Five Ways to Make your Home Feel Comfortable and Cosy

What makes a home feel cosy? In my mind a cosy space has a comfy reading chair, books and a space to put a cup of tea! But a cosy space is made up of many different aspects.

The following five tips might serve as inspiration to add a comfortable feeling to your space:

1. Fresh flowers or pot plants are a great way to make a space feel welcoming. Flowers or greenery picked from the garden or bought from the grocery shop add life to a room and freshen up a space. I like to put greenery on the dining room table as it is also the enterance to our house. We also recently potted up some violas and petunias for our outdoor table which is in direct line of sight of the living room. I was amazed that it only took a few bright annuals in a pot to really cheer up this small space.A fresh bowl of fruit can also be an inviting addition to a table or kitchen counter top. 
2. Cushions and blankets are also a helpful addition to up the cosiness of a room, especially if you live in a chilly climate or have cool evenings. In spring and summer, light weight cotton throws may be just the ticket to add some colour and texture to a room and as the season changes to autumn/fall and winter some more heavy weight wool blankets might be in order. I love neutral tones, but adding a bit of colour with these decorative elements has certainly added a fun element to our spaces.
3. Lighting is something I tend to forget about, but that adds a lot of warmth and cosiness to a space. Table lamps and floor lamps as well as candles and fairy lights can change the mood of a room from dreary to magical in a moment. Scented candles can also add a lovely atmosphere to an evening at home (or even a long soak in the bath). If it is possible to fit a dimmer switch to dining room and bedroom over head lights, this small modification can create a lot of atmosphere. It might be helpful to have "layers" of lighting that include overhead lights, mood lighting as well as task lighting.
4. Floor Rugs and carpets are another forgotten aspect of warming up a space. Especially in the bedroom where you step out of bed, it is lovely to have a warm mat to step onto. Rugs can also add a design statement to a room and add an injection of colour if necessary and they are useful for demarcating specific areas in a room, such as a reading nook or children's play area. They might also help to take up a bit of wear and tear in high traffic zones.
5. Artwork and meaningful items are the final touch to make a room feel comfortable and cosy. These can be anything that makes your heart glad, from quirky to classic depending on the mood you are trying to create. They are the items that really make a house into a home and lend personality to a space. They can also be changed seasonally or moved around to freshen up a room and add some pizazz.

Do any of your spaces lack cosiness? What are your ideas about what makes a space cosy and comfortable? 

Developing a Self Care Plan

So much of our time is scheduled for urgent and important tasks that it is often difficult to take a break from parenting/building a career/running a home/caring for others. With many things on the go, finding the time to look after ourselves might be the last thing on the list.

But like a car needs regular maintenance to keep it roadworthy and running smoothly, we too need a "self maintenance" plan to keep us from getting exhausted and burnt out. What does a self care plan involve? It takes a deliberate effort on our part to do things that nurture our souls and recharge our energy levels.

A self care plan will involve different things for different people - as we are all unique individuals that have particular needs and preferences. It might be helpful to write down a list of things to do that replenish mind, body and spirit and then schedule appointments with yourself to do some of those things on a regular basis, even if they are small pleasures that make you smile.

Some suggestions of self-care areas to consider:

When setting up a self care plan also be realistic about what is achievable and consider things that might get in the way of your plan. It may be helpful to re-assess your plan after a month to see if it is working well. You might also like to include in your plan a list of signs that you are feeling burnt out or overwhelmed, so that you are able to recognize when you need some additional care. Remember to keep your plan accessible so you can refer to it regularly.

Self care is vitally important for maintaining your well being and managing stress. I strongly encourage you to make a self care plan and keep appointments to care for yourself as regularly as possible.Check out these suggestions for more ideas about developing your own self care plan.