Two important elements in your cottage decor are the window treatments and the colors that you use for your overall decorating scheme. The color, is actually most important you'll probably want to pick those out first because everything else should be chosen to match.

Cottage style color should be light and breezy. Chalk white for the walls, fabrics and painted furniture is often a good selection if you think you can keep it clean. If you like a little bit of color you might go with some pale blues along with sandy tan colors reminiscent of the beach. Light green is always a good color for cottage style and of course, pale yellow can really brighten a room up.

The first thing to do is pick a color for your walls. Make sure that you get some paint samples for the store that you can bring with you on subsequent shopping trips when you were looking for window treatments, rugs and furniture. You want to be able to match the colors in your room elements to the colors on the wall as well as choose complementary colors that will not clash with the wall paint.

If you're a little nervous about paint color when painting walls, get a tiny amount of paint - the smallest can you can buy (a quart is a good amount) - and paint a large poster board with it. Leave this up against the wall or hang on the wall and live with it for a few days so you can get a feeling for what the color might look like. It's good to go into the room and see what it will look like in all different kinds of light as colors often look different in the daytime than they do in the nighttime.

You want to choose your window treatments carefully as well. Most of the time, it's best to go with a light type of fabric like a sheer drape which will let light in and not be too heavy for your cottage style. You might also consider plantation blinds but make sure they are not of a dark wood - better to go with white painted blinds as long as they match your window trim.

The other thing to consider is vintage curtains or curtains in a vintage type fabric such as a bark cloth or toile. If you're using a fabric drape, however, make sure that at least one of the colors in the drapes matches the colors you have painted on the walls. Also, you want to be careful that you don't have too many different patterns in the room such as different patterns on the furniture, the rug and the draperies that will make it be too busy and mismatched.

When in doubt and shopping for your cottage decor, think back to those childhood days you spent at your favorite summer cottage and go with items and colors that are reminiscent of those times.