Friday open thread: cosy interiors

[dolorosa_12]

I've just ordered a lot of wintry-scented candles online (and if anyone in the UK feels like doing the same, let me know, because I have a link through which, if others place orders, I get a discount), and that's basically what sparked this week's open thread prompt:

What, if anything, makes your house (flat/room in shared house/dwelling place whatever its specifics) feel like home?

I'm not talking about general decor preferences, but rather am talking specifically about physical objects (or concrete effects on the senses, like ... I don't know, the smell of freshly baked gingerbread or something), rather than house layout or location or overall vibes. For me, the basic elements are as follows:

Candles

String lights

Physical books

Flowers (fresh or dried)

Indoor plants

Throw rugs and other blanket-like coverings on couches, armchairs, etc

Taking things up to a slightly higher level (in the sense that I love them and they make houses feel like home, but if I don't have them all the time I don't feel completely bereft), I would add:

A decent collection of spices (ideally organised on a spice rack)

When seasonally appropriate, some outdoor plants that provide sustenance — even if it's just mint, thyme and rosemary, which are the hardiest of herbs

I always love seeing balconies in Mediterranean countries, and countries in south-eastern Europe, because so many of them are full of practical growing things on every available flat surface: tomatoes, chili, capsicum, cucumber and various herbs, even if the person otherwise lives in quite a tiny flat. (I assume this sort of thing goes on in other parts of the world, but that's region with which I've familiar in which it seems to be almost ubiquitous.)

In any case, what about you? What makes your home feel cosy?

Comments

[trepkos]

We don't always have one, but a cat always seems homely, and we usually have at least one aquarium!

[dolorosa_12]

I've never had a pet, but I always appreciate cats in other people's houses — I agree with you that they make homes seem cosy and homelike. And I love that you consistently have aquariums!

[trepkos]

Ever since about 1975.

[lilysea]

I like furniture and fabrics in bright solid colours - no patterns.

Red;

blue;

teal;

purple...

[dolorosa_12]

That's a great set of colours!

[rmc28]

I think everywhere I've ever lived has had a load of physical books, even if these days I probably majority-read ebooks. I also like soft throw blankets and at least one comfy sofa.

Doors that shut, and enough space that everyone can be on their own behind a shut door when they need to, makes it a liveable home, given the combination of personalities we have in this household. Wifi, kettle and microwave contribute greatly to everyone's comfort.

[dolorosa_12]

I like the sound of everything about your house!

(Although it would never have occurred to me to list 'wifi' as an answer to this question, because I consider it so essential that it would be equivalent to listing 'running water'. You are of course right to list it — it contributes greatly to a house's sense of being home.)

[lirazel]

It really is so interesting that wifi has become a utility in the same way electricity or whatever is.

[dolorosa_12]

I know, right?

[lirazel]

Ooooh, shut doors! So underrated! I haaaaaaaaate the insistence on "open concept" and the assumption that everyone wants it!

[lirazel]

I love reading what makes home for you!

For me it's:

+ Books
+ My art collection--pieces I have chosen throughout my travels over the years
+ Color--not an excessive amount, I don't have my walls painted neon colors or anything. But I hate beige/greige/neutrals predominating. I actually crave color, and my favorites are jewel tones.
+ Throw blankets to cuddle with
+ My Whirley Pop lol

I loooove string lights--when I move somewhere permanent, I'm going to get a ton of them and hang them everywhere.

[dolorosa_12]

Oooh, I love your list as well. I didn't mention the art we have on the walls — although obviously I like it all — because it doesn't feel quite so integral as the other things I listed.

Color--not an excessive amount, I don't have my walls painted neon colors or anything. But I hate beige/greige/neutrals predominating. I actually crave color, and my favorites are jewel tones.

I agree with you about this, but at the same time am overwhelmed at the thought of getting the walls repainted, since it would mean storing or covering all our belongings, and I'd rather look at white paint (which is what's on the walls) than deal with all that. At least our house has wooden trimming (doors, bannisters, inbuilt cupboards and bookshelves, skirting boards) to break the monotony. But if you like warm interiors and are interested in following accounts for the aesthetic, artdecojewel is a good one to follow!

I look forward to hearing about your string-lighting endeavours!

[lirazel]

Yeah, my art is huge for me. I definitely don't feel like I've moved into a place until it's all hung the way I like it. Maybe sometime I'll take some pictures of my favorite pieces and share them.

Yeah, it's SUCH a thing to paint after all your stuff is moved in! And white can be a lovely backdrop for colors of furniture or accessories or art or whatever. I love a good wood trim!

Oh gosh, that house is definitely done up in my colors! The tile and the prints! It's not 100% my style but that is so so so much closer than 99% of the interior design I see! Thanks for the gorgeous rec!

[dolorosa_12]

I'd definitely love to see pictures of your art! Maybe I should have that as the prompt for next Friday's open thread...

