18 ways to make your home cozy
By Thumbtack Contributors•Last updated Oct 12, 2023
Last updated Oct 12, 2023
Table of Contents
- 1. Give your entryway or foyer a new color palette or theme
- 2. Build a nook
- 3. Experiment with textures and natural materials
- 4. Splurge on an ultra-comfy, yet stylish piece of furniture
- 5. Make your fireplace a cozy focal point
- 6. Decorate your home like a cabin
- 7. Transform your home into a country cottage
- 8. Create soft, warm glows in your rooms
- 9. Add cozy scents and soft lighting with candles
- 10. Incorporate warm tones throughout your home
- 11. Switch up your window treatments
- 12. Cover bare walls
- 13. Opt for large, soft rugs to cover cold floors
- 14. Bring more nature indoors
- 15. Clean up your garden to ensure a more pleasant view
- 16. Cozy up your porch, deck, or patio
- 17. Add heat sources to your outdoor living areas
- 18. Make sure your home’s temperature remains warm and comfortable
- Find pros who can make your home cozier this season
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With cold weather setting in, homeowners have two choices: get grumpy about the impending freeze, or make their homes a cozy shelter. We know which one we’d choose.
Figuring out how to make your home cozy isn’t about simply turning up the thermostat and letting your heater do all the work. You should also use colors, textures, furniture, lighting, and more to add warmth and comfort to every room.
Here are a few project and design ideas to help you get started:
1. Give your entryway or foyer a new color palette or theme
As soon as you walk through the front door, create a sense of coziness with a few simple tweaks.
Pick a color palette — think creams, beige, blues, greens, and other natural colors — or go for a cozy farmhouse theme. Add a few accessories that fit your theme and palette. For example, you can:
- Add baskets or wall hooks to help keep the area clear of bulky winter gear.
- Place a cushiony bench against the wall and lay a blanket and pillows on it.
- Get an entryway table or console in a natural wood color. Decorate it with candles, a lamp with a dimmer, photos, and faux or real plants and flowers.
- Add a floor lamp instead of a table lamp to create a warm, welcoming glow.
2. Build a nook
If you have the space, add a nook in your kitchen or by your bedroom window. Find an open corner and install a bench or a comfy loveseat, topped with a few pillows and your fluffiest blanket. In the kitchen, add a small table and a few chairs for cozy social gatherings.
More tips: Even if you don’t have space for a nook, you can still make your kitchen table and dining area cozier. Put new covers on your kitchen chairs. Incorporate your favorite warm colors in the placemats, napkin holders, and other table settings. Decorate your table and kitchen counters with vases full of your favorite fall or winter foliage.
3. Experiment with textures and natural materials
Add decadent throw blankets and pillows to your living space to make it easier to stay warm. A wool or faux-fur throw looks great in your space and makes curling up on the couch even more inviting.
Looking for additional furniture or decor ideas for your living space? If you’re going for cozy, opt for wood and other warm natural materials like rattan, cork, or terracotta. These natural touches add texture that instantly warms up your living space.
4. Splurge on an ultra-comfy, yet stylish piece of furniture
If you’re not happy with your current couches or armchairs, treat yourself to a much more comfortable piece. Some popular styles include:
- Teardrop hanging chairs
- Velvet sofas, ottomans, or chairs
- Leather couches and sofas
- Sectional couches with a recliner
Take your time with this purchase. If possible, test out the pieces in stores before buying online.
5. Make your fireplace a cozy focal point
There’s no doubt that curling up in front of a roaring fire is one of the best ways to create a cozy atmosphere in your home. Here are some ideas to incorporate this fall and winter:
- Repaint it in a cozy color. Browse different shades of gray, blue, and even white.
- Decorate the mantle with garland, plants, photos, string lights, pottery, or candles.
- Add comfy seating for two. Place a couch, loveseat, or chaise near your fireplace. Or opt for stools or chairs instead. Add a throw pillow and blankets.
- Place a table close to your seating area. Add coasters for hot chocolate or books to make the area more inviting.
- Lay a rug underneath the furniture near your fireplace. Consider a darker color in case soot dirties up the area.
Reminder: Service your fireplace and chimney each year before you use it. An inspection can help prevent costly repairs and chimney fires.
6. Decorate your home like a cabin
There’s just something about a cabin that gives you all the warm, fuzzy feelings. In your home, you can create a cozy, cabin-like atmosphere by sticking to a warm color palette, soft lighting, and wood textures. If you don’t already have a chimney and fireplace, consider getting an electric one.
When it comes to rugs, blankets, and furniture, go for thick, heavy, and rugged pieces. Lean into woven fabrics, wool, or flannel. You may even want to include faux-fur options as well.
7. Transform your home into a country cottage
Similar to cabin decor, cottage design also gives off cozy vibes. Try these ideas to pull off a cottage look and feel:
- Consider a white and brown color palette when painting, adding furniture, and choosing other decor elements. This will help you maintain a crisp, clean, and soft feel in your home. You can also incorporate other colors throughout the design to bring more life and vibrancy into your decor. We recommend blues, teals, yellows, pinks, and greens.
- Find vintage, antique, or weathered furniture, including dining room tables, bookcases, and cupboards. You can repurpose your old furniture to get that vintage cottage look. Just repaint and distress a few pieces.
