Cottagecore vs real cottage living – what it’s actually like to live in a country cottage

Country kitchen sink framed with bunches of flowers and trailing plants, topped with plate wall, with window looking out into conservatory and garden in distance.

Screen printer Hannah Carvell is one of Ideal Home's new Open House contributors, sharing her thoughts on colourful home design for a creative family to live in. See the rest of her articles here.

Scroll through Instagram and you’d be forgiven for thinking cottage living is all wildflowers on windowsills, linen curtains drifting gently in the breeze and a permanently tidy wooden table bathed in soft morning light. It’s a beautiful image calm, curated and just a little bit nostalgic.