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!

[lilysea]

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

Red;

blue;

teal;

purple...

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

=^..^=~

[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