Agreed!!

To me making a home cozy is lots of soft comfortable fabrics a varying range of decorations. I love books so I have lots of them displayed. I love the look of leather and earth tones. I love going to the auctions as new furniture has no real appeal to me. Just my opinion though! :)

Here is a link that might be useful: tablecloths

I second your opinion, lex87! Different levels of lighting help to warm up a space. We are in a log house with very little overhead lighting; it is extremely cozy!

Here is a link that might be useful: Log house decorating

What's with the tablecloths link?

The first thing people say about my house, before and after the remodel is "cozy" and "homey."

Mine is decorated in the jewel tones, wood floor, dark red and green furniture, white beadboard, red going into the kitchen.

I agree that fabric plays a big part. I love table runners, table toppers and doileys, but not overkill.

For me it's about color, and not having furniture where you're afraid to sit on. And a coffee table is a must, but one that's not too shiny where you can't put your feet up. :)

I ditto Lex87, too (except for the tablecloths, which I rarely use). :-)

Furletcity, is that your house? I love it! I wanted a log house for a long time, but I got the next best thing (IMO): an old farmhouse with hemlock plank walls and exposed beams. People tell me it's cozy.

Thank you, alisande, and yes,it's my house. Your house sounds like my kind of house! Pictures?

Okay, here's a few I took tonight just for the occasion (of this thread). I used the Party Scene on my camera instead of flash, and as you can see, I didn't tidy up. The framed photographs all over the place are left over from a show I did this fall; some are waiting to be picked up by family members. They (the photos, not the family) will be out of here before Christmas!

The messy mound on the hearth to the left of the chair is my rug hooking project in progress. Ditto the plastic bag of woolens in the basket on the floor. The cover on the chair seat is for the benefit of the cats. Like the OP said, lived in. :-)

One of my favorite pieces of furniture, an 1888 poplar stepback cupboard.

And a few pics I didn't take tonight.

When my kitchen was new (2003). It is in no shape to be photographed tonight!

Remodeled upstairs bathroom. We still don't have the hardware on the cabinets.

Antique library table, custom reproduction Dutch cupboard, uber-cheap chairs from K-Mart.

Inexpensive reproduction hutch.

Broyhill Attic Heirlooms end table.

Lit-from-behind stained glass fireplace screen (photographed last year).

Cozy? :-)

Wow - love both homes!!! That's coziness itself!!! Thank your for pictures. I hope there are more posts to come.

A cosy home to me is one that has personal items used in the decor, comfortable furniture, a wood stove, low lighting (and good lighting for reading), books, and colors I like! Probably also cats and a dog and a lack of perfection but a reasonable standard of cleanliness. It's a very personal thing. One person's cozy may not be another's.

Very cozy! Your house is beautiful and I'd definitely feel right at home there! Thanks for posting!

furletcity, I'm in the market for a cumfy sofa and yours looks exactly like what I'm looking for. What is the manufacturer? Are the cushions down or a down/foam combination? (I always dreamed of having a mountain log home too but settled in the burbs in a brick house instead).

Yes, lots of books, good reading light, magazines, nice music, interesting artwork, a cat or dog curled up by the fire...

I am a little insane on how I decorate. We love our little house. This is an album of from when we first moved here July 2008 until just a few days ago, the trunk top mosaic I am working on. The house is changing. My tastes are changing. Going from Shabby to Abstract. Or keeping both together if I can make it work in small amounts. I think I am really mixed up in my brain. Blaming it all on menopause. Have to blame something for my insanity.

Chris

Here is a link that might be useful: Our Home

Thanks, Shirl...oops,sorry. Dontcallmeshirley, the blue sofa is a Hancock and Moore and the tan is a Ralph Lauren sofa(down pillows and cushions). They're both quite old and have been holding their own against all of my pets until the three stray kittens took up residence. They have been much harder on them.HTH :(

Let's see:

1) Furniture placement or arrangement that invites family and friends to lean in and talk. Change the seating areas around if the occasion warrants! Tables nearby the seating so that drinks can be put down or a dish of goodies can be placed there.

2) A focal point of some kind in the room -- to create a visual "centerpoint" for the seating or eating areas. Sometimes a focal point can be bookshelves or a fireplace or an entertainment center or an armoire or a large artwork or a grouping of artworks.

3) Lighting Options. Very important! A range of lighting and/or lamps or even added candles that can be changed with the needs of the current occupants. Reading? Talking? Playing Games? Crafting? Or -- in the case of a kitchen -- prepping or cooking food.

4) Variety of Textures. Smooth. Rough. Examples: baskets; carpets; fabrics; window treatments.

5) Variety of Artworks. All kinds -- and from any possible source. But try to find things that really "speak" to you. Sometimes they giggle, whisper words of comfort and joy; sometimes sing to your soul -- just like family and friends.

6) Books. In an ever-increasing technological age -- books remain in cozy homes. Books of all and every sort, kind and value. A stack of decor magazines lives by my reading chair!

