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

[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?