Castlecore Decor Ideas: How to Make Your Apartment Feel Like a Medieval Aesthetic Castle
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Hark, fair maiden! I am here to whisk thee away to my castle and teach thee how to transform your apartment into a castle of thine own.
Okay, so I realize that there could not be anything more opposite than a rental apartment and a castle, but here we are.
Today, I'm exploring the castlecore aesthetic! And I'm giving you some decor ideas that will help you turn your small apartment into a castle fit for a powerful queen. Or king. Or knight in shining armor. Or court jester. Or gargoyle. I'm really all of the above depending on the day. 🙃
However you identify, castlecore is a beautiful way to transport yourself and your modern day apartment to a magical domain, instead of settling for a builder-grade landlord special beige box that screams late stage capitalism chic…
Nay, we must fight against our boring modern-day apartments with the strength of a hundred dragons. For I bow no king, orange or otherwise. And I will conquer every square foot of this admittedly small realm by weaving my interior styling magics through every nook and cranny. And nothing, not the tacky taste of corporate tyranny, nor the flaccid fashion phallus of fascism, will stand between me and the castle in my head.
…Let's get delusional with it!
Every great interior styling choice starts with at least a drop of delusion, and this style is no exception. So let’s storm the gates of castlecore and get inspired!
Would you rather watch than read? Here’s the video! ↓
What is the Castlecore Aesthetic?
Simply put, castlecore decor would be like if you dressed your apartment up in Renfair cosplay. It draws upon Medieval, Renaissance, and fantasy-inspired castles; think walls of stone, hanging tapestries, Gothic cathedral style windows, chain mail, candlelight, and Camelot.
And I want to emphasize the fantasy element of this style. If you're going for a castle core look in your space, it's not really about historical accuracy. Castlecore is definitely a romanticized, fantasy-driven take on castle-oriented visuals. There is the historical side to draw upon, but you really can lean into the fictional side!
Aside from the fantasy and the romance of it, there's a strength to castlecore that I find especially appealing in this chaotic time we're living in. I definitely think there's a reason why castlecore is trending now, of all times.
The threat of tyranny and the dragons of fascism are rearing their ugly heads as we speak, so I think we as a society are drawn to the idea of armoring up. We want the escape of fantasy, but we also have some fight in us.
I don't know about you, but these days my daily temperament is constantly shifting back and forth between rage and pure disassociation. One second I'm a brave knight, the next I'm a damsel in distress. And I feel castlecore captures this this push and pull between fantasy and reality, escapism and confrontation, creativity and violence. It’s the romance of a fairy tale set in the brutalism of a medieval stone castle that's probably been besieged a few times too many.
We're living through the modern besiegement of the castle that is our democracy. And suiting up in armor and chain mail just sounds appealing right now. We're all worried damsels who are also brave knights at the same time, staring down the orange face of a mad wannabe king. Castlecore just resonates right now.
And to take it back to decor, you can use this damsel-knight friction in your apartment styling!
Be the knight in shining armor that saves your damsel-in-distress apartment from being boring.
And the idea is to draw upon the fantasy of this style and interpret it for your particular space.
Take inspiration from movies and shows like Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, The Witcher, A Discovery of Witches, Outlander, and The 10th Kingdom. I mean, just take your pick from the fantasy canon of your choice, and really observe those visual details. Castlecore lives in and is derived from fantasy media. Absorb the fairy tale visuals and think about how you can interpret them into your modern real-world space.
Armor up, protect your mental and physical castle, and refuse to let this world descend into a beige box hell.
And now let’s get into some specific castlecore decor ideas that will help you do that!
Castlecore Decor Ideas
1. Medieval Archway Wallpaper
2. Wall Tapestries
3. Cat Lady Knight Wall Art
4. Silly Medieval Cat Wall Art
5. Spooky Gothic Castle Wall Art
6. Harpy Gargoyle Wall Art
7. Wood Cathedral Design Wall Art
8. Wrought Iron Lanterns
9. Candelabra
10. Candle Sconces
11. Lute
12. Crystal Gargoyle Figurines
13. Gargoyle Doorbell
14. Throw Pillows https://tidd.ly/4mNxwrc , Dragon pillow:
15. Iron Chandeliers
16. Chainmail Lamp
17. Cathedral Shadows Lamp
18. Knight Lamp
19. Wood Sideboard
20. Rug
All in all, castlecore is all about using classic materials like stone, iron, and old wood paired with soft medieval-style embellishments through art, tapestries, and throw pillows. It may not magically transform your apartment into an actual castle, but it will cast a kind of illusion spell that will help you conquer the boring builder-grade curse that seems to plague so many of us.
For more fantasy aesthetic ideas, watch this YouTube playlist of mine! It has videos on hobbitcore, fairycore, elfcore, goblincore, the sea witch aesthetic, and more - so give it a watch for more inspiration!
