Favorite things, colors help you cozy up to guests

“A compliment is something like a kiss through a veil.” Victor Hugo (1802 –1885) French poet, novelist and dramatist, “Saint Denis,” “Les Miserables” (1862)

When first-time visitors come into our homes they will often comment on our spaces, thinking they are paying a compliment. Sometimes they are welcome words and often times they are somewhat confusing. “Oh, it’s so cute.” “I would never have thought of doing that.” “How cozy.” Does any of that sound familiar?

Victor Hugo’s comment on compliments is right on — all are subject to interpretation.

Let me just rant for a minute on comments. As a longtime designer and home stager, the last thing someone in this business (or anybody else for that matter) ever wants to hear from a visitor is that their home is cute. Really? So if you, like most of us, use descriptive phrases when entering people’s homes, beware of that word.

OK, so back to more welcome comments. I polled a few clients and friends and one of the most prevalent terms they hear from visitors is cozy. That’s considered a compliment, but quite frankly they’re a little confused as to exactly what cozy means.

So let’s see if we can tell what people are seeing when they use the word cozy.

Webster describes cozy as “enjoying or affording warmth and ease; snug; marked by or providing contentment or comfort; marked by the intimacy of the family or a close group.”

Did you know that’s what you were projecting? Would you like to project that? That sounds easy enough, right? The key to achieving cozy is to first decide what it means to you, not Webster or anybody else. To me it means comfort, ease of use, warmth and having things I love around me. Even a travel trailer can be cozy if it meets those requirements.

If you haven’t heard your home described as cozy and would like to, let’s see how you can do this in your home.

One key factor in cozy is color. It can be on the walls, in your furnishings or in the accessories. I don’t necessarily equate cozy with white walls, but some people do and get their cozy infusion with touchable, yummy fabrics and art and accessories.

You’ve heard this a million times, but here’s a million and one — don’t be afraid of color. Painting a room is the most inexpensive and most powerful change you can make. If you like red, chocolate brown or a soothing green, go ahead and paint your walls. The worst that can happen is that you decide you really don’t like it and you can just paint over it.

Having said all of this about color, a monochromatic room done in shades of white can be cozy, also. Cream walls, oatmeal chenille upholstery, a white flocati or shag rug, a white cashmere throw, white orchids — get the picture; that’s cozy in a different way.

Here are some things to consider when creating cozy.

Are you comfortable in your room? Is there a good place to sit? If you want to put your feet up, can you? If you like to read, is there a good chair and good lighting? If it’s chilly outside, can you make the space seem warm? If it’s 110 degrees Fahrenheit outside, can you remain cool? Do you have things you love around you? Is your home comfortable when friends and family visit? If you can answer yes to all of these questions, you have achieved cozy. There is no magic formula, and it’s certainly not about money. It’s entirely up to you and what’s important in your life.

If this inspires you to create cozy in your home, you also can create that feeling when you’re on the road. I have friends who always take a few of their favorite things with them when they travel. Hotel rooms, regardless of price or location, most likely feel, well, like hotel rooms. Taking your special pillow, a cuddly throw, a family photo, a small travel candle or sachet with your favorite scent with you when you travel will make any place you land more like home, and create that cozy feeling.

When you’re ready to return home you know your space will welcome you with that wonderful familiar feeling you have created, and cozy comments will be coming your way. It’s entirely up to you if it’s like a kiss through a veil!

Carolyn Muse Grant is a founder and past president of the Architectural & Decorative Arts Society, as well as an interior design consultant/stylist specializing in home staging. Send questions to creativemuse@cox.net.