We are home more than ever, so what can we do to our space to love being there?
If you're like me, you follow posted decorating trends because you love to see what's new, then try to incorporate some of the fun trends into your space. We remodeled our town home, and selected grays and blues for furniture colors that are popular these days. I loved them so much, at first! I still love the major pieces, but I have to say that the decor needs something. It feels boring and cold.
Here are some additions to my space to give it a warm cozy feeling that I love being in. These items are affordable and easy to find. Give them a try!
1. Candles
Candles come in thousands of shapes and sizes, scented or non-scented to choose from. Your head will spin as you set out to pick out candles for your rooms. Don't be deterred! Smell, handle, and decide what would look good in the space with a scent you truly enjoy. Lighting a candle, day or night, to have the scent flood your room, can give you that cozy feel to enjoy the space.
2. Pillows
Gosh, people LOVE pillows! I find that if I have too many pillows, it looks cluttered. But I wanted a pop of color, in my case to warm the navy and gray furniture, and found that pillows are an inexpensive and fun way to do it. I've struggled with the right accent color to choose, but decided on a deep mustard color or a deep rust color. This has a warming effect to the space! I don't know why, but I love African prints, or mud cloth. It seems modern and funky to me, so that's what I picked! I used the pillows I already had and just bought pillow covers with zippers to slip my existing pillow in. This saved me from purchasing the pillow inserts, and I can change them any time I feel inspired to do so.
3. Move the furniture around
I have a small living room space, so it makes sense to put the furniture right up against the wall to maximize the space. When I move the furniture around and put some of it hanging out there in the middle, surprisingly it works! I like the option of rearranging my living room furniture now and then to perk up the feel of the place. Try moving the furniture away from the wall, even if it's inches or feet. See what you think.
4. Paint color
Paint is cheap compared to other decorating purchases. It can totally transform your room to warm and lovable! Colors you pick for your home reflect your personality. Did you know there’s such a thing as Room Color Psychology? In this article, Room Color and How it Affects Your Mood, the author explains that certain colors have an effect on us.
We painted our kitchen cupboards white. They turned out lovely! I'm proud that they didn't end up in the landfill. With white back splash and white cupboards, there needed to be color somewhere to avoid a sterile kitchen feel. We decided to put in butcher block counter tops with a warm walnut stain color. Above the cupboards, in that awkward space where nothing looks good, we used Behr, Shadow Mountain paint. This is a stunning contrast to the whites in this room. It's bold and beautiful, accenting the cupboards and bringing my other furniture colors. I know, it’s gray (!), but it works in this spot!
My son and daughter-in-law picked the paint color Zesty Apple for one of their rooms. She says that it makes her happy and gives her pep just to look at it. What color would do that for you?
5. Rugs
I've learned that designers say it’s a big decorating mistake to have your furniture partially off the accent rugs. They suggest a larger rug so all the furniture legs can be anchored on it. I learned this a bit late, after we bought a gorgeous 8 X 11 rug for the living room. Oh well, all the furniture has the front feet anchored on the rug, and the back feet hanging off. It still looks great to me. The rug and the furniture with back legs off it, is staying that way for now! Rugs can warm up the space with color and texture. There's lots to choose from, with varying price points. You'll find the right one for your space if you spend your time looking and pondering what price, size, and color will work for you.
Rugs are another thing that can be changed without too much expense. It will make a world of difference if you take out an old or faded rug to put in a vibrant or softly muted rug. It makes a big change with only one item.
6. Plants
I love plants. They make rooms feel homey. Decorators don't care for the look of fake plants, but I beg to differ on that opinion. Not everyone has a green thumb and can keep a plant alive. A crusty dying plant does the opposite of warming up a room. Buy a fake one that looks pretty close to real. You will notice the warm calming affect it has on the room, and it will not have to be tossed out because you forgot to water it.
7. Lamps
This one is tricky for me. I have trouble picking the right lighting for rooms. I like soft warm lighting, not overhead bright light. It’s difficult to get enough light with the soft warm lighting though. I’ve tried a couple of floor lamps, putting a lamp on a higher end table, and adding small accent lamps where they would fit in and give a corner a nice glow. Look around your rooms to see if you can add lighting to make your space feel warm and cozy.
One thing I really like is to walk into a well-lit room no matter what time of the day it is. Timers for lamps are inexpensive to give you the luxury of an inviting and attractive room, versus searching for a switch.
Just to summarize, there's no wrong way for our homes to be. I encourage you to LOVE coming home. Sometimes to do that we need to think about what would make our space warm and inviting, and do a few simple changes. What have you done to warm up your space?