7 Epic Warm and Cozy Living Room Ideas

The living room is the heart of the home and the place where you’ll be entertaining friends and family. That means it’s well worth spending time making it a cozy haven where you can relax and rejuvenate. These warm and cozy living room ideas will transform your home into a comfy haven.

You want your living room to be relaxing and comfortable yet still look chic and stylish. But we’ve got news for you; you don’t need to sacrifice comfort for style. The best part? You don’t need to buy all your living room décor all at once. You can add pieces one by one and continue to re-assess the look as a whole.

When we think “cozy” we often think of cuddling up on a cold winter’s night, but we think your home should be cozy all year round! Once you have mastered all the key warm and cozy living room ideas you like, you can take these same principles and apply them to any other room within the home. That might be rooms that feel a little sterile, are lacking in personality, or could do with more comfortable design elements.

So, what are you waiting for? Keep reading to find out how to make your house cozy and warm.

1. Decide on your room layout

Many homeowners wonder how to make a home feel welcoming, and the main key is room layout. A living room that is too open will feel draughty and sterile – no one will know where to sit to get comfortable.

For a super-cozy living room, you want to create a space that isn’t too spread out yet isn’t covered in clutter, either. Ideally, in the center of your room, you want a cozy couch and ottoman set as a coffee table as well as plenty of colorful cushions. Choose an extra-deep sofa that can seat quite a few people for maximum comfort.

If you’re working with a small space, you can add a sofa then add additional ottomans, bean bags, or floor cushions. Ottomans can double as storage, while bean bags and cushions can be stowed away easily in cupboards when not in use. Your room layout should be cozy, yet shouldn’t close off sections of your living room. Try to spread out your furniture so there isn’t too much open space. Yet, at the same time, you don’t want furniture spread too far apart – use rugs and the strategic positioning of furniture to establish various “zones” within each part of the room.

If you’re unsure of your room layout, browse Pinterest for more ideas.

2.  Add soft furnishings

Next up, add soft textures wherever possible – texture is the key to a cozy space! Add plenty of cozy cushions in different colors and textures to add depth and warmth to your space.

Add a large area rug that touches different furniture pieces to bring the space together. Your rug should either be a neutral tone or contain similar colors to your other décor – you can easily match rugs with other décor like cushions.

Cushions are the perfect décor item – they’re affordable, easy to move around, and allow you to mix and match different pieces together with ease.

3. Consider color carefully

Color has the power to calm you and create a space where you can really relax, so it pays to take the time to devise a fabulous color scheme. Here’s how different colors can make (or break) your spaces:

• For a calming space, use cool colors like blue, lilac, emerald green or grey
• To create a unique space that inspires creativity use orange and yellow
• For a vibrant, romantic space use rich reds or pinks
• For a sophisticated space use black or charcoal

You can even use a neutral base with whites and creams and include pops of color wherever possible. You can swap these out seasonally, utilizing pastels in spring and then richer autumn tones in the cooler months.

4. Add wall art

If you’re really looking for some warm and cozy wall art ideas, adding wall art instantly gives your home a lived-in feel. Styling wall art in your spaces adds personality and flair to your home, especially in the living room. Make sure to be creative and choose pieces that reflect your family and their values.

For instance, are your family a little quirky? If so, choose a wild, creative print that reflects their spirit. Are they sophisticated and refined? Choose a stylish, minimalistic print. Are they adventurous? Choose a series of landscapes or action shots.

And, when all else fails, go with one of the below fail-proof ideas:

• Abstract art; add color and life with a unique abstract art print
• Landscapes; add a landscape that is relevant to you. Perhaps it’s a place you’ve visited in the past, a place you’d like to visit, or even a photo of your local area
• Family photos; choose a single family photo or create a Photo Collage using all your best family snapshots
• Contemporary art; add a bold pop of color with a fun contemporary art print. Our colorful modern art pieces will add interest to your spaces – just choose colors that fit in with your existing color scheme

If you want your space to feel homey and cozy, it truly needs to speak to you and your family so dig deep and take the time to consider which art would work for your spaces. Browse our wall art here.

5. Make it comfortable

Comfort is the secret to creating a cozy home. But that doesn’t mean you need to stuff every corner with armchairs and an abundance of cushions! Add comfortable décor to make your space nice and cozy. Comfort might mean something different to you than to others, but typically when we think of comfort we think:

• Rounded shapes – no harsh pointy corners or hard surfaces like glass
• Soft fabrics like velvet, silk, satin, and cotton instead of coarse fabrics like wool
• Plenty of pillows and soft surfaces to sit on instead of hard plastic or wooden chairs
• Large chairs instead of small stools
• An abundance of space and adequate seating for the number of people in the room
• Carpet or rugs to soften floors

6. Embrace aromatherapy

When we’re considering how to make a home feel welcoming, we don’t often think about scent in the home. But if you think back on the coziest homes you’ve visited, chances are they smelled amazing as well as looking the part.

First of all, your home needs to look (and feel) clean. This will give it a fresh smell with no lingering cooking scents or the odor of a smelly sink or mildew. Once your home is spick and span, then you can start adding fresh scents.

Try one (or more) of the following:

• Candles – you can try a multitude of candles in different scents and styles for various rooms throughout the home. Some give off a beautiful scent while others just look beautiful on your shelves
• Scent diffusers – these are great for leaving in the bathroom or kitchen to keep the air fresh
• Essential oils – you can use oil burners or diffusers to circulate oils throughout the home. If you have pets just check that they’re pet friendly first. Different oils have different purposes so check what these can be used for

7. Light it up

If you’ve done everything else but you’re running out of warm and cozy living room ideas, lighting is the final step in creating a cozy atmosphere. Lighting can have a surprisingly major effect on the atmosphere of your home. Bright cool lighting can be too stark, making your home feel sterile and cold. On the other hand, if your lighting is too dim and low it can make your rooms feel cramped and depressing.

What you want to aim for is a space lit by warm golden light that reminds you of the sun. You can a variety of lighting that can be customized to suit your mood, transforming your home from a bright entertainer’s paradise to cozy and romantic with just the flick of a switch or two.

For that reason, we recommend having a few different lighting options to customize your home, such as:

• Main light switch; these should be bright but not blinding! Or if you can install a dimmer switch, this can help change up your lighting
• String lights; add fairy lights on the walls, around furniture, or wrap it around your window frames
• Globe lights; these can look chicer and more modern than fairy lights or string lights
• Lamps; add a couple of matching floor lamps to create balance and add a chic evening glow in your living room or bedroom

The key to creating a cozy lighting scheme is to choose warm lighting. Not everyone realizes it but lights tend to cast a different glow, depending on the type of lighting you choose and even the light globes used. Some cast a cool blue glow, while others are white, yellow, or even a rosy color.

Also, when it comes to lighting make sure you can shut the light out, too! If you haven’t already, invest in high-quality curtains. You can even have two layers of curtains to give you the option of having more privacy at night. These soft fabrics will make your room feel cozier, too.

We hope these warm and cozy living room ideas have given you a few options when it comes to transforming your home into a comfy, cozy haven. If you can’t decide how to decorate your home, try to go with your gut and choose pieces that speak to you, not what’s trending at the time.

Start shopping now, or browse our enormous collection of wall art here.