Our 30 Best Cottage House Plans

This charming cottage lives bigger than its sweet size with an open floor plan. It has a Williamsburg-meets-New England look we just love. The upstairs TV room gives the second-story inhabitants a secluded place to hang out, and a porch is tucked around the side of the house off the dining room.

The Details:

• 3 bedrooms and 2 ½ baths
• 1,800 square feet

Life at this charming cabin in Chickamauga, Georgia, centers around one big living room and a nearly 200-square-foot back porch. It was designed by architect  Durham Crout with long and cozy family weekends—plus plenty of quality time spent together—in mind.

The Details:

• 2 bedrooms and 2 baths
• 1,200 square feet

This L-shaped cottage has a lived-in, snug vibe. The one-story plan offers a modern cottage approach to more traditional styles. It has the entry from the side porch, and it places the great room at the back of the home, near the outdoor back deck.

The Details:

• 4 bedrooms and 2 baths
• 1,929 square feet

This traditional Southern coastal-style cottage has plenty of classic charm. It features a large open layout with a living-dining space that’s flanked on two sides by the 470-square-foot front porch and an additional side screened porch (there’s a third porch off the back of the house, too), making it ideal for family gatherings.

The Details:

• 3 bedrooms and 2 ½ baths
• 2,420 square feet

This country-style cottage gives a warm welcome with its centered, elevated front door. Post-and-beam ceilings in the kitchen and brick floors in the light-filled dining room give rustic charm.

The Details:

• 3 bedrooms and 3 baths
• 2,057 square feet

With just over 1,900 square feet of living space, this cozy cottage lives big with an open, one-level floor plan and spacious interiors. The home blends traditional elements and comfortable styling for a plan that makes a perfect place for the whole family to call “home.”

The Details:

• 3 bedrooms and 2 baths
• 1,941 square feet

This compact plan has a family-friendly layout with a downstairs primary, a cozy fireplace, and two large upstairs bedrooms. Two covered porches and a screened porch provide plenty of outdoor living space for spreading out.

The Details:

• 3 bedrooms and 2 ½ baths
• 1,679 square feet

This stunning Alabama home with modern detail was Southern Living‘s 2016 Idea House, located in our hometown of Birmingham. The open, spacious interior perfectly complements the impressively large wraparound porch that makes you want to stay awhile.

The Details:

• 4 to 5 bedrooms and 4 ½ baths
• 4,037 square feet

Here’s a warm and inviting year-round retreat, with plenty of space for friends and family to relax both together and separately in their own spaces. The versatile plan includes a guest cottage set off the back of the house, while the primary bedroom is attached by a vestibule.

The Details:

• 4 bedrooms and 3 ½ baths
• 2,718 square feet

This simple vernacular cottage features a classic gabled ell form seen on many Southern cottages. Its well-placed front door (with a pop of color) draws your eye to the inviting front porch. A flex room could be converted into a fourth bedroom or used as a study, as needed.

The Details:

• 3 to 4 bedrooms and 4 baths
• 2,755 square feet

This home has a relaxed attitude, thanks to the simple living spaces and natural materials. A metal roof and tall operable shutters lend a Lowcountry feel to this classic cottage with a vintage twist. See how a designer redecorated this coastal retreat.

The Details:

• 4 bedrooms and 4 ½ baths
• 2,233 square feet

The living room, dining room, and kitchen flow seamlessly together in this farmhouse-style cottage that’s perfect for a family. A functionally compact, but charming mudroom opens to a cozy screened porch at the back of the home.

The Details:

• 3 bedrooms and 3 ½ baths
• 2,345 square feet

This quaint coastal cottage features a well-organized layout that makes the most of its compact square footage. The design ensures abundant natural light throughout the interiors, while a fireplace and dual-door access to a 417-square-foot back porch are major standouts in the communal areas of the house.

The Details:

• 3 bedrooms and 3 baths
• 1,610 square feet

This cottage has all of the features of a larger home in a manageable size. It’s all about the open spaces in this home, including an upper-floor loft area that looks down to the main floor. A see-through fireplace separates the living and dining rooms, while a wall of windows in the living room lets in plenty of natural light.

The Details:

• 2 to 3 bedrooms and 2 baths
• 1,872 square feet

The cedar shakes siding and Nantucket star design porch detailing add to the New England feel of this relaxed cottage. Inspired by small summer cottages along the East Coast, architect Scott Ziegler’s plan is adaptable to climate and location.

