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31 Days of Autumn Bliss {Day 4}:
Bringing Cozy Back

by | Oct 3, 2010 | 31 Days of Autumn Bliss, Decorating Inspiration, Fall Decorating, Living Rooms

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31 Days of Autumn Bliss {Day 4}: <br>Bringing Cozy Back

House Beautiful

31 Days of Autumn Bliss {Day 4}: <br>Bringing Cozy Back

House Beautiful

31 Days of Autumn Bliss {Day 4}: <br>Bringing Cozy Back

Remodeling Center

31 Days of Autumn Bliss {Day 4}: <br>Bringing Cozy Back

House Beautiful

31 Days of Autumn Bliss {Day 4}: <br>Bringing Cozy Back

House Beautiful

Coziness Action Step:

Bring the furniture in a little closer.

When everything is spread out too far, it will never feel cozy.

What makes a living room cozy to you?

All of these living rooms feel cozy to me for various reasons. What are some common themes you see? What could you do in your own living room to create a little more autumn coziness?

Let’s discuss in the comments! What are your favorite cozy living room tips or what trouble are you having getting your space more cozy and comfortable?

Feel free to answer each others questions and if I can jump in and help out a few of you, I’ll sure try!

For the entire series links, click the 31 Days Button below!

31 Days of Autumn Bliss {Day 4}: <br>Bringing Cozy Back

Find the rest of the 31 Day girls here.

Thanks for following this series, I so appreciate it!
My first three posts from the 31 Days of Autumn bliss series were:

Entering the Autumn Season
A Welcoming Fall Entry
The Secret to a Clutter Free Room

49 Comments

  1. Sarah

    I think you touched on this a little in the last post, but I think the key to making a room cozy is texture. Adding in natural textures and soft fabrics can make a room feel much more intimate–makes your guests (and family, of course) want to stay a while!! I love what you said about bringing the furniture closer, too…so many times we get stuck pushing furniture against the wall when there is no rule that says so!!

    Reply
  2. Nancy Hood

    Melissa, I am loving these posts and will in all likelihood (is this a word? haha) be giving you a shout out this week so my readers that don’t already follow you, will! I’ll be back to leave you the link. Thanks for being such an easy inspiration to all of us ~

    Reply
  3. The Cottage Chick

    For me to create coziness, its all about color first…warm tones married with cool ones create warmth. Then comfortable furniture and soft textured pillows and throws. And like you said furniture placement is very important. Some other items that create instant coziness is low light lamps, candle light, and fireplaces. Then of course being surrounded by things that evoke an emotion, photos, books, and memoirs.
    That’s a start…
    Denise

    Reply
  4. Carin

    Love all those pics! There’s so so many things that make a room cozy to me- colour, texture, layering, furniture placement, mood lighting, personal things. My personal favourite is the personal things because they really take it to the next level.

    Reply
  5. Lynn from For Love or Funny

    I agree! Bringing my couch and chair closer together does make the room cozier; and it’s much better for conversation!

    Reply
  6. Jade

    Having thicker, warmer curtains at this time of year helps me, it’s like putting a warm blanket around the room keeping the cold out.

    Somewhere comfortable to sit really helps too, we just got two sofas which are much bigger than our last ones and it’s taken a while to get used to them but I suppose it does look a lot more cosy now.

    Hope you have a great weekend
    Jade

    Reply
  7. Jess

    I think that you hit the nail on the head. Closeness is cozy. And I think you can achieve closeness in design by “enveloping” a space. Like some of those rooms have huge tall ceilings but they are “wrapped” if you will in cozy textured drapes and warm rugs. Or that brown room that is literally dipped in that cozy chocolate brown paint.

    Second, all the furniture looks comfortable to sit on! If it looks like it might be as hard as a seat in the doctors office – it probably isn’t going to inspire people to sit and stay awhile! Great post – I can’t wait to come back later today and read the rest of the comments!

