How to create a cozy home on a budget

What does a cozy home mean to you? If you’re like me, my most commonly used word to describe what I want for our home is the word “cozy.” Next to that is warm, inviting, and tranquil. I want to feel comfortable and at home in the space that I’m spending a lot of time in, don’t you?

What I mean when I say cozy, I mean a place that you just want to curl up in with a good book. A space that you can walk into and feel calm and happy. 

Today, I am sharing things that have worked in making our home a cozy and restful space.

Here is a list of 10 easy, budget-friendly ways to make your home cozy and inviting!

Start with a Clean, Minimalistic space

This will be at the beginning of any list I make for creating a home that you love. Simplify and minimize = less stuff to manage. This should be done before moving on to any other step.

Soft Blankets & Throw Pillows

If you’re open to thrift shop finds, then one of the best places to find some good quality home decor can be in thrift stores. This can be true for throw rugs and throw pillows too. Check for cushions with removable covers so you can give them a new home & a new look by adding a new cover. 

I use blankets in a few different ways:
Drape them along the side or back of your couch and accent chair arms.
Put them in big baskets to fill empty corners and spaces in your home.
Put them at the end of a bed.

I like to look for blankets with texture. I have found almost all of our blankets at thrift stores, TK Maxx, Kmart and Target.

For the living room, a good rule of thumb is to have 22 × 22″ to 24 x 24″ pillows on each end of the sofa. Then 18 x 18″ or 12 x 12″ next to them. At minimum, two pillows at each end. Vary the texture and colour, but make sure the colours are complimentary. I also like to add one big pillow to our accent chairs, as well. 

Use lamps to brighten up dark spaces

If you’re not someone who loves having artificial lighting in the home, the best way to achieve a natural look with warm light bulbs and lamps.  Warm lighting is conducive to relaxation as it’s beneficial for the circadian rythym in the evening as it mimics the natural sunset, signaling the body to relax and prepare for sleep by supporting the production of the sleep hormone, melatonin. Bright, cool light, especially in the evening, can disrupt the circadian rhythm by suppressing melatonin production and causing alertness, making it harder to sleep. We don’t want that do we? Nope! Warm light it is!

You can find some nice lamps in thrift stores and marketplace. 

Add a Diffuser or Electric Candles to the Room

Add Rustic Textures

Add some books

There are a few ways you can use books in your cozy decor. Simply drop a couple books against some nice bookends or Lay a couple down on a shelf. Put a couple of books on an end table with a (faux) candle or a small plant on top. You can find some really beautiful, vintage books at thrift stores for just a few dollars. You can also find groups of them for sale on ebay, or try your local marketplace.

Add artwork or photos that you love

A budget friendly way to add some artwork is to get some cheap photo frames from a Dollar store (11 x 14″) would be a good size. Buy a can of spray paint (gold would be nice) and print some photos to go inside. If you want to make a faux matte border to your photos for that added minimalist effect you can do so with photoshop. Instructions on how to do this will be posted in a future post.

Add Natural Elements

Incorporating natural elements will make your space cozy while also minimal. You can decorate simply with a bowl of fruit or add a stem from outside to a vase.

Hopefully this gives you a few ideas or some inspiration to create the cozy home you love!

Until we meet again,

Vanessa & Steph xx