One of the strongest aspects of Animal Crossing: New Horizons is players' ability to decorate their islands however they want. This has led to many players creating elaborate and fantastical island paradises with their own themes and setups. One of the most popular themes for New Horizons players is cottagecore.

The term cottagecore refers to an online movement that celebrates the beauty of agricultural life. The movement emphasizes harmony with nature and living a simple farm life away from the industrialization and chaos of the rest of the world. Common elements of cottagecore include vintage pottery, simplistic baking recipes and flower farms.

Cottagecore was a very popular movement on Tumblr before making its way to Instagram and Tik Tok. The movement has experienced a surge in popularity because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with many embracing it as a way to escape.

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It's no surprise cottagecore has become such a popular design theme in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The game's emphasis on crafting and gardening in a natural environment fits perfectly with the cottagecore aesthetic. Both the game and the movement also emphasize simplistic living.

Many of the in-game items players can purchase or craft in the game fit easily with the cottagecore aesthetic. Common items for cottagecore islands include mushroom lamps, wooden fences, log benches, birdhouses and large flower beds.

Design patterns that define cottagecore consist of nonlinear pathways decorated with custom designs resembling flower petals or tree stumps, small rivers and waterfalls that curve naturally and avoid sharp angles, as well as large forests filled with cedar saplings and fruit trees.

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Players have accomplished making these themed islands by taking full advantage of the game's customization features, as well as creating unique patterns and designs to give their furniture and pathways a special touch. The online community for Animal Crossing: New Horizons is filled with players sharing their custom designs with others so they can create similar themed islands.

Cottagecore has gone through many different names and variations such as farmcore, witchcore and grandmacore. Each of these variations contain the basic elements of cottagecore, but add specific flourishes. New Horizons players have embraced these variations in many ways, including custom witchcraft patterns for witchcore, or crochet clothing designs for grandmacore.

Whether or not the cottagecore movement's popularity surge will last, its legacy will still live on in the world of Animal Crossing.

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