    Reply
  8. Astrid

    A rug on the floor…that’s what warmed up my living room. I’ve got wood floors and they felt pretty cold until I put a rug (plus it ties the living room together). Blankets and a fire in the woodstove also cozy up the space!

    Reply
  9. margitta

    Hi Melissa! Just wanted to say, that I follow your autumn bliss and I love it! Posting about the changes I make inspired by your posts… greetings from Norway!

    Reply
  10. Carmen

    Those are all lovely living rooms. Cozy to me is warm colors in throws and pillows, candles burning a yummy fall scent, low lighting (I love that I have a dimmer switch in my living room), and a fire burning. Which reminds me, I’d like to get my fireplace/chimney inspected. I never have since we’ve lived here and I don’t want to use the fireplace without doing that first.

    Reply
  11. Vee

    I’m having trouble with furniture placement. No money in the budget to replace the volkswagons (sofa & two chairs) I purchased 15 years ago so I feel limited. That and two doors…the main one in and the French doors to the deck. If I could just give that tv the boot, I’d be so much happier, until I wanted to watch it, of course.

    Reply
  12. Sharon

    Cozy is soft and warm, textured and layered. And definately comfortable! A cozy room room just makes people want to settle in and stay awhile! Something as simple as adding pillows and soft fuzzy throws can really make a difference at little cost. If a room has good bones, just subtle changes with each new season are all you need!

    Reply
  13. Jessi

    I agree with the above comment…lighting candles is always what makes things seem more cozy to me. I live in a tiny house, and we don’t really have many options for really changing big things like furniture. But once the cooler weather hits, I love to light up my warm, spicy scented candles, and keep the tea kettle at the ready with hot water for tea or hot chocolate. And of course, plenty of throw-type blankets. I have a basket of them available year-round in the living room (occasionally the kiddos and I get chilly with the A/C going full-blast for the hubby), but I just took all the blankets, tossed them in the wash and now they smell all fresh and inviting.

    Loving this series!! :)

    Reply
  14. Andrea

    An area rug, masses of gorgeous pillows, and cozy chairs and sofas. I also love to add in some antiques with a rich, worn patina, and dress the walls with art and other things such as tapestries. This makes for a cozy room in my house!

    Reply
  15. Tiffany

    I see coziness with all of the textures and layers going on in each of the photos. I love the natural elements, the streams of light floating in, the colors of the furniture, the decorated objects that add just a touch of warmth and depth to tables, walls and even ottomans.

    My rooms are oddly shaped and small, so my challenge is providing coziness without looking clutters and claustrophobic. but I am having a wonderful time trying =). I am loving this series!

    Reply
  16. Sandy

    Always great advice here! :)

    Cozy to me is pictures on the walls, big soft pillows, the colors of Autumn, my doggie Haggis nearby, a yummy smelling candle, and my family around me. I LOVE this time of year.

    Happy Monday, Melissa! xo

    Reply
  17. Imperfect

    I think that’s probably the biggest problem in our living room – the furniture is too far apart. But with a funky shaped aparmtent, I’m not exactly sure how to fix that. Since I very much associate scents with seasons/memories/etc., I love having Yankee Candle’s Harvest candle and baking/making stews/mulling cider. That’s what makes home cozy to me.

    Reply
  18. Sarah

    Similar to Vee’s comment, one wall of our living room is taken up by the front door to the house and a large picture window (which actually wraps around the corner of the house) and the opposite wall has a sliding glass door to our back patio (so, the house is only one room deep there). I have a hard time making it cozy because it feels so exposed to me.

    And I’m reluctant to do too much with curtains because although there is so much window space the room is also very dark. A conundrum!

    Reply
  19. Abbie

    I’ve already gotten out the cozy throws – my favs are a down-filled one and a soft, hand-knit one.

    But my furniture, I have no idea how to make it cozier/closer b/c the living room has two HUGE doorways opening to the foyer and dining room. I love how it’s open, but between that, the corner fireplace and the only spot a piano can go. The sofas and chairs and just in leftover places.

