Everyone wants to feel cozy in their homes this time of year, but with all the business of life, it can be hard to find the time to dial in your home’s style.
To give you a head start, we’ve put together a quick list of nine easy ways to add comfort and style to your home —so you can look forward to coming home after a long day.
1. Give everything a home
First things first —it’s nearly impossible to feel cozy and comfortable in the midst of a giant mess, so you should begin by decluttering.
Leaving unwashed dishes, unpaid bills, magazines, or unfinished homework out on your countertops can provoke feelings of anxiety, so it’s essential to get things out of the way.
Make sure you find a place for everything. You might need to invest in some extra storage space, but it’ll be well worth it in the long run!
2. Dim the lights
If everything seems to be perfectly cozy, but that special something is still missing, try dimming the lights, or swapping out light sources entirely.
White light from fluorescent bulbs makes any space feel cold and empty. Instead, try combining and layering your light sources between candles and dimmer or shaded lamps.
This will automatically make your home feel warmer, and less abrasive to the eyes.
3. Hang some artwork
Nothing says cold and empty quite like bare walls inside a home. If your ultimate goal is style, hang your favorite pieces of artwork —but not those mass-produced soulless pieces you find in furniture stores.
Do some searching in local art galleries and online to find prints or originals that you think would make a nice addition to your home, as a reflection of your own unique personality.
4. Liven things up with flowers
It’s not always easy to find flowers during the winter months, but keeping things seasonal is an excellent way to bring life and color into your newly cozy home.
When fresh flowers are hard to find, you can always opt for dried flowers, or wheat sheaves. You can leave these out all year and they never lose their country, homey feeling.
5. Treat your toes to luxury rugs
Whether you realize it or not, a single rug can tie your entire home together, if not just a single room. Try incorporating rugs of different sizes, shapes, and patterns for different places throughout your home.
For example, a large hand-woven wool rug is a fantastic addition to any living room. Center your furniture around the rug to tie the space together, and allow your toes to enjoy the warmth.
Rugs aren’t all the same though. You don’t want to purchase something cheap that’ll fall apart after a year, or something that will stain easily. There are few places where you can find a rug for every application. Get a head start by checking out the massive selection on Lawrence of La Brea.
6. Don’t forget about fragrance
It’s not usually the first thing that comes to mind, but smell plays a significant role in how we perceive our environment. So if you want your home to feel more stylish and comfortable, make sure your nose feels comfortable.
Try lighting scented candles, or burning your favorite incense to give your home a welcoming fragrance.
7. Update your bedding
Sometimes the bedroom can start to feel dull and uncomfortable if you use the same bedding for too long. Freshen things up with some new bedding, and you might just start to feel like you’re on vacation!
8. Warm window treatments
Warmth doesn’t always have to be an abstract concept when it comes to interior design.
Try hanging some heavier curtains to give your bedroom or living room a cozy touch. Heavy, satin curtains bring color, warmth and texture that lighter linen curtains simply cannot —and they actually help to block out cold air during the winter!
9. Stash slippers by the door
If you want you and your guests to truly feel welcome and cozy in your home, make sure to keep several pairs of slippers by the entryway.
This way, you and your guests can keep the coziness everywhere throughout the house!
Conclusion
Not everyone has the time to create a perfectly comfortable sanctuary to call home, but if you give these nine tips a try, we’re sure you’ll be feeling cozier in no time at all!
