9 Ways to Make Your Home More Cozy and Feel Less Cluttered ...

1. Lighting

The number one trick above all ways to make your home more cozy is to use good lighting. Dark corners, fluorescent lighting, and little light in each room will make a home seem bleak and uninviting. Too bright lights make things harsh and dark rooms with the drapes closed or no lamps, also make a room seem depressing. To make things cozy, place a lamp at opposite corners of the room, at least on two sides. These can be floor or table lamps, it doesn’t matter. This balances out the lighting in the room and makes the room seem larger, and yet more cozy at the same time. Get rid of overhead lights if you want things to be cozy and not seem like a department store or your supermarket.

2. Clear the Clutter

No one can feel at home in their house if they can’t get around too well in it. Clear the clutter away and you’ll automatically gain a sense of peace and warmth in your home. It has been proven that clutter makes people more stressed and enables them to focus as well as those who work and live in a clutter-free environment. The easiest way to take care of clutter is to take 10 minutes each day, perhaps just before you go to bed, to clear away items and put them where they belong. This includes those dirty dishes in the sink too!

3. Keep It Clean

While I know most people don’t have too much time to spend cleaning, you can still make an effort to keep a clean home so you can relax and enjoy your space more. Take a few minutes a day to put things away, vacuum a couple times a week, or more if you have pets and kids, and mop your floors at a minimum of once a week. Dusting is also easy to do every 4-5 days, even if it’s just the “hot spots” as I like to call it, where your main traffic areas are. A clean home automatically makes a home seem more cozy than those that are a wreck or always messy.

4. Paint

Another simple tip to make your home seem more cozy is to paint your walls! Seriously, get rid of those boring white walls! If you live in an apartment where this isn’t allowed, decorate your walls with photos, nice shelves, or pretty artwork, or perhaps a nice clock. Painting your walls adds personality. Pick shades that work with your whole home, which will add “fluidity” to your rooms, helping to balance everything out and bring it all together.

5. Make It Match

Another great tip to make a home seem more cozy is to make sure everything matches. Bright colors that clash might make a room or home seem more awkward than welcoming and cozy. Take time to match your colors together, or do what I do, and pick attractive neutrals like black, champagne, gold, silver and beige. All of these work well together and you can do so many things that look different to make everything come together quite nicely.

6. Photos

I don’t typically suggest adding photos to every room, plastering the walls with only photos, but adding some photos in each room automatically makes things seem more “homey” and welcoming. Just one or two of you and your parents, you and your husband, kids, dog, friends, whatever. Any photos that mean something to you have a place in your home and make others feel more welcome when they see these too.

7. Candles

Candles always make things seem more cozy. Low lighting is great, but candles add a special warmth that even the best lit room won’t do. Any kind will do, but scented candles usually go over best. Just be sure to blow them out before you go out!

8. Plants

You don’t have to have a green thumb to take advantage of this. Many plants require hardly any water, just once a month for the most part. These include philodendrons, which are the plants you’ll see in most office environments that have the pretty longer draping leaves. These are great to put on shelves so you have a pretty display in each room, and they also work well in plant stands you can place inside your home, or in pots to go on your tables. For your dining table, you can buy inexpensive fresh flowers from your supermarket once a week, and fresh flowers always make a room seem more cozy!

9. A Great Throw

Lastly, adding a nice throw, like a faux fur throw is a great way to add a cozy appeal to a room. Drape it over the end of a bed, or perhaps on the sofa, nicely folded. This adds a special warmth and coziness to a room. The trick is not to leave it out and messy like you just took a nap! If you’re at home by yourself, it also makes a great way to cozy up in your chair and enjoy a night in.

What’s your favorite tip to make a home more cozy? I’m sure we all have our own ideas and tips, and I’d love to hear yours!