    Reply
    • Jenny

      I’ve got the whole fireplace, piano, windows thing, too. Not much decision making for where to put the rest of the furniture. :( But in a way that’s a good thing, right? No moving furniture around!

      Reply
  20. Stacy

    beautiful rooms!
    for me coziness = books. i think books are warm and decorative and just add a lived in feel to any room.

    Reply
  21. Annie

    The problem I have with making my two living spaces cozy is that I have a 16 month old. It is impossible for me to have anything besides toys down at his level. This means no books on lower levels of bookshelfs and certainly nothing on the coffee table. So how else do I bring cozy in?

    Reply
    • Jody

      I remember those days so well.
      I’d make your space cozy by adding comfortable things like warm throws and blankets, soft pillows that you can actually lay your head on, and soft, soothing music that makes everyone feel at ease.

      Jody

      Reply
      • Sonia

        Also, storing the toys in baskets placed at different spots around the room adds a little coziness! I have an 18 month old and a four year old and we have baskets with blocks, musical instruments, animals, art and craft supplies…it helps with organization and they’re easy for the kids to move around, and they look nice!

        Reply
  22. Jody

    The first picture you featured looks the coziest to me. What makes a room cozy to me: comfortable seating, warm throws and comfy pillows (not the scratchy kinds), mugs of coffee or cocoa, books within arms reach along with a good light to read by, a deck of cards on the coffee table, a fire in the stove, low light, warm colors (brown, gold, red) and especially — nice people on the cushions.

    Reply
  23. Samantha

    We just rearranged our living room because our furniture was too spread out for me. I love the new arrangement, and while it’s not the most optimal use of space and we do have to walk around more furniture to get to the kitchen, it is much more cozy!

    Reply
  24. Kristina

    You have chosen really beautiful rooms. I especially love the chocolate walls. But all that stuff! I would feel so claustrophobic with all those elements together in one room. Color does it for me, and this time of year especially I love to bring the outdoors in, light a fire (allergic to perfumes, so candle-burning is rather limited…), snuggle up with a good blanket and a good book. I also agree with the furniture placement comment. I like to be able to hold a quiet conversation in my seating areas without sitting in someone’s lap.

    Enjoying this series so much.

    Reply
  25. Mary Jean

    I dread the limitations in my family room b/c of my sectional. always wanted a sectional and love sitting on it and that the whole family can cosy up together. However, there is no variation to the room b/c of it! It can go no other way then where it is. Kinda depressing not to be able to change the room up by rearranging furniture. so, always be mindful when you buy a sectional!

    Reply
  26. Fiona's Mosaic

    The first picture is my favorite! All those books make it feel warmer to me. Winter is when I get to read. So it makes me want to cozy up.

    Reply
  27. teresa

    Again great advice- I love adding throws, candles, and plenty of personal items that are special to me.
    Thanks
    Have a great day

    Reply
  28. Karen

    Melissa,

    I think “cozy” for me is a nice throw near an inviting chair along with a few real apples in a bowl or basket on the table…small stacks of books and a fire in the fireplace (if you have one).

    Reply
  29. Jenny

    I read this post and then spent ALL DAY deep-cleaning and rearranging my living room. I vacuumed behind and under all the furniture (except the couch–too heavy to move by myself). I pulled our cushy recliner up facing the other furniture and turned the lovely no-longer-nasty spot behind it into a “cuddle corner” for our kids. I do want to add things to make it cozier in here but I felt I needed to take care of some long overdue housekeeping first! Boy will my husband be surprised when he gets home. I hope he likes it. I feel like I could have a party tonight if it weren’t for the state of the dining room. It’s up next.

    Reply
    • Jenny

      I’ve been doing the whole cleaning thing, too! Because of these posts. :)

      Reply
    • Melissa

      WAY TO GO GIRL!!! That is awesome. First things first!

      Reply
  30. Kathy :)

    I think it was Nate Berkus that said putting all of your furniture up against the walls was like making an arrest “up against the wall”…I so agree bringing in the chairs etc…makes it cozy….

