Here’s How to Make Your Home Cozy

Cozying up your home isn’t about functionality, though the items you can add are certainly useful. It’s more of a direct appeal to the senses. Things that are pleasing to see, smell, touch, and even taste all contribute to creating a snug, relaxing space.

Cozy Décor = Comfort & Well-Being

Frigid weather makes you crave warmth and comfort. Your indoor sources of heat and light need to supplement the winter sun, while interior colours and textures must make up for what mother nature has concealed outside. Here are some cozy décor suggestions to make your home more enjoyable.

Colour

Consider adding some warm accent colours to walls and trim. Reds, oranges and yellows create more of a cozy feel than blues and greens. Copper and gold elements feel warmer than silver and steel.

Scent

Diffusers offer natural aromatherapy while helping to humidify your home. Try some summer-specific scents like lavender, vanilla and lilac to create a warmer atmosphere. Scented candles will also work wonderfully.

Light

Light influences the way we feel in a room. It’s easy to change the tone and brightness of indoor lighting by choosing specific types of lightbulbs. Winter light tends to be bluer, creating a chilly feel. Yellow light makes us feel warmer – a good choice for soft lighting in table lamps and floor lamps.

Texture

Certain textures can also have a warming effect. Adding a high pile area rug to a wood, vinyl or stone floor will make you want to pad around in socks. Throw pillows on a couch or armchair make them more enticing. Wicker baskets also add a homey element to rooms, and can hold rolled up blankets or fire logs.

Creating Warmth with Blankets and Throws

Dozing in bed or curling up in front of the TV for a good movie can be a luxurious sensation, as long as you’re warm enough. An extra blanket can add just enough warmth to make us feel comfortable.

Full Size Blankets

A fleece blanket is naturally warm and moisture-resistant, making it a perfect choice for winter comfort. Another great way to warm things up is with an electric blanket. The advantage here is you can turn the heat down or off once you feel warm enough.

Throw Blankets for the Couch

On chilly evenings, a throw blanket is easy to wrap around your legs when you’re lounging on the couch web-browsing or reading a book. Keep one or two of these folded on the back of the couch for instant warmth.

Weighted Blankets

Weighted blankets provide a feeling of comfort and security. Some users say they can also reduce stress and help induce sleep.

Candles

Candles can induce a sense of calm when you’re feeling stressed. The soft, flickering flame of a candle, along with certain scents, are known to therapeutically affect mood – hence the practice of aromatherapy.

Fireplaces & Heaters

Consider installing a wood stove. You’ll get that real-fire feel, and you can heat up cider or hot chocolate on the top surface. An electric fireplace will also add cozy warmth to your living room. Some models come as part of a mantel/fireplace combination, and feature both a visible flame and heat. A space heater may not have the same ambience, but it will do a great job of heating your environment.

Creating Cozy Spaces

Dedicating a small space in your home for creative activities makes perfect sense when winter rolls around. 

• Reading Nooks: A window bench or an armchair in the upstairs hallway creates a reading nook where you can curl up with a good book. 

• Jigsaw Puzzle Corners: Place a small table in a corner of your family room where you can leave a puzzle undisturbed.

• Crafting and Sewing Tables: Also good for the basement room, where crafters and sewers can keep machines and accessories handy.

Baking

We all like the smell of freshly baked cookies when it’s cold outside. Get the kids involved in mixing dough and decorating the cooled cookies – if they can wait that long!

Cooking & Dining

It’s the time of year for soups bubbling on the stove, meaty stews in slow cookers, and hearty casseroles baking in the oven. The warmth from the oven and the wafting smells fills your home with anticipation. Get out grandma’s recipe book and get the whole family involved in the kitchen. While you’re at it, you can also indulge in traditional winter drinks. How about mulled apple cider, hot chocolate, or even winter cocktails for special occasions.

Personal Care

Pick a day that’s just for you and indulge yourself in a home spa day. You can find all sorts of personal care products that focus on particular areas of the body. Add some natural scent diffusers to complete the ambience.

A cozy home is a happy home, especially when it’s freezing outside. A few small additions can go a long way to snugging up your home for the season.