How do you make your home cozy?

[beccalou79]

Autumn always brings out the curl-up-with-some-hot-cocoa mood in me, and I want my home to reflect and enhance that same feeling. So far I've decided I'll be getting a warm-colored (probably orange) tablecloth for the dining room table, atop of which I'll set a mason jar of autumnal flowers, and I'll also be lining the kitchen shelves with some pretty shelf paper.

Beyond that, I'm stumped. How do YOU make your home a cozy little haven, especially during the fall? I need all the ideas I can get!

[***Heather***]

I get out a cozy little blanket to drape on the couch. It's a must for curling up/watching tv in the evenings. Hot chocolate. Some pretty fall leaves on a little display shelf. Pile of books. Get out the heavy curtains to keep out cold drafts. Slippers or fluffy socks. Get out the little throw rugs for kitchen and bathroom floor. (I put them away during the summer). If I had anyone to play them with (!) I'd get out a stack of board games or cards.

[Adamsmama]

Warm blankets and throws on a little stand in the living room (or folded and slung over the couch/sofa), throw pillows in warm colors, the smell of autum scented candles burning (warm apple pie/pumpkin spice, etc.)

[southernmommie]

I love all these ideas! I recently put a blanket on the back of our couch and I love the way it warms up the living room! I just bought one of those seasonally scented candles from Walmart. I'll go light that right now and put on my hot chocolate and get a movie ready. Reading this thread just got me in a warm, cuddly mood! I love this time of year!

[Katheda]

we just got drapes, never had them before and WOW what a difference they make.

[normajean]

Warm paint colors, tastefully decorated walls with things we like that are personal to us, not generic artwork etc. Throws, pillows, drapes, etc. Scented candles, etc.

[Nimbus]

I picked up a few little gourds for the mantle and switched out our candles to fall colors. I'm also looking into getting some curtains for our front room and dining room. I'd love our home to feel more cozy. I'll be checking back for more suggestions. Thanks for starting the thread!

[beccalou79]

Ooooh, such good ideas! Thanks, ladies!

Some more things I've thought of since my original post:

~Making homemade marshmallows and keeping them in a pretty jar on the kitchen counter, all ready for my cocoa (or for roasting )

~Coating some pinecones with peanut butter and bird seed for the birdies, and hanging 'em outside the window

Also, this probably doesn't qualify as "cozy" per se, but I've also been collecting pretty leaves to put in my kids' scrapbooks...

[akwifeandmomma]

I love to thumb through magazines, so I always have a stack laying around. Cooking mags, Architecture, home decor, etc.

I light seasonal candles, for Autumn I'm all about pumpkin spice, sugar cookie, cinnamon, gingerbread...

A warm crackling fire always makes me smile.

I keep knit / crochet or fleece blankets to cuddle in lying around or in a big basket.

We always have music on, jazz for DH, kids music, inspirational stuff. I can't wait until mid-Novemberish when the holiday music starts 24/7 on one of our local stations!

I bake a lot. Nothing is more "homey" to me than fresh bread, muffins, cookies...

[stayinghome]

We decorate our front porch with corn stalks tied to the railing, and hay bales and mums and pumpkins. Also on the inside we do a lot of fall decorations, probably more then at xmas! But this is my fav time. I agree, blankets everywhere, and candles in yummy fall smells.

[reducereuserecycle]

fun thread
I always struggle w/ making my home cozy. it seems kinda non-cozy cause i don't have carpeting.
i bring in some pinecones and gourds.
i put out some fall type table placemats and cloth napkins that were given to us as a wedding gift.
i love Autumn-my fav season! this years has been wierd though-it has been a Summtumn (Summer-Autumn)-i think is part of the climate change.

[bellabear]

Candles, candles, candles! They really add glow and warmth to a home. Beeswax candles smell wonderful!

[fioner]

I *think* our home is cozy. At least that's what everyone says when they come over. But maybe they just mean it's small and nothing matches

Anyway, we have a lot of unique artwork, homemade quilts, our books are displayed on shelves in the living area, we use warm paint colors (a soft brown in the living/dining room) with accents like a red lamp and a green chair. We burn a lot of incense. Like I said, nothing matches, but it feels cozy.

[fioner]

Sorry to post again, but it is SO not fair that you guys are talking about cuddling up with hot chocolate and all that stuff! It's still 80 degrees during the day here! I love autumn, and we're going to end up going straight from summer to winter :

[bellabear]

Originally Posted by fioner

Sorry to post again, but it is SO not fair that you guys are talking about cuddling up with hot chocolate and all that stuff! It's still 80 degrees during the day here! I love autumn, and we're going to end up going straight from summer to winter :

same here...we're in nc...it's supposed to cool down this week!

[Bearsmama]

You know, I think paint color is incredibly important. Of course, if you rent, this could be an issue. But if you have the opportunity to paint your walls something other than stark white, go for it. We have soft shades of a celadon green type color in most of downstairs. The kitchen is a warm yellow. This way, your house is off to a running start on coziness.

Also, I'm a big candle person. Most days if we're just going to be home in the afternoon and have no committments or whatever, I light a candle. Usually a smelly one. Right now. I'm into the fall, warm, scents (just got an apple candle and one in pumpkin). We also love pillows, big comfy ones. Another thing that "cozies" up a place, I think, is art and stuff on the walls. Stuff placed at eye level. Also, lots of lighting option help, too. Like if there's some kind of center light that comes on with a switch, you can buy inexpenisve table lamps or floor lamps at Target or Ikea.

_

[amydawnsmommy]

First of all I make it cozy by trying to keep it as clutter-free as possible.
Lighting beeswax candles purifies the air and creates such a wonderful feeling.

I try to make our home as comfortable as possible with magazines, books, pictures of friends, good music, and good food without spending all my time on cleaning/tidying instead of spending time with Hope and doing the things I love and need to do.

[alsoSarah]

Well, my personal "coziest thing" is to put on this cd.

Other than that, I so agree with the posts about couch throws and warm-colored walls (which I have), and an uncluttered space (which I don't have)!

To make the hose smell cozy and good, I often simmer a pot on the stove with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and spent vanilla pods or orange zest strips.
(Or put them into a cooling oven to take advantage of the heat.)

Also, when I have time, I make a big batch of molasses-spice cookie dough. I freeze it all rolled out between sheets of baking parchment, so it's ready for cookie cutters in five minutes when people come over.

Scenting my spray bottle of "cleaning vinegar" with spice oils helps, too!

alsoSarah

[*bejeweled*]

:
Lovin' this thread!

[mamatoablessing]

When autumn hits, I fall into my old habit of comfort-food cooking! I love making big batches of hearty soups and stews served with hot crusty bread. I add lots of herbs and fresh veggies and beans and sometime meat. Last night I made a fabulous Beef Burgandy and served it over egg noodles. I love to smell the soup or stew cooking all day, along with fresh baked bread; it makes me feel cozy. Being able to freeze the leftovers for those days when I don't have time to make anything is great too.

I am also into fall-cleaning (opposite of spring-cleaning )-the decluttering and thorough cleaning makes me feel prepared for the chilly days to come. This gives me that cozy feeling as well.