybee, so nail designs that paint a natural scene fit the bill. Draw some whimsical inspiration for your next nail appointment with these cottagecore manicures.

Cottagecore manicures don't need to be intricate. In fact, a simple manicure fits in with the uncomplicated and relaxed atmosphere of cottage life. Getting the cottagecore look is all in the color selection — choose warm-toned colors. For fall and winter nails, earthy shades, such as a muted green, chocolate brown, and rusty orange, look the most cozy. For summer and spring, think brighter options including rosy pink, rich teal, and deep burgundy.

Bees aren't the only cute bugs you can include in a cottagecore manicure: Butterflies are a wonderful idea, too. To make the design look more cottagecore and less Y2K-inspired, add some romantic-looking wildflowers, such as a background that looks like a wildflower field. One or two butterflies dotted across the design can make this manicure design idea look like a snapshot from a sunny day in a pretty field.

Ditsy daisies are a mainstay in manicure designs. They're just so cute and easy to do (you can give it a try yourself with a nail dotting tool or small nail art brush). With their rounded petals, many ditsy daisy designs look super cute. For a more elegant look, elongate the petals to make a more realistic-looking flower. This is best done on a plain, neutral-colored base, which gives it a refined minimalist feeling that still looks cozy and fits right in with a cottagecore outfit.

Another alternative to flower designs is to paint on delicate vines in your manicure. Of course, they can still incorporate flowers if you'd like, but you can also go for a creeping ivy design, which looks like it belongs on the side of an English cottage. Don't be afraid to get a bit creative with color. A neutral base and natural elements can help you keep the cottagecore feel of this manicure, but you can play with some metallic highlights if you want to get a little more glam.

Part of the idealism of cottagecore involves appreciating nature in all its beautiful forms, from the smallest flower to the tallest tree. Throw buzzing, curious hummingbirds into that mix. If you're looking for a distinctive cottagecore nail design, drawing a little hummingbird friend is one way to make your nails look cozy, sans the usual mushrooms. Of course, it makes sense to feature wildflowers in this design. Painting the hummingbird amongst the wildflowers gives the manicure an idyllic moment-in-nature feel that really works for the cottagecore aesthetic.

A cartoonish nature-inspired manicure that incorporates toadstools is minimalist and clean but also just a little kitschy (in the most adorable way). Of course, toadstools, leaves, and flowers fall right into the cottagecore theme. Something about the bright design makes it feel as if it's inspired by Nordic cabin life. This style is great for those wanting a more cheerful nail look.

Forest animals are part of remote cottage life, which, of course, means they're suitable for cottagecore nails. You can incorporate critters like deer, owls, bunnies, lambs, and chickens, just to name a few. Domestic pets, such as cats and dogs, can also be weaved in, as well as even more obscure animals like skunks or hedgehogs. If it's drawn in a cozy style, you can make it work.

Does a regular cottagecore manicure feel a little too homey and plain? Add some sparkle! Stick with the cottage theme by adding natural elements, but just make them sparkly. A glitter topcoat or metallic polishes can add some oomph to cottagecore nails. For example, shades of metallic red and green can make a simple manicure feel Christmas-ready.

French tips are a classic. It's hard to find a nail design that looks more elegant, but sometimes they can also feel a bit too simple. Put a cottagecore spin on French tips by drawing the tip as a vine of pretty white flowers. With a plain natural base and the design right along the top of the nail, this manicure idea still gives French tip vibes but with a flowery twist.

It's hard to think of a more storybook cottagecore pattern than one that mixes plants and adorable little forest animals together. Some animal ideas include foxes, skunks, bees, beetles, horses, and moths. Turn them into a kitschy pattern by drawing them small and scattering them across your manicure. The end result is adorable and unique.

Mushrooms, mushrooms, and more mushrooms — these fun fungi just make sense for a cottagecore manicure. If you can't decide on one mushroom design, mix it up with a few different types. This looks more like a realistic forest floor anyway. You don't only have to stick with a mushroom scene for this design; you can also have a nail or two dedicated to other cottagecore imagery, whether books or tea.

Cottagecore can go hand-in-hand with vintage home aesthetics, which draws inspiration from charming maximalist decor of the past rather than modern minimalist styles. One place to find your next nail idea is from old-fashioned wallpaper designs. These often incorporate floral patterns that feel elegant but comforting, a lovely vibe for a dressier cottagecore manicure.

For those lucky enough to spend summers at a cottage, there are few things that can beat the warm, cherished memories of being out in the wilderness. Try to capture the feeling with a summer cottage nail design, drawing a scene based around a cabin in the woods. Include some trees, fields, and flying birds to show the liveliness of a summer's day.

Checkered patterns are associated with cottagecore through checkered picnic blankets, tablecloths, and quaint curtains. A little checkered pop on your nails looks neat and refined. Paint most nails with a cottagecore theme with natural decals like plants and flowers, then save a nail or two for either a checkered or gingham pattern, which adds a lot of interest to your nail design.

Use strawberries as inspiration for another bright cottagecore nail design. These vivid fruits remind us of the peak of summer, and it's easy to tie their sweetness to summertime at the cottage. There's a lot you can do with this idea: You can paint mini strawberry designs or cover the full nail with a strawberry on each. With the latter idea, try adding a few little 3D details, like pearls, to create the little strawberry seeds.

A cat reading a book? It's hard to get more adorably cottagecore than this imagery. There are plenty of ways to get creative with a cottagecore theme. In essence, if it's cozy, it can be part of your manicure. Cats, rain, tea, umbrellas, and rain boots are other decal options that fit the theme but that aren't the usual flowers and mushrooms.

Can't decide between a floral manicure or an autumnal manicure? There's no need to when you can combine both into one warm design. Use fallen leaves as your color palette inspiration, choosing reds, oranges, and browns to create plants that look like they belong around a cottage in the fall. Any simple flower works nicely with this nail design, as it's the color scheme that sets the mood.