When people use the word “cozy” in real estate, it sometimes implies that the space is small. But cozy is also a feeling of relaxation, comfort, warmth, and intimacy. No matter the size of your home, creating that cozy feeling is a must when it comes to your living room. The living room is a place where you’ll spend a lot of time relaxing, interacting with friends and family, and maybe even snuggling up with a movie or favorite TV show after a long day of work.
Table of Contents
The Couch
Whether you’re working with a large space or a small space, one of the main focal points of a living room is the couch. Big or small, colorful or muted, the couch is the most significant piece of furniture in the whole room. Interior designers use it as the springboard for the design and other furniture choices throughout the room.
A small apartment-size living room will call for a smaller couch, but you can play with colors, patterns, and fabrics to achieve the cozy look and feel you want. Currently, I have a couch that seats three and the dark neutral color is a statement of its own. While it takes up a good amount of space, it doesn’t overwhelm. For your larger space, you may choose a large sectional that wraps around and offers seating for a large group.
Both of these pieces will draw the eye and become the center of attention.
Area Rugs
Many of our custom homes feature wood or tile flooring. It is laid all throughout the first floor rooms, creating a cohesive look rather than a piecemeal hodgepodge of tile, carpet, hardwood, vinyl, and other choices. We encourage homeowners to consider a single flooring choice, and use interior design elements like furniture or area rugs to define spaces.
A good area rug not only adds interest – including color and texture, but defines spaces and draws the eye to each space in open floor plan living rooms. It also adds a warm and cozy feel to a room. An area rug is more than décor. It provides insulation, protects your beautiful tile or hardwood, and traps heat to warm the space on cold days.
My favorite area rug is the one in my living room. It’s a mix of blue hues in no particular pattern: sky blue and aqua to navy and many shades in between, it was a fantastic and inexpensive find. It’s a beautiful piece, drawing attention to the living room area, but also neutral enough to slip away unnoticed. The area rug in our office, however, is a unique stripe pattern with multiple colors that break up the monotony of the beige carpet and gray walls of our rental.
Another utility of area rugs is their uncanny ability to hide things. Our older home is very limited when it comes to being digital ready. We’ve found ourselves running internet cables from a single box on a wall in the living room, around the room (behind furnishings), and up the stairs to service the computers and digital devices upstairs. A few strategically placed area rugs have hidden the cords and prevented several trip and fall accidents – especially for a clumsy person like me.
Throw Pillows
If you’ve been anywhere on social media in the last several years, you’ll notice a number of posts poking fun at men for not understanding throw pillows. Their often analytical minds don’t see the point in extra pillows that are removed while sitting and put back when not in use.
Throw pillows may not bring the “utility” some want, but throw pillows are an opportunity to add color, pattern, and texture. For rooms that focus on neutral themes, throw pillows are an opportunity to add pops of bright colors like blues, reds, and yellows.
Throw pillows can be fairly inexpensive additions, and some are even included in the price of some couches. The throw pillows that came with my parents’ newest couch and love seat set came with giant throw pillows in the same pattern as the couch. These pillows are so large they take up a majority of the seat space on both couch and love seat.
Blankets
Along with throw pillows, throw blankets are a budget-friendly and cozy addition to any living room. Draping a blanket artfully over a couch, chair, or love seat may seem haphazard, but the extra color and texture draws the eye. The added warmth of snuggling up in the blanket is a big plus, too.
I like a fun, personalized pattern more than a general pattern of of stripes, zigzags, or polka dots. Instead, I’m currently wrapped up in my Gilmore Girls-themed Sherpa blanket. I have a fleece Eeyore blankets my brother gave me when I was a teenager, and a fleece throw made with breast cancer ribbon-themed fabric my mom made. I love these so much more than a solid color or general pattern.
Fireplace Focal Point
While the couch is the focal point when it comes to furnishings, you can create focal points around the room with architectural features. An often used focal point is a beautiful fireplace and it costs nothing to group furnishings around a fireplace.
For added warmth and charm, add candles, framed artwork with warm colors, and other accessories.
Candles
Nothing says cozy more than candles – as long as the power isn’t out. The firelight of real candles creates a warm and inviting atmosphere that makes you want to curl up and relax. If you use scented candles, the scent can lull you to deeper relaxation with aromatherapy – candles with natural scents do this best. There are a variety of candelabras on the market that can compliment any design style.
Lighting
Lighting plays a big part in the ambiance of the room. Harsh, bright fluorescent lighting like that found in industrial and even school spaces is not the kind of lighting you want in your cozy living room. Lighting from lamps, whether floor lamps and table lamps are an excellent source of ambient light and create interest and layers of illumination. This ambient lighting is perfect for a moody atmosphere and the cozy vibe you’re looking for.
Floor and table lamps work together with lighting fixtures to create a moody, cozy feel. There are a number of overhead fixtures as well as wall lighting like sconces that blend with any cozy living room aesthetic.
Dimmer Switches
This is a great option for your living room or bedroom. There are times when a cozy, dimmer atmosphere is called for and times when you want to brighten the space as much as possible. A dimmer helps create exactly the right lighting mood for the activity – reading, watching a movie, or hanging out with friends are different moods that a dimmer can accommodate for the right feel.
Another plus for dimmer switches is the ability to control how much light you actually need – potentially cutting down on electrical bills.
Vintage and Antique Pieces
If you’re on a budget but don’t want your living room to look like you are, consider adding and repurposed a statement piece of furniture. This could include a vintage armchair, old trunk, reclaimed wood coffee table or mantle piece, and more. The vintage look is very popular recently, and shopping antique and vintage item stores can net you some awesome finds at a lower price tag than new. In addition, vintage and antique items bring a unique style, character, and personality that brand-new can’t replicate.
Window Treatments
An excellent way to add color, texture, and a cozy feel is with window treatments. Curtains and blinds are a great way to give your living room a cozy and inviting feel without breaking the bank. Curtains come in a variety of fabrics, including velvet, linen, cotton, sheer silk, and others that can boost the coziness factor.Window treatments offer different light-blocking capabilities, too, ensuring the perfect filtered light for your cozy living room space. Curtains and blinds are also a great way to add pops of color in a more muted setting.
Multi-Functional Furniture
Put your feet up on the ottoman and relax, knowing that inside it there are potentially books, blankets, or other items you may want at arm’s length but not sitting out all the time. The bench in the corner doubles as a storage chest with games for family game night. The coffee table opens on the top to reveal a storage space for magazines, the TV remote, and other smaller items.All of these furnishings blend into your cozy aesthetic while doing double-duty to keep your room clean and organized.Mirrors
When you look in the mirror, what do you see? Your image reflected back at you to accomplish tasks like brushing your teeth or hair. But when used as décor in your living room (or any room), mirrors accomplish a lot. They can make smaller living spaces seem bigger and brighter with the light they reflect, creating depth and as a result a “larger” room. Additionally, they can bring a focal point into a room that may not already have one.
As you shop for mirrors as part of your cozy décor, look for interesting shapes or designs that will compliment the rest of your room’s aesthetic. This includes the type of material, like wood or metal, of the frame.
Final Thoughts
There are many ways to bring a comfy, cozy atmosphere to your living room. You can do it by interior design alone, or you can start by building it into your home from the ground up. We at Acipe Design can work with your plans for a cozy living space and design for natural light, ideal ceiling height, light fixtures, and more.
Contact us today!