Room Redo

There are many ways to make your home feel “cozy“. As simple as it may be to understand on an individual level, it is a very interesting and subjective concept. While that sense of coziness may affect different people to different degrees, the hominess of a home whose bedrooms are furnished with beds of nails is likely only to appeal to a small demographihc. Some ways to make yourself and your guests feel at home in your home include the use of scent, photo displays, and textures of furniture.

Before we can even get the door open wide enough to walk in we are often able to perceive the environment of the room by the scent that invites itself into our nostrils. That said, it is arguably the ultimate of first impression. In the same way it can help in an immediate transition from a long day or working in the outside world to a calm and relaxing evening at home. Fill your home with natural scents and try to avoid the use of chemicals to achieve the aroma.

Nothing makes home feel like yours more than photographs of your friends and family. It would likely feel a little less homey if all of your picture frames contained pictures of people you don’t know. However, having a dresser, table, or shelf covered with frames of every size and shape imaginable tends to clutter the space. Instead, be creative in how you display your precious memories by either placing an assortment of them in a much larger frame or coming up with something altogether different. Remember that these are your memories and your home, so they must be presented in a satisfying way to you!

Lastly, much of our time at home is spent seated or lying down. It is nice to have comfortable and familiar textures in your furniture, but a little more interesting to have textures that are not so familiar. Perhaps having a few seating elements with different patterns or physical texture can help add a small bit of contrast in your otherwise familiar and safe home. It may sound like something that goes against the concept of “cozy”, but sometimes experiencing something different, surrounded by sameness, is comforting in itself.

Cozy Home Library

While here in Houston Winter really only describes a few days of the year, elsewhere there is actually such thing as a consistent climate. However limited our winters happen to be, it always helps to be prepared for the season and the cold weather it has the potential to bring. The easiest way is to prepare yourself is by the use of color and lighting.

The first is color. If you have not done so already, bring some warm colors into the home in the way of pillows, drapery, bed sheets and the like. Having reds, oranges and yellows laying about the home will give a warm illusion and thus actually making you feel warmer. This is, of course, a less costly alternative to cranking the heater up. Another way to cut down on heating costs is to check that your windows shut tightly and are well insulated. If they are not as insulated as you would like, invest in thick or heavy drapery to absorb any drafts. These drapes also offer another opportunity to bring in the warm colors.

It is also recommended to invest in full spectrum lighting. The reason for this is that this type of lighting offers light that is much like natural light. A good place to incorporate these lights are in a reading or lounging area. In conjuntion with your warm colors, you can feel that you are floating in a ball of warmth while frost accumulates on your car windshield just on the other side of the walls.

Warm Living Room Design

Keeping your home organized can sometimes seem like a daunting task, but a simple principle to keep in mind is that everything needs a place. By designating an area for everything and every activity in your home, it is easier to organize and maintain.

To start off with some specifics, there are some items which always seem to just find their own place in the home whether we want them there or not. These items typically include junk mail and magazines (which are sometimes – but not always – the same thing). Dispose of all junk mail as soon as it enters your home in whatever way you see fit. Bills and other important pieces of mail should be placed in a highly visible place in order to be sure that you do not forget about it. Magazines should be stored or at least placed in an area in your home where leisure is the primary objective.

While rooms of your home are likely already categorized for certain things, it is helpful to further that categorization by organizing the space so that things are easier to find and return. One of the more useful places that this comes in handy will be in the home office. A helpful way to separate your home office is to create zones: work area, reference area, and supply area – having names which are self-explanatory of their purpose. You can also do this for a child’s room or play area by having designated places for toys, school supplies, and special areas for enjoying those things.

These same organization tips can be used on any room in your home and in any way which best works for your and your family. Remember to get the family involved in the organization so that the task of keeping things together is not falling souly on one member.

The new year is finally here, and with it almost always comes resolutions. These resolutions often range from finding a new job to losing weight, but share the idea of bettering one’s life. Feng shui also shares this goal, and can be used to assist in realizing your resolutions for the new year.

As is a staple with Feng shui in general, clutter is not your friend at all. For the turn of the year go a step further from simply cleaning off the tables and laundry, and clear your home of things you no longer use. For example, if you have CDs you no longer listen to or movies you no longer watch, give them away.

You may also want perform a January-style rendition of Spring Cleaning. In addition to reducing clutter around the homoe, be sure the thoroughly clean even the places which are clutter free. Clear out places like your pantry and refrigerator, and even venture outside to your yard and your car.

Now that everything is clear of the old, it is time to bring in the new. Restock your pantry and refrigerator, preferably with something more healthy than what you took out. Put up new calendars. I am sure you have enough on your mind without having to worry about the date. One last tip is to stock your home with oranges. Oranges symbolize a fruitful home and are used in Chinese tradition to bring in the new year.