How to Make Your Home More Cozy

If you’ve ever curled up by a fire in the winter, with a full stomach after a satisfying meal, enjoying your favorite book or television show as the sun sets over your snowy yard – you’ve experienced the very definition of cozy. The warm and comfortable feeling that most people think of when they think of “cozy” goes beyond physical warmth. It’s a feeling that lends itself to a contented inner warmth, and it’s something that many homeowners want to emulate in their homes.

But if you don’t have a fireplace, or don’t live in a climate where it snows, can you still create a cozy home? Here are a few tips for adding some serious “cozification” no matter the time of year or the climate.

Focus on Happiness

The real secret of intimate moments like the one described above is a sense of happiness. In those moments, you feel at peace with the world, your life, and yourself. To achieve that same feeling in your décor, display things that remind you how happy your life is. Keep your memories where they can be seen. Children’s art can be framed instead of banished to the fridge; trip souvenirs can be displayed on bookshelves or in decorative baskets. Choose to display pictures that show your family and friends in candid, real moments, rather than posed.

Amp Up Texture

The texture is a major point of cozy style, and mixing textures helps increase the cozy factor even more. Keep extra blankets, fluffy pillows, and plush rugs close at hand. Mix long-hair natural fibers with satiny pillow cases, or sleek micro-suede with the comfort of a knitted blanket. If your furniture is a low-pile upholstered fabric, add something with longer or curly fibers to create a sense of being wrapped in luxury. Even during the summer, a lacey crochet blanket can give the feeling of coziness without adding heat. Fill the rest of your home with things that invite the viewer to touch – like smooth leather, worn wood, or patterned tile.

Bring In Some Life

Adding some indoor plants is a great way to add life to any room. Plants come in all shapes, colors, and sizes and can add warmth and character to your home’s decor. Even if you don’t have a green thumb, there are lots of low maintenance options that can help spruce things up…. not to mention the colorful and artistic potting you can use to plant them in.

Scale Up

If you are ready for an entire room makeover, or you haven’t finished furnishing your place yet, look for furniture on a larger scale. You want to be able to curl up in a chair, cuddle on an oversize couch, lounge in a bed fit for a King (and his Queen). You can mix these pieces with smaller ones to save space, but don’t underestimate how cozy oversized seating feels. Consider adding built-in seating, like window seats, that invite guests to make themselves comfortable. If a chair doesn’t have a footrest or an ottoman, consider placing a plush rug at the base to make a place for toes to curl up.

Lighting

The lighting is another important element in creating an intimate scene, but you don’t have to have softly falling snow and a flickering fireplace to achieve the same sort of softness. If you use “cool” light bulbs that put off a bright white light, switch them out for warm bulbs, or use colored lampshades that transform your light into something with more warmth. Yellow, red, orange, pink, brown, and certain shades of purple are warm colors. Try to include multiple lamps or sconces instead of, or in addition to, an overhead light, so that you can control the lighting level in a room. Candles are another easy way to add warm, cozy light to any setting.

Coziness can be added to any space in your room with the addition of things that could be described by the following words: soft, warm, touchable, textured, plush. Focus on anything that makes you feel comfortable and contented, and you’ll have the coziest home imaginable.

Sources:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/cozification-7-steps-to-making-a-house-feel-like-home-165452

http://homeyimprovements.com/5-ways-make-home-cozy/

https://allisonlindstrom.com/blog/15-ways-to-make-your-home-cozy/