Having a cozy home will make you want to come home and relax after work. When your living space makes you feel good, it’s easier to unwind and settle in for the night. If your home needs a little boost in the cozy department, here are some tips that can help.
1. Get a fireplace insert
When you already have a traditional fireplace, but it’s not good enough, a fireplace insert can help. For example, you can transform your fireplace into a wood stove and distribute heat throughout your home. This isn’t something possible with a fireplace.
With an insert, you can instantly get a wood-burning, pellet, gas, or electric stove without having to buy a whole new unit and rip out your existing fireplace. Fireplace inserts are closed-combustion fireboxes for masonry fireplaces that are specifically designed to increase heat efficiency. They do an excellent job at producing heat you can enjoy while sitting in your favorite chair, and when you get an insert, your pets will love lying in front of your fireplace, too.
2. Light candles throughout the house
One of the best ways to create an ideal ambiance is to light candles throughout the house. More specifically, the bathroom, the kitchen, maybe the dining room, and even the living room. It’s safer to use short, fat, wide candles in the rooms you won’t be in all the time, but if you’re hanging out in the living room, a nice wall sconce with some tapered candles can really set the mood.
Candles are similar to having a fire in the fireplace because real flames create a cozy feeling almost instantly for just about everyone. This is why people enjoy sitting around a bonfire to tell stories on camping trips and why so many people get fire pits for their backyards. The flame of a candle may be small, but its power to create a cozy feeling is mighty.
3. Add area rugs to your hardwood floors
Hardwood floors are amazing, easy to clean, and can really make your home look good. The problem is that they are cold. Unless you have special heated floors, you’ve probably noticed that not having carpet makes your space a little cooler than you’d like. The fastest way to warm things up is to put down some area rugs.
When you add area rugs to your home, it will still look better than carpet because you can choose creative designs that work well with your existing décor. You can also choose the size and that gives you the option to have several different designs in the same general area, which is something you can’t do with wall-to-wall carpet.
Finally, having area rugs will make you want to walk around the house in your pajamas and maybe even bare feet. Rugs insulate the floor, which increases the temperature in your home enough to make that second pair of socks unnecessary in winter.
For the best results, choose rugs with the deepest pile. A little shag carpeting never hurt anyone, either, and it feels really good on bare feet.
4. Use rich colors
Deep, rich colors go a long way to create a cozy feeling. You can do this with paint, wallpaper, throw pillows, couches, and even your rugs. Choose colors that make you feel warm, like deep blues, purple, forest green, charcoal gray, and maybe even some red and orange.
If you aren’t sure about color combinations, consult an interior design professional to get some ideas. Sometimes the simplest additions make the biggest impact, like getting some new throw pillows for the couch, some throw blankets, or changing your drapes.
5. Clear up the clutter
Last, but not least, decluttering your home is one of the fastest ways to support your efforts to create a cozy ambiance. Clutter can make you feel agitated, even if you aren’t consciously aware you’re feeling that way. The more you tidy your home, the easier it will be to settle in and get comfortable. No matter how beautiful your décor is, if you’re surrounded by random things all over the floor, stacked in the corners, and papers all over every surface, you won’t feel as comfortable as you would with a clean home.
Your home, your style
Your idea of cozy may be completely different from other people’s idea of cozy. So, go with your ideas and preferences even if they don’t follow the general consensus. For example, maybe you don’t like candles and prefer incense or fake flowers. Whatever your preference, it’s ultimately your call.
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