How To Create A Cozy Living Room You Will Never Want To Leave

This blog post is all about how to create a cozy living room

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Even with the weather getting warmer, my home still needs to feel cozy. This might be because I spend all my time working from home now. But I need my home to feel welcoming and like a place I want to spend all my time.

There was this time when I loved the white and basic home decor. During the summer it made everything feel clean and fresh. But once it became cold out, my house also started to feel cold. I wanted a place that never made me want to leave. Eventually, this became a year-round feeling

Our living rooms are the main space in our homes. It is where we spend most of our time and usually where we host guests. While the white and basic home can be aesthetic, it can also feel unwelcoming. Do you ever walk into someone’s home and feel like you can’t sit down or touch anything? That should be the opposite of what you want.

That is why it is important to know how to make your living room feel cozy. Not only for guests but for yourself.

Here is how to create a cozy living room

Start with minimal clutter

When you look around your living room, does it feel welcoming? Or does the idea of stepping into your living room stress you out? There is a good chance that your living room is where everyone hangs out. It is why so many people also refer to it as the family room. But with that probably comes the clutter of shoes, books, toys, and various other things. 

So the first step to making your living room cozy is making sure you want to be in the space. This might just mean cleaning up the space once a day. Or finding new homes for things. There are many ways to keep your living room looking nice without having to spend an hour cleaning it every day, such as getting a dump bucket to throw all your stuff in until you are ready to deal with it. 

This also might mean you need to find new homes for the stacks of paper or other random things lying around the room. Make the room look as calm as possible. The secret is to look around the room and not see large piles of ‘to-do’ everywhere. 

Decorate the room with small items

Now you might be thinking, ‘Well obviously!” But so many living rooms lack that cozy feeling because they do not have anything in them. Having a cozy space means having cozy items.

Start by adding a few throw pillows or a blanket to your couch. Get something that is soft and makes you want to curl up in it. Anything that makes the room feel welcoming to you,

Don’t be afraid to personalize the room also. Add picture frames of your family or people that make you happy. It makes the space look more like a living room vs a showroom. You want to give the illusion that someone lives there because you do!

But not every item is a cozy item just because it is soft and plushy. The color of your item plays a big role in the cozy feel. Color theory is an important thing to consider when picking out the perfect accent piece. Try to get colors that are warmer tones. They will feel more inviting and relax the brain.

And don’t be afraid to decorate by season. There are so many ways to cheaply decorate your living room based on the season. Start making your living room cozy for fall, then slowly switch over to Christmas. Adding that mix of the seasons gives a little extra to the room.

Simple is better when it comes to living room decor

There are so many times we look back at trends and go ‘What were we thinking?!’ You know the trends, 2000s pink and zebra print, or the 2010s mint with chevron (or our millennial grey). Most of these trends feel loud and that is not the vibe needed for a cozy room.

Chances are that your living room is the space where you all hang out. So it probably is a little chaotic from all the talking and laughing. But you don’t want to add to that with your decorations making the whole room overstimulating.

While there is nothing wrong with color and fun prints, make sure you do it in a calm way. For example, paint your wall pink but make sure your zebra accent is small and placed sporadically.

Add color

Going back to our white and basic home decor, it can feel unwelcoming. For some people, it can feel like a sad office. Now it doesn’t mean you absolutely can’t use that decor method, but add to it!

Having some sort of color adds to the space. It makes it visibly interesting and adds a homey feel. You don’t need to use bright colors to achieve this. Colors like brown, green, and blue make a big difference. You can use light shades of the colors if you don’t want a bold look.

Even go a step further and choose warm tones in colors. Choose small places you want to place your colors such as pillows, blankets, and small decor items.

Activate all the senses

This is my favorite thing to do because it is was truly brings the cozy vibe together.

Start with your sight. We already know how to choose warm-toned colors, but what about your lighting? The same is true for lights. Having a warmer colored light is not as harsh on the eyes. A great way to do this is by purchasing lamps or accent lighting. They are usually warmer-toned and dimmer. It creates a relaxed vibe instead of the lights that make you feel like you are being interrogated.

When picking out cozy items, choose a few that feel soft or comforting to you. Having a nice, cozy blanket on the couch will make the room look inviting. It gives the illusion that you want the space to be used as a hangout area, not a pretty room to stare at. Plus it is nice for curling up on the couch.

The biggest way I make my living room feel cozy is by adding candles. Not only does the candlelight give a beautiful ambiance to the room, but the smell is another way to activate your senses. It doesn’t need to be a strong candle, you can go for something gentle like vanilla. If you don’t mind the smells, get candles that remind you of baking. I love getting pumpkin or apple candles because then my home smells like a bakery. It gives that homey feel of someone in the kitchen all day.

Now you know how to create a cozy living room you will love

Having an inviting home makes a huge difference in how you feel. A cozy living room will be a space you never want to leave. You will also want to invite people over more. Make your home a place you love to be