How to make your home more cozy

Table of Contents

• Choosing cozy seating
• Adding softness to enhance the cozy
• Consider scale when choosing your cozy
• Let there be light, lots of cozy light
• Add coziness with layers
• Cozy = Love

If you’re wondering how to make your home more cozy, here is my six pronged formula for adding that cozy, warm, hygge feeling to your space.

In a nutshell, cozy is created with Triple S Triple L  – that’s my own shorthand for Seating, Softness, Scale, Lighting, Love, and Layers. Let’s take them one by one.

Choosing cozy seating

It’s hard to be cozy standing up. The vision of cozy is someone either curled up or stretched out on a comfy chair. When you’re looking for ways to make your home more cozy, your choice of comfortable seating could be a big papasan chair, a beanbag, your favorite recliner. Mine is my comfy couch. In the winter, especially, my couch is my happy place and the center of my cozy universe. I spent more than five years searching for the perfect sofa to replace my stained and saggng La-Z-Boy (that I loved!). I finally decided on the West Elm Extra Deep Harmony Sofa. It’s down-filled, with washable, removable cushions, and is super deep. Basically it’s like a bed in my living room. I love it so much.

Adding softness to enhance the cozy

Most rooms are by nature made of hard lines and hard materials. Sharp corners, walls, windows, rectangles. Not very cozy. That’s why you need to layer your floors, walls, and windows with softness.

Soft blankets, throw pillows, rugs, anything warm and fuzzy will do. I always have at least three blankets within grabbing distance. Buy good quality blankets, or make your own. They key is that they are super soft.

Pillows: I’m not a big throw pillow person, if they get in the way of your relaxing. But they can add some nice soft technique to your cozy space. This couch is deep enough that there is room for the pillows without getting in the way. They’re also great for adding color to your space.

Rugs: If you have hardwood floors, rugs are a necessity. They not only add comfort and warmth, but they can really define the space. As the “dude” in the Big Lebowski says “It really ties the whole room together.” And don’t forget, you can absolutely layer rugs on top of rugs!

Other soft ideas: Faux sheepskin (or real if you’re into that). I bought this at world market for about $30 and I move it around depending on my mood. Sometimes I place it by the fireplace for my cat. Other times I drape it on the back of my arm chair. Or I even put it on my wood coffee table to really cozy the place up.

Consider scale when choosing your cozy

This piece of advice applies to anytime you’re decorating. In order for things to just feel “right,” you need to get the scale right. What do I mean? I used to have a 1- bulb antique floor lamp in my living room that was about 5 feet tall. I loved the lamp, but there were two problems with it. One – It just didn’t put off enough light. It was fine for atmosphere but when I wanted to read or crochet on the couch in the evening, it just wasn’t getting the job done.

I replaced the lamp with this tree lamp from Wayfair that has 3 bulbs and also hangs over the couch to really provide some light. You can turn one, two, or all three lights on to adjust the light to your mood and needs. But the thing I hadn’t realized until I replaced the light was that the previous light was too small. With the big couch, the big coffee table, the lamp just felt insignificant. So consider scale and if something isn’t feeling right, try out a smaller or larger piece to see how it feels. This also applies to accessories like vases (don’t underestimate the power of a giant vase in a big space!).

Let there be light, lots of cozy light

Cozy can be bright, like a cottage with a roaring fire. Or it can be dim and candlelit. But to make a space cozy at any time of the day or night – at any time of year, the key is to have options. One thing you definitely do not want to do is have just one overhead light. In fact, I would opt for no overhead light at all, but to have lamps and other lighting sources coming from different parts of the room.

Layer the lights to fit the mood. I have the aforementioned 3 headed lamp, which I can adjust as needed. I also have a spotlight and some fairy lights on the fireplace mantle to provide atmospheric light. A small lamp on the piano chases the shadows away in the evening, and then there are candles!

Hint: to make your space more cozy, get some lamps from other parts of your house to try out where you might need more lighting in your soon-to-be-cozy space. I’ve found that adding more lamps almost always fixes a room when it’s feeling cold and unwelcome.

Add coziness with layers

Just like you wouldn’t head out into a cold Maine winter’s day with just a T-shirt, making a cozy space is all about layers. Layer those pillows, blankets, sheepskin rugs on top of one another. Layer the lighting so it builds on itself to create the exact ambience you’re craving. Add a cat and a bunny just for extra warmth. Then, once summer comes, you can take some of those layers off. It’s all about being flexible.

Cozy = Love

Here’s where the magic happens. Even if you’re a minimalist, surround yourself with things you love. I’m actually not that materialistic (meaning when Mr. Bunny eats my laptop cord, or my Merino wool sweater, I don’t freak out). However, for me, things can remind me of the people and places and memories I love.

Being a bunny person, many people give me pretty gifts with bunnies on them. I love to display these because they remind me of both my bunnies and the person who gave me the gift. Books, photographs, vases with feathers or flowers, plants, and wooden boxes. These are all things that make me happy, so these are what I have chosen for my cozy space. For you, it might be something totally different. But if it doesn’t make you smile, don’t add it!

I hope this helps you make your space cozy and hygge. For those of us who live in colder climates, a cozy space can be a refuge from the harsh elements outside. So, follow these tips, grab a hot beverage (such as a perfect cup of tea) and a furry pet and you’re set for the winter. What says cozy to you? Share in the comments your own tips for creating a cozy haven.

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