How to Decorate a Cottage in Pastels

Select a color to base your room off of. Pastel colors incorporate a lot of white into their hue and vary in depth of color. Most pastels are light and highlight each other so you are able to mix and match if desired. Common pastel colors include pink, yellow, blue and green hues. Paint your walls either a solid white or add pastel tones to the walls. For contrast, if using colors, paint the walls a pastel color, the ceiling white and all of the window, door and baseboard trim white.

Change the look of your existing flooring. To make your decor stand out, you can get rid of dark carpeting, tile and dark stained hardwood flooring. Change the look by adding a light colored floor to the room. Options include refinishing your existing hardwood floor to a lighter stain, painting hardwood floors white or pastel, or adding light colored carpeting or tile.

Choose furniture with light finishes. It is important to have furniture that welcomes a pastel palette. If you have dark colored couches and chairs, you'll want to add light or white slip covers. Paint wooden furniture pieces to give a lighter feel to the room. Avoid veneer and dark wood and keep metallic decor items at bay.

Accent rooms with pastel colored decor. Once your room is set up for a cottage feel, you can begin to add your favorite accents. Decorate your room with painted seascape items including starfish, fish and vintage fishing poles and lures. Fill your favorite hurricane lamps with white sand and your favorite seashells. Fill vintage mason jars with light colored polished stones or polished glass pieces. Spray paint large pieces of faux coral in light pastels of white or light blue for a cottage themed wall piece.