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.

Flowers feature heavily in cottagecore style, and that includes cottagecore nails as well. There are many ways to incorporate florals into a manicure, but for a unique spin, use stickers that look like dried flowers (or get your nail technician to draw realistic pressed flower designs). To give it a super natural vibe, try it on a natural nail base that is similar to your skin color.

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.

Buzzing bumble bees, drunk on honey, are a part of golden summers at the cottage. You can incorporate them into a nail design as well. These little pollinators are adorable, so they make the perfect addition if you love having characters on your nails. Make sure to dot a few flowers into the design as well. Those bees need something to eat!

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.

Mushrooms are another design that often makes its way into cottagecore manicures; in fact, adding a few fungi is probably the fastest way to give your nails that cottagecore vibe. If you want a more distinctive design, opt for minimalist mushrooms, focusing on just painting the outline of the plant in white or black. It's not as charming as a toadstool manicure (which you'll see a few of on this list), but it's a great choice if you want your nails to look more artsy rather than cutesy.

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.

If flower designs aren't really your cup of tea, you can incorporate adorable heart motifs into cottagecore nails. Since hearts themselves aren't necessarily associated with cottagecore, the way to get the aesthetic is by choosing warm and cozy colors. Chocolate brown and pale pink are a perfect pairing for this type of manicure; brown is a great earthy tone, while the pale pink denotes love without being too bright. Keep the heart designs small and simple so they look sweet but not over-the-top.

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.

Few things feel as delightful as the knowledge of a secret garden tucked behind a cottage. Capture the romantic notion behind this idea with peek-a-boo floral nails. Start with a natural or earth-toned base, then draw a curved line of flowers, either following the tip of your nail (like a French tip) or along the base of your nail. Instead of neat ditsy daisies, choose a more realistic flower design, and dot it with a few leaves or vines, too, so it looks like a slightly overgrown garden.

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.

Cutesy, girly, and very cottagecore, this mushroom design is storybook charming — the bright red-and-white dotted toadstools look like they belong on the cover of a children's book. While earthy colors are usually the go-to for this manicure style, toadstools feel so cottagecore that you can pair them with pretty much any shade. A pink French mani feels very feminine, perfect if you want your nails to feel more frilly rather than natural.

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.

Really lean into the natural color palette with a green cottagecore manicure. You can choose different shades of green (as well as different designs) depending on the season. A bright green, dotted with daisies, feels just right for spring, whereas a deeper green with red leaves suits autumn. Of course, this type of design isn't season-exclusive — green grass, fields, vines, leaves, and stems are all cottagecore motifs you can use year-round.

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.

There's a moody romanticism about a remote cottage in the rain. If you love this imagery, paint a dreary gray landscape on your nails. To really set the scene, paint cottagecore elements on a rainy backdrop, such as a grassy field with mushrooms or even a cottage itself under the raindrops.

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.

One romanticized aspect of bucolic life is baking homemade treats — and what feels more cottage-inspired than a freshly baked berry pie? You can choose one berry or paint a selection on your nails. Just make sure one nail has a lattice pie crust design to make this a baking-themed manicure rather than just a fruity one.

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.

Wander into the woods with a forest-themed manicure design featuring deep brown shades and rustling trees. A few cozy elements, such as a notebook and quill and a teapot pattern, can make a manicure feel cottagecore rather than just forest-themed. If you're a bookworm and love to be in the quiet of nature, this manicure design serves as charming inspiration.

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.

A love for flowy fabrics and natural elements is a similarity that witchcore and cottagecore share. It's no surprise that a dark cottagecore manicure can look rather witchy! A darker color palette, particularly using black or purple, gives the manicure a magical air, but the addition of bright toadstools makes it feel sweet and homey.

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.

Comfy plaid shirts are exactly what you would wear to a bonfire behind the cottage. Capture this coziness in your nail design. It's best to only paint a couple of nails plaid (if you place it on all your nails, it might end up looking too preppy). Balance the plaid pattern with a more obvious cottagecore pattern, such as a pattern of forest ferns, leaves, and animals.

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.

Just like watercolor paintings, watercolor nails have a magical feeling to them. Their slightly more diffused look has an element of romance and softness to it. Combined with flowers as the subject, this makes for a stunning cottagecore manicure. By including the stems and placing the flowers close together, it's possible to make this nail design resemble a wildflower field.

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.

When it comes to cottagecore nail designs, you really can't go wrong with mushrooms. To make them look even more quaint, draw them super small. Toadstools are the perfect choice for this type of design since they're still recognizable when tiny. A plain or French manicure base makes the baby toadstools stand out.

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.

While bright colors usually don't feature heavily in cottagecore nail designs, this doesn't mean you can't find a way to make it work. In fact, bright designs can be totally seasonally appropriate for spring and summer — just make sure to choose the right subject matter! If it's going to be bright, it should be something from nature, like baby blue hydrangeas. Err on the side of realistic rather than cartoonish to capture the essence of whatever natural elements you choose.

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.

Looking for a cottagecore nail design you can create yourself? Instead of drawing detailed mushrooms or flowers, take inspiration from their patterns and colors. It's easy to recreate a toadstool-inspired nail by painting a bright red base and then using a dotting tool to create small white dots. Mix this pattern with a few green nails, and it will remind you of a forest floor.

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.

A sketchbook drawing style looks distinctive and is an artistic option for a cottagecore manicure. You can still use many of the same elements as other manicure ideas (like animals and plants), but outline them in black to create a sketched-on look and make them bolder. There's an element of realism to this drawing style that is eye-catching, making the designs look like they're taken right off the pages of a picture book.

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.

Mushrooms can be autumnal, too, with the right color palette! While toadstools are unapologetically bright, you can tone down the overall design by surrounding the mushrooms with fall colors. Rich browns, muted greens, and burnt orange shades can make a typically spring mushroom manicure look a bit more fall-themed, perfect for when the leaves start turning.