Cottages are often framed as simple, rustic dwellings, but in reality they operate as a global system shaped by tourism , real estate, and cultural imagination. In regions like Cotswolds, honey-coloured stone cottages have been transformed from agricultural housing into high-value lifestyle assets, frequently listed on platforms like Airbnb and Sykes Holiday Cottages. What was once functional housing for rural workers is now embedded in a system where scarcity, aesthetics, a