In the annals of history, few things in life have become more important than home. Home is our sanctuary, our respite from the world, and the place many of us want to spend most of our time. Creating a cozy, inviting home is something that can be achieved over time, with collected treasures making their way into the little nooks and crannies as time goes by.
By incorporating a few design and decorating tips, you can easily learn how to make your home cozy and inviting.
If you long to create a warm, welcoming home where friends and family gather at the holidays, where nothing is too precious, and where calm is the word you would use to describe your surroundings, these tips for ways to make your home feel cozy are for you.
The Oxford Languages Dictionary defines cozy as “giving a feeling of comfort, warmth, and relaxation.”
If you have ever experienced that cozy feeling, you know the power it can have over you. I look at it not as a singular feeling, but a range of emotions that are often tied to a place and time. Cozy is slow living at its best. Savoring the moments that become great memories, even if that memory is just a random Tuesday evening spent huddled around a fire.
co·zy /ˈkōzē/
giving a feeling of comfort, warmth, and relaxation
- Oxford Dictionary
To me, the feeling of warmth in my surroundings, especially in our home, is very important. If you’re here reading this, I expect you are one of those people who prefers a cozy home too. I hope these tips help you get closer to the feeling you want your home to convey.
SOURCES: Blue cable knit throw blanket (similar) | Natural/blue patterned rug (top rug) | Jute rug (bottom rug) | Wingback chair (similar)
There are countless ways to make your home feel cozy. By layering textiles, old with new, and bringing in natural materials, your home will feel warm—like a big hug!
A Classic Color Palette
A classic color palette of neutral tones in warm creams and whites exudes calm, bringing a cozy feel to any room. Minus overly bright whites, a coastal color palette comes close to being a perfect starting point to infuse warmth into your home.
Paint is also a quick way to add warmth to a space. Avoid bright whites, or any other color that is overly bright. You want some saturation, though. So pay close attention to undertones, avoiding shades with cool undertones in favor of warm and neutral undertones.
Comparing the ever-popular Benjamin Moore Simply White, White Dove, and Swiss Coffee paint samples next to each other, you can get a sense of the variation in the undertones.
I did a stunning nightstand makeover using Benjamin Moore White Dove paint. I love how it is a sophisticated warm white.
SOURCES: Blue cable knit throw blanket (similar) | Limestone knot object (similar) | Decorating in Detail book | The Beauty of Home book | Lamp (similar) | Basket (similar)
We plan to paint the entire interior of our home a warm white as well as add wall moldings in various rooms, which is a great way to add character to your home!
Warm Blue-Gray-Green Paint Colors
You may also find soothing colors across a spectrum of dusty blues, soft blush pinks, sage green hues, and buttery soft yellows, to be part of a cozy color palette.
Specifically, paint colors with blue-gray-green undertones can bring depth and warmth to a space. A few Benjamin Moore blue-gray-green paint colors I love are:
- Boothbay Gray (HC-165)
- Piedmont Gray (CC-690 or 1579)
- Mount Saint Anne (CC-710, 1565, or AC-16)
In the picture I took below, notice how steel-blue Boothbay Gray is (overlapping swatch) compared to the warmer Piedmont Gray (bottom swatch) and neutral gray Mount Saint Anne (top swatch).
You can see both how interior designer Molly at Design Loves Detail used the lovely Piedmont Gray in her family’s basement theater room. She also used Boothbay Gray throughout her home, including her front entry doors, sweet little nursery, butler’s pantry, and kitchen island. While I have not seen this paint color in person, Benjamin Moore Duxbury Gray (HC-163) is another warm blue-green-gray to consider that Molly used in their basement kitchen, guest room, and theater room doors.
Check out how I used the cool yet airy blue-gray Benjamin Moore Feather Gray (2127-60) on a little step stool DIY makeover project.
Use Black Here and There or Everywhere
Along with soft colors, the ever-classic neutral color black is often found in cozy feeling homes.
Whether it’s a timeless dark soapstone countertop in the kitchen, or hints of black here and there, such as curtain rods, cabinet hardware, and decor, black always feels right.
Layer Textiles and Patterns to Add Warmth
Layer, layer, and layer some more. To get a truly cozy home, layer textiles and patterns that will immediately add warmth to your space.
Textiles soften corners, make rooms feel more inviting, and add richness. Even if you opt for tone-on-tone, layering different patterns can give a room interest as well as feel lived in.
Hang Curtains
Curtains complete a room by drawing the eye upward while softening harsh angles and corners. As a textile, they are great at insulating rooms, literally making a room warmer.
Our home already had shutters, shades, or blinds on all of the windows when we moved in. Even still, I love the comforting look that layering different window treatments provides. So I layered beautiful 100% cotton curtains in a slightly off-white color on most of our windows, which immediately made our home feel more cozy and warm throughout.
Choose window coverings in natural fabrics—wool, cotton, linen, or silk—in neutral tones for an airy feel or dark moody colors to ground a space.