[lirazel]

That's a good idea!

[naye]

Other than stuff like having my husband and cats around, I think the most important "home" thing for me is cozy lighting? I don't want to feel like I'm in an office or hotel, and I want all the important spots to have the right light (for cooking, for eating, for reading, for watching TV...). Cozy lighting is one of the things I miss the most when traveling, when I have to put up with it being too bright/too cold or just insufficient.

I've also become a really big fan of potted plants. We're currently trying to keep some bromelias downstairs from being chewed up by a very bad cat who is even getting into the hanging pots...! I have seven plants in my office right now, and I'll do what I can so they'll all survive winter.

Another thing that makes it home is having photos and art up on the walls and elsewhere. (We have some fannish stuff on the inside of our wardrobe doors in a nod to decorated US high school lockers, just because it's fun.)

And of course books! So happy to finally have space to buy more of the many books I've enjoyed in e-book format in physical form.

[dolorosa_12]

Lighting is so important, and I'm impressed at the thought and effort you put into making your home lighting just right for you (I don't have the patience and will just tolerate lighting that isn't quite right, because I don't have the knowledge or the persistence to figure out what would make it 'right').

Good luck with the potted plants — everyone I know with cats says that this is a bit of a risk, although yours sound particularly determined, given that at least one of them is going after the hanging pots!

The best thing about owning your own place is having space for a physical book collection! Our house has built-in bookshelves across 2/3 of one living room wall, plus two rooms upstairs which we have filled with bookcases, and I've finally been able to have my childhood/early twenties book collection shipped from Sydney, where my mum had been keeping it at her flat for fifteen years! Such a relief to be reunited at last!

We have some fannish stuff on the inside of our wardrobe doors in a nod to decorated US high school lockers, just because it's fun.

This is so adorable! I love it it!

[naye]

Ahh, I'm so glad you got your Sidney collection shipped over! It's such a wonderful feeling to have all your books back with you. I never really had one - I borrowed books at the library and read the fantasy books my dad bought - but I did pick up most of the manga I bought in Japan from my parents farm. It's been delightful having it all out on the shelves.

As for light, we've invested in Philip Hues, because I like being extremely particular with the intensity and color of light...and also those gradient strips are magical. (We've only got one that fancy. But the bulbs and LED strips are all very neat.)

[lyr]

Books, certainly. A fully stocked pantry. A tea kettle on the counter, ready to use. Dogs snoring on the furniture. Negative space to move freely in.

I guess growing up food-insecure, lonely for a dog, and crammed into tiny apartments very much shaped what signals comfort to me.

[dolorosa_12]

Oof, that does make sense. I'm glad (I hope) that you're able to live with these comforts in adulthood, and am sorry to hear that they were not a constant in your childhood.

[lyr]

I like that I can appreciate them for the luxuries they are.

Interestingly, my partner finds coziness in cluttering space with pretty things, so there's always this balance between my wanting some negative space and his wanting to fill it with things.

[raven]

For me, it's incense. We don't light it as much as we should, but it turns a place into home for me the second you light the taper.

[dolorosa_12]

Oooh, that's a good one! I love incense (and in fact your comment prompted me to light some). How lovely that it signals home for you.

[blackcatofmisery]

My sense of "home" versus just "house" is seasonal decor that doesn't necessarily all match or has some obvious age to it. Well-loved kind of things. Rugs on the floors helps with coziness, but it depends on what the flooring is to begin with. Some don't need rugs, and they become tripping hazards. I also like general clutter. Just things to imply people are living there, like blankets tossed over the sofa and fruit sitting on the counter next to fruit bowls. Magnets covering the fridge.

Like, my uncle's house has always felt like a model home or something out of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. It's very nice and nicely decorated, but it feels so sterile? They had a cat once for a brief period of time but never had pets after that, so there aren't any furry tumbleweeds or pet bowls tucked away. The soap dispensers are all name-brand sorts of things from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Again, it's all very pleasant and even physically comfortable, but it is cozy? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I'll take my own home or my aunt's house.

=^..^=~

[dolorosa_12]

I agree with you — lived-in furniture, homemade, and worn decorations that feel like they've lived through a lot of life are vastly preferable to something sterile and picture-perfect. I don't personally like mess and clutter, but I like a house to have personality, and signs that the objects in it have been used, you know?

[sophia_sol]

ooh a good question! I definitely have overlaps with you and with others of your commenters.

For me:

- walls that are painted a colour I like, that is not a classic "neutral" like beige or grey or white.
- art up on the walls
- task lighting with warm-toned lightbulbs
- my books, visible in bookshelves, in a place I can regularly spend time communing with them
- a comfy couch I can sit on and stretch out on

[dolorosa_12]

I think there's a lot of overlap here in general! Your preferences also sound super cosy!