Creating a Cozy Home

Your house is your retreat away from the outside world. In it, you can escape the stresses of the working day, and instead enjoying a fun and relaxing time either alone or with family and friends. However, your home may not always be the cocoon of coziness that you dream it to be. For instance, if you have just moved in and have yet to put your mark on the property, or if you are renting and are restricted by your landlord on carrying out invasive renovations. So, what can you do to ensure that your house is a relaxing sanctuary that you want to spend time in? Here are some ways that you can create a cozy home.

Carpets

Nothing is more comforting than walking through a carpeted room barefoot—especially if you need to use the bathroom in the middle of a cold night. When looking for carpets for your home, be sure to consider the pile. This refers to the fabric loops that make up the carpet: high-pile carpets means the fabric fibers are taller and looser, whereas low-pile carpets have shorter fibers and tighter weaves. High-pile carpets will be cozier and warmer underfoot, but low-pile carpets are harder wearing, so choose one that is right for your home and lifestyle. Alternatively, if you don’t want to fully commit to carpeting, you could invest in a couple of deep-pile rugs.

Fireplace

What could be better on a cold and wet night than relaxing on the sofa in front of a roaring fire? If you are not lucky enough to already have a fireplace in your home, consider having one installed in your living room, or even in the bedroom. Choose an old fashioned fireplace to give your room a cozy, vintage feel. You should also consider what kind of fuel you are planning it use. If you are planning on installing a fireplace that burns wood or coal, you will need to ensure that it is connected to a chimney so that the smoke can be released from your house. A lower maintenance—and more ecologically sustainable—option is to get a gas fire, which will give you the look and heat of a wood-burning fire without the smoke.

Curtains

At the end of the day, you will probably want to shut yourself off from the outside world so that you can relax in your home and forget about the stresses of the day. Curtains are a great way of shutting out the outside world, both in visual terms and also by deadening the intrusion of outside noise. Blackout curtains do an excellent job of blocking out intrusive light and insulating the home, and as such, they are a great curtain option for your bedroom to promote better sleep. You should also carefully consider the fabric of the curtain. Velvet curtains, for instance, are effective in blocking out light and noise, they are good heat insulators, and they are beautifully tactile to the touch.