The Details:

• 3 bedrooms and 2 baths
• 1,315 square feet

This storybook cottage combines historic architectural details, like a steeply pitched roof, with modern amenities. It has an open, flexible floor plan and a large wraparound porch, both of which maximize indoor-outdoor living in this functional and adaptable house.

The Details:

• 3 bedrooms and 3 baths
• 2,011 square feet

This charming two-story is lined with windows that bathe the rooms in light. An open kitchen-dining-living space allows for entertaining and family time, while a small side screened porch offers an escape for relaxation.

The Details:

• 3 bedrooms and 2 ½ baths
• 1,623 square feet

This cottage has great curb appeal with traditional Colonial-Revival touches, like a pitched roof and dormer windows. Its layout has many of our favorite elements of classic Southern architecture, like its large covered front porch that beckons cool evenings spent chatting with neighbors and relaxing in rockers.

The Details:

• 4 to 5 bedrooms and 4 ½ baths
• 3,154 square feet

A clever mix of materials lends simple charm to this cottage. There’s a metal roof and decorative wood paneling below the windows, while cedar shingles and wooden brackets accent the gables. The stone chimney is the perfect finishing touch on the exteriors. Inside, the heart of the cottage is the galley kitchen and casual dining area thoughtfully integrated as one space.

The Details:

• 2 bedrooms and 2 baths
• 1,184 square feet

This cozy cottage proves that special things can sometimes come in smaller packages. It’s equally livable in a suburban neighborhood or along a lakefront. The front porch and entry offer a charming first impression of the interior’s delightful, sunny spaces. Double doors off the front porch provide entrance to a study or guest room.

The Details:

• 2 to 3 bedrooms and 3 baths
• 2,009 square feet

This bungalow-style cottage offers a warm welcome with its charming front porch. Inside, the hardworking layout features an open-concept kitchen and living area, with tucked-away bedrooms to retreat to from the action. However, you can also live outside year-round on the back porch with a brick fireplace.

The Details:

• 3 bedrooms, 2 ½ baths
• 2,454 square feet

This classic cottage features a perfectly symmetrical floor plan, with bedrooms on the left and right sides of the open family room and kitchen. This cozy home includes front and back porches in its compact footprint for indoor-outdoor living.

The Details:

• 3 bedrooms, 3 baths
• 1,776 square feet

This floor plan is meant for entertaining, with spacious porches at the front and back of the home. See how interior designer Anna Booth brought this cottage to life in her hometown of Roswell, Georgia.

• The Details:
• 4 bedrooms, 4 baths
• 2,584 square feet

This farmhouse-inspired cottage lives much larger than its 1,600-plus-square-foot indoor-outdoor footprint, thanks to a cathedral-vaulted ceiling in the great room and a big, breezy screened porch. The bedrooms are set off a hallway for ample privacy.

The Details:

• 2 bedrooms, 2 baths
• 1,560 square feet

This teensy-tiny outbuilding is the perfect abode for aging parents or home base for weekend getaways. The cozy plan packs all the essentials into 540 square feet, including a bedroom and bath, kitchen, living room, and front porch.

The Details:

• 1 bedroom, 1 bath
• 540 square feet

The sweet garden gate and welcoming front porch will make neighbors want to come calling on this cottage. Inside, the substantial parlor provides space to continue the conversation.

The Details:

• 3 bedrooms, 2 ½ baths
• 1,870 square feet

We love every nautical detail on this cottage, from the anchors on the downstairs shutters to the weathervane atop the roof. A massive screened porch and outdoor fireplace ensure you’ll enjoy your coastal retreat in all seasons.

The Details:

• 3 bedrooms, 2 ½ baths
• 2,946 square feet

Designed with Parkinson’s disease in mind, this charmer is the ideal home for aging in place. The plan, whose proceeds benefit the Parkinson’s Foundation, provides space at the rear entry for a ramp, while the traditional cottage look of the home can blend seamlessly into any community. The interior of this home was built in Habersham, South Carolina.

The Details:

• 3 bedrooms, 2 ½ baths
• 1,966 square feet

The nearly 8-foot-deep front porch of Grace Park is adorned with three sets of French doors. It’s just one of many classic details throughout the home, such as box beams, wood paneling, and transom windows.

The Details:

• 3 bedrooms, 2 ½ baths
• 2,089 square feet

Despite its name, we believe the bungalow elements of this cottage would blend into any neighborhood. This house is designed to maximize views and access to the outdoors, like its sizable screened porch with a fireplace for gathering on chilly evenings. 

The Details:

• 3 bedrooms, 3 ½ baths
• 2,916 square feet