How to Cozy Up Your Evenings at Home

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Brian and I added two sweet babies to our little family over this last decade, and now we spend more evenings at home than we ever did prior to having kids.  We traded in our loud clubs and smoky bars for comfy PJs and a full TiVo on Friday and Saturday nights and I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Our open living room and kitchen is the heart of our home, and since we spend so much time in there, it is of utmost importance to me to make it warm and inviting… especially this time of year.  Each evening I love to set the mood, so it feels like we are hanging out in our own cozy little haven. 

Now that fall is (almost) here, my nesting instinct has gone into overdrive, and I’ve been scurrying around the house preparing everything for the upcoming holiday season and the cold weather.  I think I have perfected the formula for creating the ultimate cozy atmosphere, so I thought I might share it with you today. 

Lamps

I’ve mentioned numerous times on the blog my love for lamps.  I’ve never been a fan of overhead lighting and I much prefer the ambience of a good lamp.  We have two lamps in our living room along with two more in our kitchen and they are pretty much always on when we’re home.  If there’s an empty spot that needs a little something, you just can’t go wrong with a mini lamp.  I can’t even tell you the last time I turned on the overhead light in our living room.  It’s probably been years.  This lamp at Target is one of my favorites right now and it's only $10 (not pictured below but we do have one).

 

Twinkle Lights

In addition to lamps, I love other unique ways to add light to a room… like twinkle lights!  You can never have too many twinkle lights, and I do mean any time of the year, not just at Christmas.  Ever since I moved out of my parents’ house, I’ve had a fake tree carefully wrapped in white twinkle lights somewhere in my house.  In our old house, it was in the dining room, and in our current home it’s front and center in the living room where we spend the majority of our time.  I also have a strand on our bar cart.  I cannot stress how much a simple strand of twinkle lights can transform a space. 

Take for instance our back porch… I am completely obsessed with it just because of the café lights that we strung out there a few years ago.  They make me so happy.

I am also a huge fan of marquee lights and signs.  They are so much fun, and they add a little extra sparkle to an otherwise dark corner of a room. 

Essential Oils or Scented Candles

You guys all know that I’m a huge fan of holiday inspired scents, so we pretty much always have cinnamon and clove oils in the diffuser, or a pumpkin or caramel candle burning during the fall and winter months.  It makes the house smell divine and adds a whole other layer of coziness… I’m all about engaging all five senses!

 

Warm Fire

We absolutely adore having a fireplace and I don’t think I would ever want to live in a house that didn’t have one.  Not only do they make for a great focal point for a room, they also provide a feeling of intimacy.  There’s just something about a crackling fire that makes everything feel homey and welcoming.  Yes, we live in the south, and no, we don’t really need a fireplace, but we sure do love and use ours all the time when it’s cold outside.

Ambient Music

I have a very eclectic taste in music, but if I had to pick one genre that I couldn’t live without, it would be standards and jazz from the 40’s.  Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and all of the current artists who cover the standards – Rod Stewart, Michael Buble, Steve Tyrell, Harry Connick, Jr.… What a fantastic decade for music.  There’s just something about a piano, a saxophone, a trumpet, and a bass combined with a sultry voice that just exudes coziness and relaxation.

 

Full TiVo/Good Movies

We have music playing somewhere in our house most of the time, but when we’re not listening to music, we are usually catching up on our favorite current shows, binge watching old shows that we’ve never seen, or watching movies.  B and I both enjoy television and movies, so it’s always been one of our favorite things to do together.

Some of my all-time favorite shows that make me feel warm and cozy are Friends, Gilmore Girls, Parenthood, Schitt’s Creek, and Friday Night Lights.  Ted Lasso is also working its way into my heart.  ;o) 

As for movies, I could go on and on and ON, but a few of my faves are The Wedding Planner, Serendipity, Love Actually, Father of the Bride 1 and 2, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Notting Hill, You’ve Got Mail, Stepmom, What Women Want, Sleepless in Seattle, and so many others.

 

A Good Book

Not a TV or movie watcher?  Then you can’t go wrong with a good book!  There’s nothing like curling up on the couch with a warm blanket, your favorite pet, and a good book!  Some of my all-time favorites are Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood, Something Borrowed, Something Blue (or anything else by Emily Giffin), anything by Nicholas Sparks, anything by Sophie Kinsella, and also many by Elin Hilderbrand.

 

Festive Drinks

I love a good adult beverage.  Give me a glass of wine, a beer (in a cute koozie!), or a good cocktail and I’m a happy girl.  B and I love to share a bottle of wine or mix up Moscow Mules or Winter White Cosmos after the kids have gone to bed.  They just make you feel warm and fuzzy and there’s no better way to wind down a long week than with a festive drink!

And if you’re not into alcoholic beverages, you can always curl up with a cup of coffee, hot chocolate, or hot tea.  My personal favorite is Hot Cinnamon Sunset Tea by Harney and Sons.  It is heaven in a mug.

 

Yummy Snacks

I know charcuterie boards have become something that everyone loves to mock (it’s the new basic white girl staple, after all), but my goodness, it is my favorite way to eat!  My momma has been making charcuterie bowls for me since I was teeny tiny – one of my oldest memories is sitting in my Daddy’s studio in my parents’ old house chowing down on my very own little charcuterie bowl while watching Pinwheel on Nickelodeon.  I was probably three or four then?  But I’m sure that’s why I love a charcuterie board so much!  And they’re so versatile!  You can change them up for the different seasons and holidays and moods... we even love a good dessert board.  And you can enjoy it on the couch with a glass of wine while you’re curled up in a blanket.  ;o)

Perfect PJs

Nothing says cozy like a good pair of pajamas.  My personal favorites?  Fleece pajama pants or thermal leggings paired with a tank top and topped off with a cozy oversized sweatshirt.  Oh, and don’t forget the fuzzy socks and comfy slippers, too!  Absolute perfection.

 

Cozy Blanket

In addition to a perfect pair of pajamas, I love to curl up on the couch with a cozy blanket.  A good cozy blanket is perhaps the essence of every cozy evening.  We keep this one on our couch year-round, and during the colder months, it gets used nearly every night.  Another favorite of mine is this cozy pom-pom throw from Pottery Barn… it’s soooo soft and warm, and it reminds me of the ever-popular Barefoot Dreams throw, but for a fraction of the cost.

 

And Finally…

I’m going to let you in on a little secret.  Pretty much every Friday and Saturday night while B and I are watching TV or movies, I scratch his back and then he rubs my feet.  I pretty much always fall asleep during my foot rub, so he always gets his back scratched first just in case.  Haha.  It’s something extra special that we don’t do during the week since we’re always tidying up, preparing for the next day, working out, or working on our laptops, and it’s always nice to have something to look forward to on Friday and Saturday nights.

Put all of these things together and you have yourself a perfect evening in… assuming the kids go to bed on time, of course!

*Linking up with Slices of Life for Encouraging Hearts and Home.