    Lighting to me makes a room cozier….I am NUTS about lamps :)

    Great post,
    Kathy :)

    Reply
  31. Darcy from The I.Design Box

    The first thing that makes a living room cozy for me is soft comfortable furniture you can sink into while reading a good book, watching a movie, or listening to your honey play the guitar. Each of the rooms you pictured have the type of “a little over stuffed” and soft edged furniture that you can easily lounge in all day. The second thing is books, pictures, and other personal items…things that say home and reflect the personality of the people that live there.

    Reply
  32. Lisa

    Those rooms are beautiful, but way too designed for real living. A good, comfortable room needs a reading light within reach of at least 2/3 of the seats. It needs a place to put down a cup of tea without worrying about spilling on that stack of coffee table books. It needs a place (baskets or bins) to put cluttery toys and books. It needs personal touches and pictures.

    Reply
  33. Sarah

    ATMOSPHERE!!! You have to set the atmosphere in a room.. To me, that entails people, MUSIC, candles, scents… You can have the most beautiful fall setting in a room, and no atmosphere, and people will feel the need to dust a seat when they leave… No comfort!

    Jonathanhowefineart.blogspot.com

    Reply
  34. Jenny

    Plants! I need a large plant to put in our corner. And lamps. I have a little list going for what I need to purchase or shop for in the house. The photos and the comments have been quite inspiring!

    Reply
    • Jenny

      Melissa, I’m also noticing mirrors in the photos above. I’m thinking about taking our oval mirror from our bathroom (off an old brass-ish ornate framed medicine cabinet I’ve always hated), paint the frame white or black and place it on our mantel.

      Reply
      • Melissa

        I like that idea!!

        Reply
  35. Polly

    Fabulous cozy ideas! I think textures, at least 3-5 colors in various patterns, a chaise, curtains hung as tall as the ceiling, down filled furniture, and comfie throw blankets make our family room inviting and cozy. Plus a good glass of wine, great conversation, a wood burning fire, and seating facing other people not the tv

    Reply
  36. heather ritchie

    One thing I noticed about all these rooms {and love} is that all the seating is facing each other and not surrounding a TV in worship. I think that provokes conversations that help make a home feel cozy. It’s much easier to talk to someone when you’re looking face to face and not at a TV screen.

    The first picture is probably most interesting to me-I feel like a great artist lives there-but I’m always drawn to the peacefulness of a room with white furnishings and subtle accents in the second picture. Thanks for hosting this!

    .heather.

    Reply
  37. Deanna

    In the years before HGTV and Trading Spaces etc…I used to watch a design show by Lynette Jennings. Everyday she taught design and how to make rooms work. I learned so much from her!

    I learned to draw the furniture in close into groupings for conversation etc…it makes our home cozy and warm and inviting…

    Reply
  38. Mary Joy

    Hmmm for me it would have to be use of soft, pretty, comfy fabrics, candles, books, family pictures, and good music.

    I am really starting to enjoy our new home…every month I get a little closer to having everything unpacked and creative solutions in place on all of our windows…on a super tight budget. But its starting to feel cozy! Yay!

    Reply
  39. Darcy

    And now I have Justin Timberlake “I’m bringing sexy back…” in my head.

    Such an appropriate mental response to this beautiful post.

    You know what I notice? A lot of lamps.

    Reply
  40. Kirstin

    I love those rooms. I find my problem with “coziness” is I feel like my walls are too bare and I just don’t have the right decor on the tables….

    Reply
  41. Modern Gypsy

    Warm colors, close seating, rugs and interesting pieces create a cozy ambience for me. I’m loving these posts! Have to implement some of these ideas at home!

    Reply
  42. Rona

    I love the personal and fun touches to the rooms. That’s what makes a room cozy for me.
    Sock Monkey has a place in our living room. And I love wall decals especially those inspirational or quotes.

    Reply

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