7)"Cozy" additions that work with the season. A Fan for the warmer weather and a sisal rug. Maybe cool slipcovers. Then in the cooler weather -- a fire in the fireplace; a cozy throw or cushion on the right chair.

8) Kind Hospitality. A cool icy drink on a warm night. A fresh crisp crunchy salad to share. Cool music in the air. And a cold night -- a warm cup held between two cold hands. Fresh hot baking from the oven. A throw to cuddle cold limbs.

Jan at Rosemary Cottage

I asked this question, sort of, a bit earlier... you can scroll through it to hear some neat ideas too.
LOVE that log house.... sigh!

Here is a link that might be useful: making a home welcoming for a group

alisande, what is your kitchen counter top material? Your kitchen looks nice!

kjmama, what a good link. Love those pics of inviting homes. Thanks!

A comfortable, welcoming home has always been my main goal when decorating my houses . . . and I've worked hard to keep it that way.
* I have coffee tables we can and do put our feet up on.
* No throw pillows that are not comfortable to lean against! No piles of throw pillows that look nice but have to be moved someplace else in order to sit down.
* Sofas and chairs that are VERY comfortable to sit on.
* Accessories and art that were bought because we love them and they reflect us.
* There are books everywhere; ones that we've read and cherish, not ones purchased because they look good.
* Candles in every room, to light in the evenings if we're in that room.
* I hate overhead, harsh lighting, so there's lots of lamps around. Good practical ones with 3-way bulbs so that they can be adjusted to suit the mood . . . and that are good for reading.
* no big, elaborate, sprawling tablescapes on side tables, coffee tables, nightstands and dresser tops. I like for us, and our guests, to be able to use these areas for books we're reading at the moment or, say, a cup of tea.
* every bedroom has comfortable, machine-washable bedspreads or comforters. I like that we can lie down for a nap or prop ourselves up to read a book without worrying about messing up the beds.
* speakers, so that we can have beautiful music in every room if we choose. I especially love listening to Classical music during Autumn and Winter evenings with a good book or decorating magazine and a cup of hot tea.
* I love to set a nice table for my family's dinner. I have quite a few different dinner and salad plates that I change around and always have lit candles on the table for our dinners. It makes me happy to make my tables welcoming and cozy for my family and friends.
* four fireplaces, because we love sitting fireside on our cool mountain evenings. I think fireplaces add so much warmth to a room, but totally understand that four of them is not the norm. Even one is lovely, though.
* comfy rugs in every room. There are NO rugs in my house that you have to take your shoes off to walk on ;^D
* much loved dogs that add to the warmth and comfort with their love and devotion . . . and their nose smudges on every door and low window ;^)
Lynn
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The book was one I was reading that day. It's usually on the bookcaase in there. That would be too much for me to have on one table all the time!

. . . and there were/are dog nose smudges on every one of those 4 glass doors!

The furniture out on our front portal is old and doesn't match, but those chairs are very, very comfy. We all prop our feet up on the old coffee table as we sit and chat and look out at the view:

Lynn, what great fireplaces (among other things!). I love southwest decor. What is the book on your coffee table, by the way?

Thanks, RRS. It's Formica's Travertine with a beveled edge. Here's a closer look:

Lynne, you added something that really is cozy and you didn't even know it! In the picture of your fireplace, I can see burn marks from past fires. To me, that IS cozy. The FP is used as it should be, instead of just for "looks."

Just this morning I had to clean the nose prints (and grandbaby handprints) off the front door window! :)

I also agree about books, I have them everywhere. My dh and I both have our own piles on our separate end tables, along with the organized books in the book nook.

alisande - Thanks - that looks very nice and goes well with everything including the floor. It seems a lot warmer than granite.

Thanks! I had quite a battle with the kitchen designer about the countertops (and other things). At one point she actually snatched the Travertine sample out of my hand, insisting that I needed a darker color for contrast. She liked Formica's Butterrum Granite. I liked it, too--in fact, I used it in the bathroom remodel pictured above. But I wanted a lighter look for the kitchen.

Good choice. I like the traertine look better for the kitchen.

Cozy; sight, sounds, touch, taste, smell. All subjective.
cozy sights to me: animals curled up on a chair, rug
or lap, Personal touches but not to cluttered, flicker-
ing fire or candles, flowers or plants (real live ones)
warm colors.

Cozy sounds to me: A purring cat, rain on the roof,
music, laughter, a sigh, crackling fire.

Cozy touch: soft textured fabrics, a cat or dog, sun
on my face through a window,

Cozy tastes; warm drinks on a cold day, cold drinks on
a hot day, good food.

Cozy smells; cinnamon, anything baking, a baby
after a bath, fresh flowers.

Alisande: the book is "Visions of Santa Fe" and is filled with the most gorgeous photographs of Santa Fe. Love it!
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Oakleyok: yep, smoke marks on the fireplaces and doggie nose smudges on the glass doors and windows . . . truly the signs of a cozy, real home ;^D
Lynn