Outlander Aesthetic Decor: How to Make Your Home Feel Like an 18th Century Castlecore Sanctuary
This post contains affiliate links. If you click and purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!
Want to make your home look like a historical romance set in 18th century Scotland? If so, you might want to tap into the Outlander aesthetic for inspiration!
Whether you’re a fan of the Outlander TV show and books or not, there is so much to visually feast on here. And since my audience tends to be fans of castlecore, fairycore, hobbitcore, and other fantasy aesthetics, I know for a fact that the Outlander style is likely right up your alley.
And with Outlander season 8 premiering next month, it’s a perfect time to dive into how we can use the show to inspire our decor and create a sanctuary full of moody candle light, cozy warmth, and dark rustic magic.
So today I’m going to give you bunch of Outlander home decor ideas and inspiration!
And then you too can feel like you time traveled to 18th century Scotland through a circle of magical stones and found yourself surrounded by rolling green hills, candle lit castle walls, and a slew of witchcraft accusations for being an intelligent woman in the 1700s 🙃 - all within the walls of your apartment.
Would you rather watch than read? Here’s the video! ↓
What is the Outlander Aesthetic?
Before we get into the specific decor pieces I found, let's define what the Outlander aesthetic is.
For one thing, it depends on what era of Outlander you're talking about. Because this show goes all over the place geographically, and therefore aesthetically. The Paris season in particular is some of the most visually decadent television I've ever seen.
But for today, let's focus on the visual heart of the show, aka one of the coziest aesthetics in existence: the 18th Century Scottish Highlands.
Most of the visuals you see in this era of the show come down to one core purpose: keeping warm.
Fabrics like wool, leather, fur, (or for us, faux fur,) and hanging tapestries all serve the purpose of surviving the cold Highland winters. Then, as a lovely side effect, they make the rooms look pretty. I'm sure the manly kilt-clad brutes of this show would love to hear that. 🙃
And in addition to the coziness, it's also a very moody, rustic style. It's very earthy and nature informed; raw woods, stone castle and cottage walls, rooms lit only by candlelight, and echoes of Celtic folklore.
But aside from what your eyes see, which is basically a dark rustic castlecore through a distinctly Scottish lens, let's talk about what your heart sees in this style. What is the spirit of the Outlander aesthetic?
At its heart, Outlander is a tale of romance and rebellion. It's a love story and a political thriller.
The main character, Claire, accidentally time travels to 1743, and before she knows it, she finds herself falling in love with a sexy Scot who is deeply embroiled in the Jacobite rebellion.
And everything beautiful you see in this show is under threat. Tartan kilts? Banned by the British government. The Gaelic language? Banned by the British government. Highland culture in general? Under attack.
At its core, this aesthetic is really just all about staying warm while fighting an oppressive government. Sound familiar?
To quote another Ronald D. Moore show I am a massive fan of, Battlestar Galactica, "All of this has happened before and it will all happen again.” History repeats over and over. And this is a major theme in Outlander too. All of this has happened before and it will all happen again. Season one, it was the Jacobite rebellion, and in the final seasons it's the Revolutionary War. We humans just can't help ourselves. At the end of the day, violent, greedy men ruin everything. Don't even get me started on the misogynistic witchcraft allegations that Claire and Geillis have to deal with in season one.
Okay, before my already constantly simmering blood gets to a full boil, let's talk about the pretty things of this style. Just keep in mind, if you want to capture any aesthetic in your decor, understanding the history of it and the spirit of it is only going to help you make it more beautiful.
This is how we create a style with soul, not just a superficial shell of it.
Okay, on to pretty things!
Inspiration
There's an account on Instagram I found that perfectly captures the Outlander aesthetic: Kevrosehome.
Kevrosehome has done so much to make it look like her home went through the same time travel stones Claire did. This woman is just straight up DIYing her way to full-blown Outlander excellence. I can't imagine being able to do the things she does. The talent is just off the charts.
And her canopy bed is her ultimate pièce de résistance. It looks like something straight out of the 1700s, straight out of Outlander.
Her whole account is true dedicated Outlander styling, right down to responding to the blatant misogyny in her comments just like Claire would: by showing just how much of a capable and powerful woman she is. And that's even more beautiful than her actual decor.
So, if you want to see how someone does the Outlander aesthetic full force in our modern time, look no further than Kevrosehome!
Outlander Aesthetic Decor Ideas
So, now that we've touched on the visual inspiration and spirit of the Outlander aesthetic, let's get into the specific decor pieces I found for this style.
Decorative Accents
Wall Decor
Bedroom Decor & Furniture
Outlander Inspired Bedroom Design
Now let me show you how some of those decor pieces could come together in a bedroom design I created!
Moodboard version of the bedroom design
3D rendered version of the bedroom design
As you can see, it's all about the cozy warmth and dark, moody romance we see in the show. The four-post bed combined with the hanging tapestry kind of hints at the canopy bed look without fully having to commit to it, while also providing a focal point in place of a headboard.
The styling altogether looks like a collection of antiques and gives off an air of a time traveled space.
And then if you're not afraid of a lot of pattern, here's a version with the wallpaper I found:
Moodboard version of the bedroom design
3D rendered version of the bedroom design
Overall, it's a space that embraces the old while living in the world of the new - and does so by candlelight. 🥰
If you want some more inspiration along the lines of this Outlander aesthetic, I recommend you watch this YouTube playlist of mine, in which I dive into styles like fairycore, goblincore, castlecore, hobbitcore, and a whole bunch of other majestic looks. So give it a watch next for more whimsical decor ideas!