Use Rugs to Define Areas
Rugs are the unsung heroes of defining spaces in a home. Not only do rugs provide padding underfoot, but they create boundaries seemingly out of thin air.
A living room area rug, for instance, grounds the furniture so it doesn’t feel like it’s floating in the room. Even on carpet area rugs better define furniture placement while also bringing in a pattern for interest.
In our living room, I layered the most gorgeous handmade 9’ x 12’ natural/blue Loloi area rug on top of a 10’ x 13’ 100% jute rug that has a charming hand woven braid throughout. The jute rug comes in a second variation with a fringe on ends, but that is more farmhouse style.
SOURCES: Blue cable knit throw blanket (similar) | Natural/blue patterned rug (top rug) | Jute rug (bottom rug) | Rattan boxes with glass lids
The Loloi rug is a chameleon, as I’ve found most Loloi rugs to be. It is a neutral rug with a muted pattern in an understated color palette in soft tones of beige/natural, blue, and a pinky terracotta like color that is not too pink and not too orange.
I loved the Loloi rug so much that I bought a second one for our primary bedroom!
Places to use rugs in your home:
- Warm up cold tile or hardwood floors with an area rug
- Add a runner to your kitchen to bring in a pattern as well as softness to an area that typically has hard finishes
- Layer rugs over carpet
You can absolutely layer rugs over carpet, so don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. It’s a preference, but it is not wrong in any way.
As I mentioned, I recently added a rug in our primary bedroom on top of wall-to-wall carpet.
Eventually we will replace the carpet upstairs with hardwood flooring to match the first floor. Since the sale on the gorgeous Loloi rug was so unbelievable, I didn’t want to wait to buy it. I just love how the subtle pattern looks on top of the carpet.
Incorporate Throw Blankets Everywhere
A soft throw blanket draped over a chair, the back of a sofa, or at the end of a bed is charming while also being practical.
Look for blankets in natural materials:
- Cotton
- Wool
- Cashmere
- Silk
Natural materials should last significantly longer if properly taken care of. Also, throw blankets do not need to be expensive. You can find wonderful 100% natural material throws at well known retailers, such as HomeGoods, T.J.Maxx, Marshall’s, Target, Wayfair, and many others. Check the contents label first before you fall in with a blanket that isn’t the right material.
Many of the throws in our home are from HomeGoods, but I have splurged on a couple throw blankets from the eponymous organic cotton bedding company Boll & Branch.
Decorate with Sentimental Items and Found Objects
Collected over time, found objects from places traveled—even if that place is just down the street from where you live—family mementos, antique shops, boutiques, and thrift stores gives the feeling of being in a Nancy Meyers movie.
When decorating, use a mix of sentimental items, found objects from travels, vintage pieces, and newer decor. Let your unique finds tell a story about you.
SOURCES: Marble and brass cube object (similar) | The Kinfolk Garden book | Make Life Beautiful book | Braided bone tray (similar) | Large paper mache bowl (similar)
You don’t have to go far to find meaningful pieces to decorate your home; you just have to look. Sometimes you may find things in the most unexpected places.
I decorate our home with a mix of old and new. Antiquing is actually a favorite pastime. I love uncovering one-of-a-kind objects everywhere I go!
SOURCES: Return to Pretty book | Beautiful: All-American Decorating and Timeless Style book | Made for Living book | Small braided bone box (similar) | Alabaster rectangle box (similar) | Round marble dish (similar)
Spaces should feel curated but not cluttered. Of course, if maximalism is the thing that makes your home feel cozy to you, then be yourself.
Being surrounded by all the things you love and that make you happy is such a grounding, calming feeling. It is one sure way to make your home warm.
Decor that gives a cozy feel includes:
- Artwork and photographs - Print your own family photos or find one-of-a-kind artwork at local thrift and vintage shops to decorate with around your home.
- Unique vintage objects - Thrift shops, antique/vintage stores, Etsy, Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and other similar retailers carry unique objects you can use to bring a lived-in feel.
- Books - Stacked, leaned, or under a vase, books styled every which way are easy to style with.
- Florals and greenery - Bringing in greenery—real or faux—livens a room without overpowering whatever is going on in the space.
- Mixed metals - Mixing metals adds depth, helping to ensure a design scheme doesn’t fall flat.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for, do it yourself. I couldn’t find a beautiful pincushion that I liked so I made my own pretty DIY pincushion.
Style the Kitchen with Everyday Items
Another way to make your home feel cozy is to style your kitchen with everyday items. That cozy home feeling does not stop at the living room, you also want your kitchen to feel warm and inviting.
Here are a few ideas to make a kitchen feel cozy:
- Decant cooking oils, vinegars, sugar, and salt and pepper into pretty containers and place them on a round pedestal or tray next to the stove
- Store bread in a cute breadbox
- Prop cutting or serving boards against the backsplash to add interest
- Leave your beautiful KitchenAid mixer on the counter next to a stack of cookbooks
- Have a cute cookbook stand at the ready
- Use a lovely crock for everyday kitchen utensils
- Place a bowl full of fruit on the counter
- Style a corner on the island with a vase full of real/faux flowers
Family and friends will enjoy gathering for a delicious meal in such an inviting space!
