7 Interior Design Tips for a Cozy Home.

1. CREATE WARMTH THROUGH LIGHTING

There is a reason why lighting is the first tip to making your home cozy! There is perhaps nothing more important than good lighting to create a cozy atmosphere.

If you’re not sure how to design a warm room, start by assessing your lighting situation.

• How many light sources are there in your room?
• What is the design of each light? Do you like it?
• Are the bulbs you are using warm or cool?

Any harsh, single overhead lighting should be avoided. 

Instead, make sure you have an abundance of task lighting, table and floor lamps, candles (preferably scented!), and ambiance lighting.

When the sun goes down, create clusters of illumination where you want focal and conversation points to be.

If introducing additional lights and re-jigging your lighting situation is out of the question for financial reasons, at least make sure you are only using warm bulbs throughout the rooms that you want to cozy up.

2. ADD LIFE WITH PLANTS & FLOWERS

If you don’t have plants, you should seriously consider adding some right now!
Plants are cozy because they are living things. Plants can get expensive but there are lots of ways to save money and still have a home full of lush greenery:

• learn to propagate your existing plants
• ask for cuttings from your friends and family
• pick up fallen succulent leaves from garden centers and propagate them (just ask the store manager for permission – they always say yes since they’d be thrown out anyways!)

3. WARM UP YOUR SPACE WITH RUGS & TEXTILES

Hardwood and laminate flooring are great, but can get chilly under your feet in the cooler seasons. The same goes for tile.

TIP → If you can’t buy a big area rug, you can layer multiple smaller ones, which can create an even more inviting effect.

By placing layers between yourself and the floor, you will be guaranteed to feel instantly warmer and more cozy.

4. ADD TEXTURE

Texture is the surface quality of a material. Texture adds depth and helps add coziness to a space.

Here are some ways to instantly add texture which will cozy up your rooms:

• Place woven baskets containing extra pillows and throw blankets.
• Use textiles in inviting fabrics such as chunky knit, velvet, faux fur and linen.
• Pile on the pillows!
• Mixing accessories in materials like leather, ceramic and wood will also create appealing tactile experiences and sensations.
• A simple but well-styled shelf of books is a cheap and effective way of adding texture to a room.
• If you don’t have a shelf, stack your books. Stacks are satisfying to look at if they’re neat!

5. COZY UP WITH CURTAINS

Do you use sheers or blinds? For an extra layer of coziness in the winter, try swapping out your lighter weight curtains for some luxurious heavy drapes with thermal lining.

They will not only help keep the heat in, but will add extra softness and – you guessed it! – coziness to the room.

6. HANG ARTWORK & MIRRORS

It can absolutely be an incredibly striking design choice to keep a wall entirely bare and feature just one piece of art. But if you are taking that route with your art, make sure that it’s intentional and not just because your wall art was an afterthought.

Besides painting and prints, you can also hang:

• fiber art
• textile wall hangings
• beautiful quilts
• your own personal photographs
• mirrors
• your children’s artwork

TIP → You can also try leaning larger scale framed art and mirrors directly against the wall.

7. DON’T FORGET FRAGRANCE & SCENT

What you see is important, but what you smell is just as important! Never underestimate the power of scent.

If your home looks amazing but still smells like the cod you fried up last night … you are doing your home and the hard work you put into it a disservice!

There are a lot of different ways to scent your home, all you need to do is pick which way is your favorite, and obviously pick a scent you love.

Try wax melts, scented candles, incense, DIY stovetop potpourri, fresh fragrant flowers … whatever makes your nose happy!

If you make a point of having a home that smells amazing, trust me, you’ll never want it any other way.

source: poshpennies.com