- Choose colorful paisley patterns when picking out fabrics for furniture, rugs, curtains, bedspreads, and more.
- Browse paneling options for your walls. Consider installing shiplap or tongue and groove panels for that classic cottage style.
- Redo your cabinets to include beaded panel doors. You can DIY or hire a pro to refinish or reface your cabinets.
- Install wall hooks in your kitchen to hang cups, utensils, and other tools.
8. Create soft, warm glows in your rooms
Lighting plays a big role in creating a cozy home. Add floor lamps, wall sconces, pendant lights, side table lamps, and other ambient or focused lighting. This will help you create warm glows and softer lighting in different areas.
9. Add cozy scents and soft lighting with candles
When perfecting your lighting, don’t forget about candles. Choose a few in your favorite scent — vanilla, apple spice, lavender, woodsy, and other smells may give you a sense of coziness — and shop around for candle holders that complement your home’s style.
Place your candles in areas where you plan to bundle up and relax, like your living room, bedroom, loft, or den.
10. Incorporate warm tones throughout your home
Whether you’re thinking about painting a wall or two in a few rooms or just searching for the perfect cover for your bed, you can’t go wrong by incorporating warm tones into your rooms. Check out options like:
- Warm whites
- Earth tones like terracotta and burnt umber
- Bright jewel tones like red, orange, and goldenrod yellow
These color temperatures can evoke a feeling of warmth and help make your home even more inviting.
11. Switch up your window treatments
Window treatments should really be considered seasonal decor. In the summer, opt for lighter linen curtains or white honeycomb blinds. In the winter, swap out these lightweight window coverings for heavier treatments made from more substantial materials like velvet or brocade. These will help keep warm air in and cold air out.
12. Cover bare walls
Having large, bare walls in your rooms and hallways immediately makes your home feel cold and imposing. To combat this, hang paintings, mirrors, or family photos. Don’t overthink it; just choose pieces that you love. Regardless of your choice, wall art helps create a warm and inviting atmosphere and makes your home feel more settled.
Here’s another idea for bare hallways: you can even install a few shelves or a bookcase so you can display candles, trinkets, picture frames, souvenirs from your travels, small statues, and other types of decor.
13. Opt for large, soft rugs to cover cold floors
Bare feet on a cold floor is never a pleasant experience. To keep your feet warm and help your home stay cozy, add area rugs on top of hardwood, laminate, tile, or marble flooring in key areas like your bedroom, living room, and hallways.
14. Bring more nature indoors
Sometimes, the unending cold and darkness of winter can feel demoralizing. To bring a touch of nature indoors, spend some time at a local garden center and buy a few new plants to green up your space. Whether you put a small grouping of succulents on your coffee table or invest in a huge fiddle-leaf fig, these plants will make your space feel cozier.
Or, instead of potted plants, opt for more seasonal greenery that you can hang and use more for decoration. Think evergreen wreaths, holly sprigs, or magnolia garlands. Scattered throughout your home, these greens add a gorgeous smell and elegant look all winter long.
15. Clean up your garden to ensure a more pleasant view
As tempting as it is to skip it, taking care of a few fall chores ensures a tidy view that feels cozier to look at as the leaves and snow fall.
So, take a few afternoons to clean up your garden during the fall. Depending on your setup, this may involve cutting back dead plants, adding protective mulch, or sweeping up fallen leaves.
16. Cozy up your porch, deck, or patio
Bring some of the same cozy techniques you used inside your home to outside your home. For example, if you have a porch, deck, patio, balcony, or terrace, make sure there’s plenty of comfortable seating by doing the following:
- Replace stiff, uncomfortable wrought iron or plastic furniture with pieces that have plenty of cushions. Don’t forget to also get outdoor covers for protection.
- Consider adding lounge chairs, a chaise, or even one or two daybeds to encourage outdoor relaxation.
- Add pillows, throw blankets, and outdoor rugs to keep warm on chilly nights.
17. Add heat sources to your outdoor living areas
Once you’ve created a cozy atmosphere inside, it's time to bring that feeling outdoors as well. Adding outdoor heat sources is a great way to start.
Heat lamps, outdoor fire pits, or portable fire tables are all great sources of warmth and add unbeatable ambiance to your front or back yard.
18. Make sure your home’s temperature remains warm and comfortable
A cold or chilly home is the opposite of warm and cozy. Our last piece of advice is to stay on top of your home maintenance tasks during this time of year and consider making a few upgrades as needed.
For example, if you’re tired of waking up to a cold home but don’t want to run the heat all night, opt for a smart thermostat. These tech-enabled controls allow you to toggle your heat on and off remotely or on a set schedule to ensure you’re never waking up, or coming home, to a cold house.
Notice cold drafts in your home? All it takes is a little caulk or weatherstripping material to make a huge difference. If you’re feeling a draft, check for cracks in your windows and doors. Then seal them up. If you don’t know how to do this, a handyman or weatherization professional can help.
Find pros who can make your home cozier this season
Now is a great time to take on house projects that will make your space cozier during the colder months. If you need assistance to supplement your DIY skills, download the Thumbtack app today, and find pros in your area who can help.
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