3. Lilac and Cream Walls
Colour is everything with this build, and the trick is keeping the palette soft. My walls are cream-coloured plaster with lilac trim around the windows and doors, and a pale purple roof on top. Nothing too dark, nothing too loud — just soft, dreamy shades that make the whole cottage look like it is glowing, even on a cloudy day. I added white shutters and a cream picket fence, and suddenly the whole place looks like a postcard from the countryside.