As one of the main rooms that you use in the house for relaxing, you want to ensure your living room is cosy. To help you create the ultimate cosy living room, we have come up with this list of tips and improvements that you can make to make your space as inviting and homely as possible. From mood lighting to soft furnishings, learn how to make your living room space the perfect relaxing and cosy environment.
13 Simple Tips for Creating a Snug & Cosy Living Room
Keep the Heat In
One of the best ways to keep your living room feeling cosy is to keep the heat in – especially during the winter months. Start with the most common reason for heat loss – the windows. If they’re draughty or old, it may be worth replacing or resealing them. Additionally, you can complete a range of other tasks that may help keep the heat in, such as installing a thermostat, replacing your radiators, or a chimney liner installation so that you can make use of a fire or log burner.
Create a Bold Palette
An effective way to make the cosy living room feel warmer is through the use of colours. Use rich and deep colours such as dark charcoal and navy, which look great on walls and work really well together. They work especially well when teamed together with contrasting furnishings such as berry shaded furniture or mustard colours. Wooden furniture also works exceptionally well with a dark palette. Rich colours and earthy tones can also make the room seem warmer and cosier. Try including colours such as burnt oranges, deep reds, and some saturated colours.
Cast a Glow
If you want a cosy living room feel, it’s important to ensure that the room is well lit. Try to aim for soft background lighting. A ceiling light with a dimmer switch is a great option, and a small lamp by the sofa for reading adds a cosy, elegant touch. Choose warm, low-light bulbs to add warmth and comfort to the room. The more yellow the lighting, the cosier it will feel.
When settling down for a cosy night in the living room, you don’t want to be overwhelmed with bright lighting that makes the room feel cold. Mood lighting can help to achieve the ultimate cosy feeling. During the cold winter nights, you can take advantage of using just the fireplace as the sole source of light. A woodburning stove also adds a warm cosy glow to the room, and candles are great for creating a cosy atmosphere. You can enhance this effect with the use of mirror carefully positioned mirrors and other reflective surfaces.
Add Some Elements of Shine
Copper and brass items work really well combined with grey and navy walls. You can introduce some small elements of these colours into the room, such as tea light holders, scatter cushions, and picture frames. If you want to add a little extra, try a feature wall with these colours incorporated or a new pair of curtains. Another great way to use metallics in the room is on the inside of your lampshades, as this can cast a warm glow into the room, making it appear like a cosy living room.
Use Home Fragrances
Updating the fragrances in your home is a great way to make it feel cosier. The ambience of any room is identified through its scent. If you want to achieve the ultimate cosy ambience, choose rich, warm scents such as frankincense, amber, and bergamot. Achieve these smells with small additions such as reed diffusers, plug-in air fresheners, and a range of candles. With so many options available, you’ll easily be able to find something that matches your desired cosy scent and has an appearance that goes well with your living room décor.
Place Rugs on Hard Flooring
If you have hard flooring in your living room, this can appear cool as there may be some draughts that sweep in through the floorboards. Covering the floor with a large, inviting rug will help to alleviate this problem. A rug placed over hard flooring can create warmth and texture to completely transform your living room and help to increase the visual appeal. Choose a neutral rug with a plain colour or a simple, light pattern for a cosy living room. Chunky knit rugs are the perfect option for creating a cosy atmosphere.
Choose Deeper Shades in the Carpet
If you prefer the comfort of a carpet under your feet, then it’s important to consider the colours. When creating a cosy ambience, choose darker shades to add warmth to the room and to help make feature furniture stand out. If you prefer a patterned look over a simple block colour, consider stripes that include some toasty reds or a burnt orange colour and then build your décor colour palette around that. Material is also important. The deeper the pile, the cosier the carpet will feel. You can get premium quality carpets from Clever Carpets & Flooring – Watford and get them fitted by their professionals.
Layer Textures
Want to know the ultimate secret to a warm and cosy living room? The answer lies in textures and layering. There is nothing more inviting on a cold winter’s night than soft, warm textures that you can sink right into and feel all warm and snuggly.
Layering and accessorising your room with extra blankets, throws, and cushions is a must for creating a relaxing, cosy lounge space. Choose a mix of throws, blankets and cushions in felted fabrics, chunky knits and faux furs for the ultimate cosy experience. You can also add silks and wools for added luxury.
Make Use of Velvet
Velvet is the ultimate cosy fabric material, thanks to its luxurious soft feeling. Velvet sofas make a great accessory in the living room. Velvet also works well in other areas that allow you to layer up. Choose velvet throws, blankets and pillows that you can cosy up in on a cold winter’s night.
Bring the Outdoors Indoors
Introducing some elements of nature in your living room is a great way to enhance the cosiness of the atmosphere. Add some plants around the room to fill out empty spaces. Plants have been proven to promote a range of physical and psychological benefits. Whether it be purifying the air to reducing stress, indoor plants are great for creating a more relaxed atmosphere in your home.
There are several other ways that you can bring the outdoors in. Try piling pine cones in a vase along with some silver birch to add a natural outdoorsy feel. If you have a fireplace, put some logs nearby with some candles in lanterns to make the room feel snug and warm.
Choose The Right Set of Blinds
During the colder months, the right window treatment is essential. Blackout blinds are a great way to insulate the home and provide a cosier atmosphere. Thick blackout blinds can help to keep the heat in during the winter months and can also help to keep it out during the summer months.
During the winter, it’s important to get as much natural sunlight in the room as possible to promote heat. Your blinds should be open during the day and closed as soon as dusk comes by. Wooden Venetian blinds are a great option for making the living room feel cosy. These blinds act as a thick barrier between your windows and the room. They are particularly good at keeping the heat in as wood contains naturally insulative properties.
Update Your Curtains
Rather than changing your entire décor, there are some things that you can do differently in the summer months and winter months to help the room feel cosier during the winter. An example is that you can replace your lightweight summer curtains with thicker, heavier drapes during the winter months. Alternatively, try adding a thermal fleece lining to your lightweight curtains when the winter months appear.
When it starts to get colder, drawing your curtains can help to keep your living room feeling warmer and cosier. Warm colours can also help make the room feel warmer and cosier. Choose colours such as oranges and reds to create the ultimate warm and cosy ambience.
Add Warming Woods
The rustic, warm feeling that wood creates makes it a great addition to a cosy living room. Adding wooden sideboards or coffee tables can help to soften the space and introduce a warm and natural colour palette to the room. Woods such as oak, ash, or mango woods work particularly well.
Raw, rustic finishes that feature natural knots and imperfections within the wood are particularly effective at creating a cosy feel. Chunky wood furniture pieces also help to create a natural, cosy ambience.
