5 easy ways to keep your house cozy this winter!
It’s January, the time of year that all the Christmas decor is put away, and your house get’s a bit of a ‘re-fresh’ as you prepare to hunker down for the rest of the long Canadian winter. Sometimes after you put all the bright and happy holiday decor away the house can seem a bit ‘empty’ or stark, so I’ve found one of the best ways to survive the rest of the cold weather season is to make your home as cozy as it can be. You don’t need to spend a lot of money to do this, just by using what you already have around the house, or pulling a few DIY’s from your sleeve you can make your home a beautiful oasis to warm up in as you watch the snowflakes fall outside.
1. Candles & yummy smells: This is probably my top tip to gain coziness which is why I am putting it first up on the list! After I tidy up dinner every night I love to light a candle and put it on the coffee table in our living room, as that tends to be where we all hang out in the winter evenings either playing card games, working on crochet projects, or watching hockey. The warm flicker always set’s the tone for a cozy night together. Certain smells can make the home so inviting also, if your not a fan of using scented candles, you can diffuse oils that have cinnamon, clove, and citrus in them, or make a ‘simmer pot’ for your stove. I am a big ‘smell’ person, and a house that smells inviting is what makes home feel like home to me.
2.Different textures of blankets and pillows: I like to use an old antique crate and fill it to the brim with different warm blankets, some fleece, some knit, and some furry and keep it by the couch. Then there is always something cozy close by to curl up with. Add to that some throw pillows in different materials and textures, and an area rug and you’re headed straight to cozy town, haha. I love to mix textures in the winter as it really gives that ‘homey’ feeling where not everything needs to match perfectly, but goes together nicely.
3. New & unique art and wood pieces: Switch up your regular wall art with something more suited to winter, that includes a favourite quote or bible verse, anything that you really enjoy looking at and makes you happy. Display more family photos that you love in frames around the house. Try making something out of scrap wood for either your walls or a little side table. My husband recently made a gorgeous live edge wood coffee table and it really brought that rustic element into the house. I also clearly love wood mosaics and we have just put this HUGE one up in our living room and truly love how unique it is, and how my husband made it with love of course!
4. Twinkle lights inside & outside: Never underestimate the power of twinkle lights! Just because Christmas stuff is all put away, doesn’t mean the lights have to go away :) keep out your lights and drape them on your fireplace, or on window ledges. Frame your windows with them, or put them in mason jars. We also ended up keeping a little Christmas tree with just twinkle lights on it in our kitchen area, and my kids just love it. It adds a warm glow and definite coziness that is so needed in winter when the sun goes down so early. We also keep lantern style string lights up on our back porch all year round, it’s always nice to look out the window and see that twinkle on a cold night.
5. House plants & greenery: When nothing is green outside, make sure there is something green and filled with life inside. Some of the plants that do the best in my house in the winter are cactus and succulents, money trees, evergreens and Ivy. They all need minimal water and sunlight and do well if you happen to forget about them for a few weeks ;) Having house plants also gives you something to care for and water and adds such a cozy ‘lived in’ element to your home. It’s my secret weapon of house decor and I’ll probably always have plants in my home till I am a little old lady!
Try using some or all of these ways this season to help transition your home from Christmas to winter cozy and I know you’ll make your home even more inviting then it already is! Making my home a desirable and lovely place to be is really important to me, it doesn’t have to have the newest trends, or the most expensive decor, I just want the things we choose to have in our home be things that we love and that bring us joy even if it’s a $15 wal mart pillow;) What is your favourite way to keep a cozy home in the winter? Comment below and let me know!
stay cozy,
Shelley