You don’t have to wait for your dream home to create a cozy home you love. Creating a home you love starts with a shift in the way you think.
There are some practical steps you can take to make your home beautiful, peaceful and functional for you and your family.
Many people I find get caught up just in the visual appeal, but this can quickly loose its charm if the couches you sit on are hard, the floor is cold against your feet, there’s a funny smell in the air or the noise is unbearable.
You see we have several senses not just the one. The whole ambience of your home relies on pleasing the 5 main senses sight, smell, touch, hear and taste.
Stop and think about what smells you want in your home, what do you want to see, what would you like to hear, feel and taste? The possibilities are endless and creating a home you love can be so rewarding for more than just yourself.
Your home is a safe haven for your family and anyone else that walks through those doors. What feelings would you like your guests to have as they walk in?
Take notes on anything that pops straight into your mind! For now, Let’s get started with the first one which is what you see. As a lot can go on in our minds by what we see.
Declutter And Organise
Don’t let this stress you out! But it seriously so freeing and rewarding once you declutter and organise your home. I actually made a whole blog post on this to make this as easy and destressful as possible with a free printable decluttering guide as well.
Everything in your home is something you essentially need to take care of, something you have to clean, put away and think about. I go in more detail in my blog post link above, but the gist is.
Pick one area in your house and then pick a spot in that area. Have a trash bag ready to throw trash into, create a maybe pile things you are unsure you need or want but are hesitant to get rid of and a donation pile.
I don’t bother trying to sell things unless they are actually worth a bit as this is extra time you need to take pictures, put up for sale and deal with people.
Once you have those items sorted you can start placing the items you actually want into its own designated spot.
You will be amazed at how much joy you can get once your home is decluttered and organised! It is definitely worth putting a little time in everyday to declutter and organise your home.
Make Your Home Visually Appealing
They say a picture is worth more than a thousand words, so think of all the mental pictures you take as you look throughout your home. What would you like to see, what would make you smile and happy? Here are a few ideas to make your home more visually pleasing.
- Adding Colour throughout your home. Colour can be added through furniture, throw pillows, painting walls, blinds, paintings, family portraits, greenery, vases, rugs and so on. A little burst of bright colour can really change the feel and mood of a room and make a cozy home.
- Have interesting art or pieces on your wall. Why have an empty wall if you can add something beautiful on it. Wether it’s family pictures, beautiful wall art, quotes or quirky wall pieces add a little something to a wall in each room that catches your attention and makes you smile.
- Include plants into your decorating. I prefer real over fake there is something about house plants that just really lift the mood. Including real or even dried flowers helps give any room and instant lift as well. I do like dried flowers as they last a long time and are still beautiful to look at.
- Let natural light into your home wherever possible. Open up the blinds and let the natural light in. Natural lighting is gentler on the eyes and really makes a space more inviting to be in.
- Add layers to your home. This includes things like rugs on the floor, pillows on the couches, a table runner on the table. These little details might seem minute, but man do they pack a punch. I can personally say that some of these things really make me happy to see regularly. I love my rug, my antique lamp, and table runner and every time I see those pieces, I feel a little happier.
Add Natural Scents To Your Home
Did you know that smell is linked to memory? It also helps to instil certain emotions within us which is why the perfume industry is so popular.
Having a nice smelling house can make a huge difference in not only our emotions but those around us as well. Here are some tips on how to add smells into your home.
- The first one is the easiest and is to simply open your windows and let the fresh air in. If you don’t live in the city the air around you generally has its own refreshing scent so let it in.
- It also helps to get rid of stale air. It’s a very simple and free way of improving the smells in your home.
- Have a diffuser going with essential oils of your choice. Different essential oils help with different things. For example, lavender can help to calm a space, lemon oil can help with cleaning the air and lifting the mood, woodsy smells like frankincense can help with grounding ect.
- The list can go on. You only need a few drops of oil and smell can last hours and make your home feel cozy!
- Burn natural candles in the rooms. I say natural as I don’t like synthetic candles and their smells. They release toxins into the air and can make you feel worse over time.
