Cottagecore Aesthetic Films and T.V Shows to Watch

Last Updated on March 11, 2025 by Karis Tavernier-Nicholas

Meadows of wild flowers, floral print milkmaid dresses, vintage home decor, home-baked goods carried in a straw basket for a picnic outdoors… there’s one word that instantly comes to mind: cottagecore.

Nowadays, it feels as if ‘core’ has become attached to most words. Social media has been inundated, from balletcore, barbiecore, fairycore, goblincore to gothcore… I could go on. I’m not a great fan of microtrends, especially ones that encourage completely overhauling our wardrobes and lifestyles to condense ourselves into these aesthetics for however long it’s considered popular. Instead, I prefer to take aspects of these ‘cores’ I like, and one I particularly love is the cottagecore aesthetic.

What is Cottagecore?

Cottagecore is an aesthetic that promotes simple living, with prized skills and crafts such as sewing, baking and gardening. It’s all about slow living, fresh food, beautiful scenery, dried flowers, vintage decor, floral prints – generally, an idealised version of rural living (although the aesthetic is achievable even if, like me, you’re in an urban setting). With cottagecore, there’s a focus on living in the present and enjoying the small things.

So is it any surprise that in this post-Covid world this lifestyle aesthetic would be so popular? It’s attractive because of its encouragement of a less complicated way of living, especially in a world of ‘hustle culture’.