How To Make Your Home Cozy on a Budget – Simple Slow Living

If you are a woman always searching for new ways of how to make your home cozy, you are in good company. The pursuit of a cozy home is an ongoing process. I love to learn from other women what they do in their own homes, and bring some of their creativity into my own.

My mission has been to create a cozy home that blesses our family and our guests daily. I have spent many years figuring out how to do this within my situation and budget. I feel, creating a cozy home is something that can be done within any budget. The main step to making your home a cozy, inviting space is intentionality. There needs to be thought and consideration behind the stylistic detail and ambiance of the room. A cozy home that reflects a simple, slow lifestyle can be achieved by anyone who has the desire to start creating their own unique cozy home. In this post I’ll share my list of cozy home must-haves that I have learned over the years and applied to my own home. 

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please read my full disclosure policy here.

You Don’t Need To Own The Building To Make It Your Cozy Home

Curating a cozy home can be done within any living situation, with whatever resources you have right now. Whether you’re renting, in an apartment, or sharing a room. Whether your house is a new build in the suburbs, an old farmhouse, a 70s split level, or an 1800s cottage in the English countryside, you can make your home into the cozy getaway of your dreams.

Intentionality is the Key

What I deem as cozy, vs what your version of cozy is may be vastly different. We all have our own unique past, memories, and style that shape what our dream cozy home will look like. Intentionality with applying those memories and curating your style towards a cozy atmosphere is what makes all of the difference. You don’t want a picturesque AI generated Pinterest home. You want your unique personality to shine through the walls of your own living space to make your house feel like home. The great thing is, creating a cozy home can be done across many different tastes and styles. It is possible to have a cozy minimalist home or a a cozy maximalist home, a cozy old home, or a cozy new home. It’s all about how you choose to add the warm details to create the cozy home you desire. 

Cozy Is Easy, Even On a Budget

No, you don’t need to BUY anything new! Creating inspiration boards, following accounts with similar style, and being in Facebook groups that match your style niche are all great ways to be inspired within your space and create a dream furniture shopping list. However, you can create your cozy home with what you have available right now, or on a very low budget if you embrace being thrifty.

Creating The Cozy Home Of Your Dreams Checklist:

Soft Lighting Sets the Tone:

The overall ambiance is set by the lighting of choice within your home, especially if it is lacking natural light. The easiest way to change your lighting right away is to change your light bulbs! A warm glow of soft lights can make a huge impact in terms of how a room feels. There are many choices for lighting your home, here are some things to avoid: large overhead lights, fluorescent light bulbs, and LED lights all give off a very bright and usually cool toned light. What you want from your lights is a warm tones yellow soft bulbs with low wattage or soft white bulbs. You should have soft, warm lighting available near anywhere someone sits. If they’re reading, knitting, or just sipping tea they should have access to soft, warm light. 

There are Many Lighting Choices:

Candles are a very classic choice but in my opinion not always practical. 

Lamps fitted with soft white bulbs instead of overhead lights are a great addition to any room. I have found amazing lamps at thrift stores and garage sales for $1-$5! Floor lamps, table lamps, there’s so many ways to incorporate lamps! 

String lights: fairy lights, or Christmas lights are also an inexpensive way to add a cozy home feel to a room. I like to buy mine after Christmas on clearance. Just make sure sure you avoid LED lights. 

Light Fixtures: a small chandelier fitted with soft white bulbs can create a very cozy atmosphere. You can either replace an existing light fixture, or I have even seen plug-in versions as well, no re-wiring required! Sconce lights can also be an excellent addition for a cozy house. 

Electric Fireplace: An easy way to make your space feel cozy is to add an electric fireplace. Which gives off a warm glow, but also warms your room which is great for winter months! 

Warm toned Paint Or Go Bold:

Paint might be the one thing I suggest you buy ASAP if you want a cozy space. Much like the lighting, it sets the tone for the atmosphere, but in an even more drastic way. It is the backdrop of everything in the room. In recent years, a very open concept room, with white or light gray floor to ceiling has been very popular. To me, this feels like the opposite of a cozy space. A huge open space, with minimal furnishings or decor, and a bright, cool toned background makes me either feel very beachy (think beach house), or sanitary (think, hospital room).

You can counteract cool paint tones with warm lighting and furniture, if you want cozy you should choose warm, natural colors. When I am choosing the colors of a cozy space I gravitate towards warm, soft, natural tones. If you need bold color in your life no fear! Bold colors warm or cool toned create a moody and very cozy atmosphere if styled well. 

