5 Steps to a Cozy Home
Nothing feels better at the end of the day than relaxing in a comfortable room with the people you love, sipping on a warm drink and enjoying the warm, cozy glow of muted lighting after a delicious dinner. Living in our fast-paced world sometimes makes us feel like we’re going, going, going all the time! But creating a home that feels like a haven from the stress outside the door is a wonderful way to keep a little oasis of calm in a stressful world.
Everyone has different taste, and things that relax one person may feel stressful to another, so when decorating, always go with your own taste. I, for example, enjoy a lot of color in my decorating, and the neutral tones that are so in fashion right now feel stifling to me. But several of my friends feel right at home in a den of whites and grays. The tips I have compiled here aren’t intended to make your home look like my home. Instead, they are starting points for you to look at through the lens of your desires and preferences.
1. Use textures! Whatever colors you choose, fill your home with texture. This includes physical textures, like throw pillows, blankets, and rugs of various types that all feel different on the skin, but also includes visual textures. Grouping different textures together will give your home a cozy feel. Flat steel and chrome look beautiful, but they don’t inspire you to curl up with a good book. A room full of varied texture just feels inviting.
2. Decorate with purpose. When you are choosing how to place items in a room, don’t just throw them on a shelf and assume they will look nice. Place them deliberately, and then stand back and look. Does the item make the room look more inviting? If not, consider removing it. This goes for wall art, rugs, curtains, tchotchkes, and candles. Anything you might bring into a room with the intention of leaving it there, consider if it fits the overall theme of the space, and if it makes you want to be here.
3. Think about scent. When we spend enough time in a place, we stop noticing the way it smells. If you have pets (or maybe kids who play a lot of sports and leave their stinky socks on the floor), this is especially true. Open windows when you can to let fresh air in. Make sure all rooms in your house have good air flow, because inevitably it will be the back bedroom with a bookshelf over the air vent that will smell the mustiest. Keeping a pleasant scent in your home will make you want to stay there, so make an effort to bring in good smells and clear out any that are not-so-good.
4. Keep the clutter to a minimum. I am a clutter person. I leave clutter everywhere I go. At this point, instead of trying to berate myself into being neater, I just buy baskets and boxes (bonus points if they have nice textures!) and leave them in places where I commonly drop clutter. This gives me a two-for-one of being a decorative item that goes well in the space and also hides the junk I don’t want to look at but am not quite ready to toss in the trash.
5. Use your favorite things. Many people I know have a tendency to collect things we’re saving for a special occasion. Sometimes they aren’t even single-use items, like a favorite mug or a special blanket. Use the things you love! Using special-occasion items on a regular day makes that day into a special occasion. So drink tea out of your favorite mug, curled up with your favorite blanket! Your home is a place for you to live, love, and thrive. If you get enjoyment from your things, use them.
Following these simple steps can have a big impact on the way you feel when you spend time in your home. Treasure yourself! Treat yourself with the same care you would treat guests. Give yourself hospitality. Use your favorite stuff. Decorate in ways that make you feel at home, regardless of what the current trend is. The trend doesn’t live in your home, but you do. Make your home a place you want to spend time in, and then give yourself permission to use, see, and enjoy the things that make you want to be there.