Buying your first home is an exciting time! You get to house hunt and see lots of potential homes that will inspire you. You’ll see things that you didn’t know were options, and you’ll get a nice reality check that maybe not every home you see will have the walk-in closet of your dreams. Some things you’ll have to compromise on, but not on everything.
Any home can be made to feel cosy. If you’re touring homes that haven’t been lived in yet, you know the fear that the echoing footsteps you’re taking now and the empty walls will create an atmosphere that won’t feel like home. Thankfully, there are a few easy touches you can try to make your first home feel cosy. No experience needed! Check out some ideas and see what would work best in your home.
1. Put Up Picture Frames
Everyone’s gone through that time of life where they were putting up pictures and decorations with thumb tacks and tape. That can work for a while, but there’s something about putting pictures in frames that can really make a room feel lived in. Frames can get expensive depending on what size and quality you’re looking for, but most people won’t notice if you get your frames from the clearance section. They’ll be too busy admiring the photos on your walls.
2. Get A Nice Throw Blanket
Throw blankets change a living space from being decorated to being cozy. You can get the nicest furniture available but your room will have the coldness of a magazine photo until you can add personal touches, like a throw blanket. There are different ways you can use a throw blanket, like if you want it to be used more for comfort than for looks, but they’ll last a long time and make everyone feel cozy when they sit down.
3. Light Some Candles
When you think of the word “cozy,” you probably think of things like fireplaces on a cold winter night. If your house doesn’t have a fireplace, don’t panic! You can always light some candles instead. They come in all kinds of colors, sizes and smells to match the look and feel of how you want your house to be. Even if you don’t light them, they’re a nice decorative addition to any shelf or coffee table.
4. Buy Placemats
You might feel like your home is missing something. Have you thought about buying placemats? Eating a nice dinner on your brand new dining room table will make you feel like a real homeowner, but only if you have placemats under your dishes. There’s something about placemats that say that you have your life together, so get some that have a nice print and try them out tonight.
5. Update Your Cabinets
Cabinets are one of those things in a house that you rarely notice, but they make a big impact on the atmosphere of a room. Make them transform your kitchen by taking some time to read about the latest cabinet hardware trends. You’ll see what works and you can compare to what you have now. A fresh coat of paint or new handles could be all you need to do to make your kitchen cozy.
6. Look for a New Rug
People who have carpeted homes typically don’t think they need rugs like other who live in spaces with lots of hardware floors, but this isn’t true! Rugs not only take away the echo of hardware floors, but they also act as a centerpiece for a room’s design. Pull your house together by using similar rugs that match your decorative theme.
7. Take Your Time with the Paint
Paint choices matter more than you might think when you’re first picking out paint chips at your local hardware store. Take your time testing out colors by painting a bit on the walls you’d like to redo and looking at it at different points in the day. Sunlight in the morning will make the paint look very different than sunlight in the evening, so make sure what you paint with stays cozy all day long before you get out your brushes and painter’s tape.
8. Create an Open Floor Plan
Open floor plans make a world of difference to a home that doesn’t feel cozy. One part of being cozy means that your home is inviting, and if people feel like they can’t get through rooms because of how the furniture is set up, cozy will be the last thing they feel. It’s easy to learn how to open up living spaces. Rearrange your furniture to create clear pathways to popular places like the kitchen and bathrooms. You’ll immediately feel a difference and so will your guests.
9. Place Plants Around Your Home
Going along with the idea that cozy spaces are ones that are lived in, place plants around your home to increase the cozy vibes of any room. Having little plants that are growing into their beautiful selves will make any room seem to smile.
10. Weave Old Memories with New Ones
The best thing you can do for a new home is to make memories in it, but those don’t always happen quickly. Instead, use as many mementos as you can as decorations around your home. Old pictures, drawings from kids, crafts and little things that remind you of the past will help transition you from your old space to your new one.
Making a new home feel cosy might feel overwhelming, since buying a new house and moving in is enough work on its own. Don’t feel pressured anymore! Coziness can be created by doing a few simple things here and there. Try some of these tips in your new home and make them work with the way you want your space to look. You’ll quickly find your home becoming the cosy living space you always wanted it to be.
Author bio
Kacey Bradley is the lifestyle and travel blogger for The Drifter Collective, an eclectic lifestyle blog that expresses various forms of style through the influence of culture and the world around us. Kacey graduated with a degree in Communications while working for a lifestyle magazine. She has been able to fully embrace herself with the knowledge of nature, the power of exploring other locations and cultures, all while portraying her love for the world around her through her visually pleasing, culturally embracing and inspiring posts. Along with writing for her blog, she frequently writes for sites like US Travel News, Thought Catalog, Style Me Pretty, Tripping.com and more!
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