What Makes a Home Feel 'Homely'?

It takes more than four walls and a roof for a place to feel like home. Maybe you’ve just moved into a new place and want it to feel like ‘yours’- or perhaps you’ve been feeling like your home is missing something. Either way, here are a few tips for making a house feel more like home.

Image link

Keep it warm and cosy

At this time of year, there’s nothing nicer than stepping out from the cold into a snug, warm home. It’s that warmth and cosiness that gives you that lovely, homely feeling. Get the temperature right, if your boiler isn’t working right then you’re going to end up in the cold sooner or later- companies like Colchester Boiler Installations can repair or replace it if needed. Add cosy furnishings such as fluffy rugs, cushions, throws and sumptuous curtains. They look soft and cosy and can help to keep you warm too. In the case of curtains for example, they can prevent drafts getting from the window into the home.

Add personal touches

You might have spent ages choosing the decor for your home, but maybe you’re looking around and feeling like it’s missing something? Chances are, it’s the personal touches that show that your home is yours. Photographs of family and friends. A shelf or bookcase with your favourite novels, or perhaps souvenirs from your travels. If your home is quite neutral, bring in an accent colour- choose something you love. Vases and flowers, cushions, lamps and ornaments are a great way to do this.

It doesn’t have to look like a show home

It makes good sense to keep on top of your chores at home- washing and ironing, dishes, dusting, vacuuming and general tidying. It prevents it from looking like a bomb has gone off, and also keeps the home from accumulating clutter and from nasty bacteria from growing which can make us ill. However, having said that, you house doesn’t have to look like a show home. In fact, it’s the little signs around the place that can actually make it look more homely, as it shows that it’s being used as a home. Don’t stress yourself out and try to keep the place looking like a Pinterest property when you have pets and kids, you’ll never achieve it (not for long, anyway). Keep it hygienic and as organised as possible, but don’t stress about every spec of dust.

Add fragrance

As humans, our sense of smell is closely linked to our memory. It’s the reason you can smell a particular fragrance and be transported back to childhood in an instant. If you want to create a sense of familiarity and a home that feels like your own, utilise fragrance. You can get air freshener sprays, plug ins, reed diffusers, scented candles and much more these days. You could stick with a scent you love, for example ‘fresh linen’ is a nice one and will make your home smell like clean laundry. Or you could switch it up depending on the season.