My Cozy Home: Warm, Lovely & on a Budget
In preparation for the colder days we’ll all have to face during the year, many of us would like to warm up our homes and make them as cozy as possible. ‘Couse, home, sweet home, there is nothing more welcoming after work than warm coffee and relaxing book in our comfy living room sofa. There are many ways to enjoy after a stressful day, and the best way is to relax in our home where all of us should feel relaxed. Here are some tips on how to make your home more private and relaxing.
1. Layers. Layers everywhere
Nothing says cozy quite like layers. Even if your living room seems cold in its essence – for example, through bare brick walls or cold-looking windows – you can use abundant layering to make it seem more comfortable and less stern. Layered carpets and rugs will make the space so much more inviting, and a huge pile of cushions, pillows, and blankets never fails at providing the softness and welcome that we associate with a warm home. Put a blanket or two on your sofa or armchairs, to provide actual warmth if needed. Throw a few pillows on the floor – it'll give an instant impression of warmth, and the pillows can serve as additional seating if necessary.
2. Snuggle next to a crackling fire
Is there anything as comfy as curling up next to a warm fireplace on a cold winter day, with a mug of hot cocoa with cinnamon? If you have a fireplace, there’s almost nothing else you need to bring the sense of warmth and comfort into your home. Still, there is one important thing to keep in mind. An open fire draws in the air from inside the home, and that can make the house seem drafty. To prevent this, make sure to close all surrounding doors, and enjoy your crackling fire the right way.
3. Don’t let the draft in
Speaking of the draft, you should really make sure that bugger stays outside where it belongs. If your doors and windows have cracks and leaks in the seals, the cold air comes into the room more easily and makes it instantly colder. Therefore, make a point of eliminating all the cracks the best you can. Changing the windows completely is an expensive feat, and if you’re on a budget, you may need to find other remedies for the situation. For example, you can call a professional to change the seals, or you can use heavy towels to block the air flow, as a first aid solution.
4. Make your windows winter-friendly
Even if there are no leaks or cracks in the seals, your windows still let a lot of (expensive) heat escape the room. In order to prevent that, you can adjust the environment around the windows in order to minimize their heat-wasting potential. For example, you can use some good window awnings in order to keep the cold from the outside away from the window pane. Also, that will help you regulate lightning in the room. Of course, this won't completely stop the cold, or the heat during the summer, but it will reduce your bills during the year significantly. There are things you can do from the inside of the room as well. Using heavy drapes or curtains made of thick materials can go a long way in stopping the warmth from escaping or entering, and it provides an additional level of relaxation and coziness on a psychological basis.
5. Paint it warm
Warm colors add to our perception of cozy. A room in which the color scheme is more in favor of shades of yellow, orange, and red seems warmer even if it's objectively of the same temperature as a room painted in blue. Therefore, painting your room a warmer shade is an inexpensive way to make it more pleasant and calming. If you don’t really want to paint your room because you like the way it is now, or you simply can’t be bothered to go through the trouble, make sure there are plenty of details in warm colors and shades. It will add a sense of pleasantness and warmth, without being overbearing.
6. Cozy up the bedroom
Even though people naturally sleep better in a bedroom that is a bit on the colder side, we all know how horrible it is to go to a cold bed during winter. Luckily, this can be solved pretty easily – you guessed it – by adding layers. Throw in a few extra blankets on the bed, and add a couple of pillows too. Put a fluffy rug next to the bed, so your feet don’t have to touch the cold floor first thing in the morning. Get a pair of fluffy slippers as well, so your morning routine doesn’t start by standing on the cold tiles of your bathroom. During the summer days you can use rugs and blankets as a decoration only and remove it if needed.
7. Add personality
Regardless of the temperature, every room seems much cozier when it’s full of personality. Add some photos in pretty frames to your walls and shelves. Play some vinyl records on your gramophone and add a retro touch that will warm up the atmosphere instantly. Showcase your favorite books or your collection of antique figurines. If you are a movie buff, show off your DVDs on a separate shelf, and, if you like art, find some space on the walls to admire the artworks in your possession. It will make the room much more personal, and it will seem much more comfortable.
Making your home a bit warmer and more comfortable doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. All you need is a bit of love and a sprinkle of inspiration, and you’ll turn your home into a beautiful retreat in no time.
Author Bio:
Sarah Jessica Smith is a young blogger from Sydney. She is in love with life and all the things that can make her daily routine easier. She loves to write about home improvement, lifestyle, and all the small things that make life such a great adventure.