Colors to avoid: bright, cool tones, all one color

Colors to choose: warm, soft, natural tones OR bold, dark, rich colors (cool or warm) Note: If you love white walls or gray, there are many warm white and warm gray paint options that will allow your space to be bright, but not as harsh. 

Furniture You Want To Sit On:

Ikea is great for many things, but comfortable furniture is not one of them! When choosing the furniture for your cozy space, try to envision sitting on that sofa for hours reading a book. You don’t just want to like the look of the furniture, you need to love the feel. You want to be able to sink into a seat and completely relax. 

Furniture to avoid: Boxy, hard corners, firm, cool tones

Furniture to look for: Soft corners, overstuffed, soft, natural colors and wood or bold colors. 

Blankets and Pillows:

I have a rule in my house. Each couch or armchair has at least 1 blanket and 1 throw pillow, ideally 2 or each. I can’t tell you how often I’ve been complimented on having throw blankets in all of my sitting areas by friends who cuddle under them while chatting with me for the afternoon. For every sitting space, I want someone to feel they can sit there for hours enjoying the room. Pillows provide comfort for sitting, propping up a book or laptop and can add a fun pop of color to a room. Blankets being available allows anyone sitting there to be as warm as they’d like at any point.

You want to pay attention to the texture of the textiles you choose for your home natural materials and different textiles add to the coziness factor if chosen well. You want soft, velvety, natural soft knits or woven materials. Nothing with hard rope, bumpy stitching, jute, or burlap. If you have large open spaces like a living room with wood or tile floors, you should also consider some floor coverings to encourage a warm space feel. 

Make Your Decor Personal:

Trinkets that have no value and just fill space are also known as clutter. We don’t need extra clutter (I certainly don’t!). But minimalism can feel sterile. The decor that fills your space should be personal (family portraits, family heirlooms, a mirror you love, a good book, etc), it should have value to you. Decor doesn’t necessarily need to all have an amazing story behind every piece, but each item in your house should bring you joy. Something you actually like to use like a favorite candle, or a good book. If it isn’t bringing you joy being in your home, it is cluttering your space with extra stuff. I often re-evaluate what I have brought into my home.

If I am feeling overwhelmed, sometimes I follow the poop rule: If this was covered in poop, would I wash it off and save it? Or would I throw it out? Usually that makes my choice pretty clear. Decorating your home with personal items is also cheaper. You already own your favorite things, so styling them with a thrift store frame or gold spray paint may be all that is needed to refresh your space. 

A Cozy Home Is Clean:

A clean home invites someone to sit awhile and relax. Don’t click off this blog post just yet! I have 3 young kids and totally understand clutter and messes. Let me explain. There’s a huge difference between a floor that hasn’t been swept since yesterday, and a floor that hasn’t been swept in a week or even a month. If your couch is full of pet hair or sticky snacks, it’s not very inviting to sit on. A basic standard of clean is all that is required for a cozy home. 

Rooms that have been vacuumed, dusted, and picked up regularly, fresh smelling air. Messes happen daily, but if you maintain a baseline level of clean (a weekly or monthly cleaning schedule helps!), then your space is inviting despite the daily messes and clutter. Don’t over-do synthetic fragrances or chemical cleaners if you want a cozy space, they can be totally overpowering. 

Soft Music:

Soft instrumental music can be a subtle, but valuable addition to a cozy home. Music with lyrics can sometimes be distracting to conversation or overwhelming. But soft, instrumental music can fill the silent emptiness of a space with warmth and familiarity. 

A Good Smelling Home:

Be aware of what your home smells like. You don’t necessarily need to fill every room with a scent, but knowing if you have any unpleasant smells is important. Deep cleaning your washing machine, carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning your furniture, and having an air purifier are all ways to keep unpleasant smells at bay. If you prefer natural alternatives, fresh flowers, simmer pots, an essential oil diffuser and beeswax candles are all great options. 

Food & Drink

One of the simplest ways to make a home cozy is by having food and drink options available. This doesn’t need to be expensive. Making muffins with over-ripe bananas or having a simple cup of tea available is all you need for a cozy afternoon. Keeping in mind what meal is coming up and planning ahead so is key to keeping overwhelm away and having a cozy, relaxed feel in your home. 

Welcome, Cozy home.

I hope these ideas encourage you to believe that anyone can make the place they live a cozy and that these tips give you ideas on how to make your space cozy too.

What is Your Favorite Cozy Home Tip?

Let me know in the comments how you make your home cozy!

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This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please read my full disclosure policy here.