- Burn a natural candle made with essential oils for an aromatic clean smell in the home.
- Add natural reed diffusers that constantly let out a beautiful scent into the space they are placed.
- Have fresh aromatic flowers to a room for a bright floral scent.
- Make your own potpourri and place into different rooms to add a nice natural smell.
- You can also make your own room spray to help clean and freshen the air in different rooms.
Make Your Home Cozy!
Having cozy areas in your home that you can relax in is so important. You can easily add a few items in your home that will automatically make you want to sit down and relax.
- I love rugs and if you have hard floor having some soft rugs for your feet is a must. This is a great way to add a nice cozy touch to your bedroom, living room and or dining room. Having something soft and warm on your feet is guaranteed to make you feel happier than a hard cold floor.
- Have a comfortable couch. No one wants to sit on a hard cold couch. Or maybe you do but overall I think most of us like a comfortable couch to sit on. I feel this is worth the investment and you can probably pick one up for a good price on gumtree, garage sales or even facebook marketplace.
- Have comfortable chairs or add cushions to your seats. Not only do cushions look appealing but sitting on a comfortable warm cushion is more relaxing than a hard cold chair.
- Add pillows to your couches and bed! I love throw pillows they enhance the look of the space but are also comfortable and soft. They can really add to the overall comfort of that space.
Add Music Or Sounds To Your Home
The sounds around us play an important part in our mood. Noisy homes don’t tend to be super relaxing homes I have found here are a few tips to help bring peaceful sounds into your home and make your home cozy.
- Have several different playlists with music you enjoy to set the mood in your home. Wether it’s Christian pop or classical music. Choose music that makes you feel the way you want to feel. Music is powerful so use it to enhance the overall feel of your home. I find if I play music with my kids around they are more relaxed and happy as well.
- Have windchimes outside. I personally love the sounds of wind chimes it’s very peaceful to listen to and can catch you off guard when the wind picks up so you enjoy the moment. There are different wind chimes with different sounds. See which ones catch your fancy.
- Have a water fountain either outside or an ornamental mini one inside your house. The sound of water is very soothing and calming. If I didn’t have children who would constantly play in it I would add a lovely water fountain to my house.
Have Food Available
We can’t have a welcoming cozy home without food. If you want to love being at home, make sure you have access to good food in your pantry and fridge.
Ensuring you have staples and quick snacks at home can really make you feel happier. No one is happy when they are hungry. Here are some tips to ensuring you food is never too far off.
- Ensure you have staples in your home! I have list of pantry staples in my resource page specifically for subscribers. If you want to subscribe, go the right and you will get the link and password. When you have staples in your home you can easily whip up something to eat.
- Have a few healthy go to snacks. Wether you enjoy vegetable sticks with dip, crackers and cheese or piece of fruit make sure you have a list of things that need to replenished so you don’t go without.
- Pick a day to premake some meals whether it’s breakfast, lunch, dinners or snacks. Having some easy premade meals ready made in the fridge for when you need it.
- Make freezer meals. Freezer meals are always handy whenever you are making dinner why not make double and freeze some for later. That way if you don’t feel like cooking, have had a hard day or have surprise visitors there is something ready to go in the freezer just needs to be dethawed!
- Make sure to have teas, sugars, coffees and/ or chocolate in your pantry for when you, your family or guest are wanting a comforting refreshment.
Avoid Toxic People
Your home is you and your family’s sacred space. Sometimes we can’t help you who comes into our space when it comes to family. Make sure there is an area you can go to when you need a break.
People can bring their positive and also negative energies with them. Now everyone has bad days and that’s fine but if you find someone especially toxic, I would prefer not to have them in my home. It can be incredible draining.
A couple things that help lift the negativity around you are salt lamps, essential oils and crystals.
Conclusion
Remember it’s your home and you are in charge of making it cozy, comfortable and happy to be in. Get as creative as you want and enjoy the process of making your house a home you love.
Let me know are there any other tips on creating a cozy home below! Happy Homemaking!