The living room is where you spend the most time in your home, and many people, whether they have a large or small living room, like the idea of having it cozy.
They’ve splashed out on their dream sofa, bought a new coffee table, and put a few of their favorite accents out but nothing seems to pull it all together into a calm, cohesive scheme.
Often it’s the finishing touches that you may struggle with the most, but that’s what sets the mood and dictates the feel of it into a welcoming living space where all the family members can happily spend time.
It doesn’t take much to bring a warm, welcoming feel to your space – you’ve probably got most of the tools already – but it does require a bit of careful thought and consideration to design its décor around comfort.
What does cozy mean?
First, cozy and small are often used together, but that doesn’t mean cozy is the same as small. It also doesn’t mean that a living room must be small in order for it to be cozy.
We believe the definition of Cozy as “snugly warm and comfortable” - Notice how “small” isn’t in the definition. - help get an understanding of how cozy is not a living room design style. Instead, cozy is a technique or effect that can be applied to multiple styles. Finally, it’s a timeless effect.
What’s cozy today will be cozy in the future – elements such as warm colors, a fire, plants, area rugs, large furniture, etc.
Welcome to our article featuring 10 Tips on How you can make your living room cozy 😉!
From vast great rooms to compact living rooms with intimate design, in the following article, we will give a series of ideas on how to create a cozy living room.
You’re bound to find a design that suits your style and your needs. Remember, the foremost important part of your living room is that the function, and where that function meshes with aesthetics is design 😎!
The tips and tricks you’ll find within this article are designed to assist you to utilize empty spaces, adding warm tones to your color pallet, and brightening up a dark room.
Enjoy these great tips 😉!
1. Smooth Shapes for An Inviting Feel.
Sofas in one way or another make a living room, well, a living room. It is basically a staple in the home, especially in the living room. Oftentimes, we put regular-shaped sofa sets with hard, sharp edges and lots of straight lines in our living rooms, which suggest a feeling of rigidity and inflexibility, giving the impression that you have to sit up straight and take it all seriously.
In a cozy living room, you create a more relaxing ambiance by letting your living room suggest a more carefree type of behavior. You want the furniture to feel like it’s almost embracing you and giving you a warm hug – so you can sink into a sofa, curl up and get comfy.
Nevertheless, circular furniture, such as a round coffee table, encourages you to gather around it, like we once did around a fire, while rounded corners on items like sofas and armchairs make them feel more tactile and welcoming.
2. Warm-up Your Space with Some Color and Tone
White walls can feel bright and airy during the day, but in some lights, they can feel quite stark and cold. Creating a cozy and comfortable environment starts with the paint color on your walls. From rich, intimate hues of red to neutral, homey earth tones, there are plenty of color choices that will instantly warm up your space.
You can also introduce some color in your accessories, layering up the tone to create pops of interest and break up the expanse of material on a sofa or armchair. Choose complementary colors that are opposite to each other in the spectrum to create a balanced look.
3. Use Your Furniture to Create Moments of Intimacy
A living room is the heart of a home, a place for entertaining, relaxing, and spending time with loved ones. In a cozy living room, we often suggest pieces of furniture being in conversation with each other.
Often the default layout will mean pushing everything against a wall to try and give a greater sense of space, it can feel more natural and present a sway of intimacy if you’re positioned opposite or at an angle to someone.
4. Blankets and Cushions, Essential Items
If there’s something that adds to the warmth and atmosphere of a room, it’s blankets and cushions. Both are essential elements to achieve a cozy environment.
Go for a mix of throws and cushions in thick and soft fabrics and materials, for the ultimate in coziness. You can also add in wool and silk for a fabulously indulgent and luxurious effect. The key is in the layering.
As well as having a practical use, blankets and cushions are a decorative element of the room. It’s important to choose them to go with the colors of your décor, whether they have prints or decorative tones.
5. Turn The Overhead Light Off
Warm lights, cool lights, colored lights, bright lights, and even mellow, dim, romantic lights, they are all available, but no one wants to sit in their living room in the evening with the overhead light on full – the bright glare makes you feel alert and awake, not rested.
Install a dimmer switch on your lights and layer your lighting with multiple light sources to create a warm, inviting setting. Have plenty of accent lights to help set the scene with a softer, more diffused light.
In a cozy living room, use lamps to create focal points on side tables, sideboards, and shelves – it will help draw your eye around the space to these cozy, inviting corners.
Nevertheless, the amount of natural light filtering into your living room can’t be understated when it comes to how inviting your living room is. Dark living rooms are uninviting and can feel depressing and small. A cozy living room is not a living room that feels small. If you can, keep your windows as uncovered as possible to let natural light in.
6. Add Some Shine
Brass and Copper are strong interiors trends for this season and work especially well with grey and navy palette. But you can introduce a bit of sparkle with most color schemes if you go for small highlights such as scatter cushions, tealight holders, and picture frames. If you want to go further, opt for a wallpaper or curtain fabric with a metallic element in the design.
Another great use of metallics is on the inside of lampshades as it will cast a warm glow to the surroundings, and even when not lit will still add interest and opulence to the scheme.
7. A slice of nature in your living room
Plants and Floral arrangements are other necessary elements in a cozy living room. Depending on the size of the room, you could choose bigger or smaller indoor plants.
Having a pot plant, even a small one, can help take up empty corners, spaces, or fill vertical space. It will also make nature seem near at hand for a calm environment, so the living room could be the perfect place to introduce one.
Just be sure that if you get a live plant to add to your home, provide it with enough light to survive. Dead plants do not make a living room – or any room – cozy!
8. Add Bookshelves, Family Photos, and Books
There’s something comforting about books. Bookshelves take up a large amount of wall space, so they’re easy to add to a living room where the furniture is pushed away from the walls.
Even so, adding family photos to your wall or even on your shelves makes your living room feel inviting and warm.
Pick your favorite pieces from your collection and arrange them on your shelves to add your personality and warmth to the living room. A living room that feels like yours is a cozy living room.
9. Warm Up with an Area Rug
Tile or wooden floors are popular in contemporary and modern design, but there aren’t many cozier things to tread on with bare feet than a soft rug. The perfect place to put one could be underneath the coffee table or in front of the sofa.
If you want to add texture, go for a plusher rug. For color or visual interest, go with a patterned rug.
10. Make your Living Room Smell Cozy
There is no better living room than the one that is filled with cozy scents. Make sure to air the room during the day, then in the evening light a candle or even spritz some eco-friendly room spray with some soothing scents that can transport you to a little moment of escapism.
For more visual inspiration, have a look at our Instagram Account.