Lighting, Lighting, and More Lighting
You can never have too many lighting sources in your home. A good lighting designer takes into account all of the possible activities, time of day, and general use of the space when planning out lighting.
For ways to make your home inviting, lamps, sconces, pendants, chandeliers, task and undercabinet/inside cabinets, outdoor patio/deck, fireplace, and natural (windows and doors) lighting sources should all have a place in your home.
Diffused light with warm lighting makes rooms feel extra cozy. Plus, this type of lighting creates a glow that everyone looks good in.
My office is an excellent example of this. In my tiny 6’ x11’ office space I have four lighting sources:
- Recessed lights overhead
- Recessed lights in the adjacent walkway/hall
- Table lamps
- Windows to one side as well as behind
I use all of the lighting sources in different ways, but I couldn’t imagine not having the options.
On cold winter days I love having all the lights on, especially my mini table lamp. My office feels extra warm when that little lamp is on.
Best LED Light Color for a Cozy Feel
Whether overhead lighting or a task lamp, choosing the right temperature of light bulb affects the entire mood of the room.
It seems every light bulb manufacturer has their own temperature scale, but I found the HomeDepot's Types of LED Lights article to be the most informative.
In general, I find it easy to categorize LED lights into three types:
- Soft/Warm White provides the most warm lighting for a cozy, intimate feeling, but not as warm as a dimly lit restaurant.
- Neutral White is a neutral, crisp white that has a fresh feeling which you may prefer in areas of your home where you need better illumination.
- Daylight is the brightest, coolest white that you often see in modern homes or when you want the space to feel energized, such as in a game room.
You can also buy LED light bulbs that allow you to change the warmth with a remote or a switch on the bulb itself, and dimmer switches have been around for a very long time.
Light a Candle or Gather Around a Fire
Have you ever been to a nice restaurant in the late evening? You may notice how they turn down the overhead lights and light candles at each table to create a comforting ambiance.
Candles have that effect. Real, battery-operated, flickering, scented or unscented, whatever you choose, candles create a mood.
My all-time favorite candle is Antica Farmacista’s Vanilla, Bourbon & Mandarin. Sweet, seductive vanilla is a go-to scent to infuse warmth to practically any room.
Use candles in bathrooms, kitchens, bedrooms, and entertaining spaces to add a cozy feel.
What is more warm and cozy than gathering around a fire?
One of my favorite features of our home is the three gas fireplaces. I love the sound of a crackling fire on a cold winter night. We use our living room fireplace the most, especially at Christmas.
If you have a fireplace, turn down the room lights and enjoy the light from the fire.
Bring in Natural Elements and Greenery
Whether real or faux, plants, florals, and greenery add life to your home.
For a little freshness, use dried florals, such as real dried hydrangeas, or real touch faux hydrangeas like those in the large white vase (it’s actually a cachepot with a lid) on our console table.
SOURCES: Rattan links | Large white glazed terracotta cachepot vase | Faux real-touch white hydrangeas | Faux real-touch light green hydrangeas | Blue cable knit throw blanket (similar) | Woven leather ottoman (similar) | Presidential Residences in France book (top, book jacket removed) | Architectural Digest at 100 book (bottom) | Console table
Below, the faux white snowball hydrangeas and faux green snowball hydrangeas I placed in a favorite glazed white stoneware vase are another great option. I bought the vase on sale some years ago and, while it is the most expensive vase we own, it was absolutely worth it!
Other natural elements, such as warm woods, rattan, cane, alabaster, and marble in warm earth tones soften a space. Usually natural elements also have quite a bit of movement and texture that adds interest.
We have a handful of natural stone containers as well as trays I use to decorate around the house. I found most of the decorative boxes HomeGoods.
I wrote a whole post about tips for how to find beautiful home decor on a budget. McGee & Co., AtHome, Amazon, Target, and Brooke & Lou carry many similar gorgeous decor pieces.
Create Ambience Through Scents and Sounds
Can you recall the welcoming scent you’re greeted with upon walking into a Williams Sonoma store? Fresh, warm, inviting, they know scent has a profound impact on mood, which in turn affects shopping experience. The same is true of making your home inviting through scents.
Do you like the smell of fresh baked cookies? How about spices and cinnamon? For our home I love this very warm scented vanilla, bourbon and mandarin reed diffuser. It’s the same scent as the candle I mentioned earlier. (You can also buy the exact diffuser directly on the brand's website, along with candles and room sprays.)
Other cozy feeling scents include:
- Calming lavender
- Cleansing sage
- Warm spices of clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon
- Alluring vanilla
Whatever you use, find a signature scent you can place throughout your home to make it smell special!
I would love to know, what do you do to make your home feel cozy? Leave a comment below!
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