Cozy Homemaking: How It Changed My Home and My Heart
Walking into a cozy home is like breathing a sigh of relief with your soul. The warmth and comfort a cozy home provides is almost indescribable. You instantly feel a sense of belonging and safety.
A cozy environment has a clean yet not fussy, relaxed but not shabby type of welcome. We just feel at home. Today I would like to share with you how Cozy
What is Cozy Homemaking ?
Cozy
Maybe even romanticizing life a bit, but in a way that is less Martha and more you. Cozy
Maybe you are saying, wow that sounds nice but I still don’t get what you mean by “cozy.”
According to Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, cozy is defined as warm, comfortable, and safe. These attributes are foundational to a stable and secure home.
Make Your Home Cozy in Spring & Summer
Helpful hints and ideas for ways you can stay cozy even in the warmer months.
Why is it Important to Create a Cozy Home?
On a more serious note, our basic needs for survival are nourishment, shelter, and safety. Living in a home without even one of these basic needs may never feel cozy. This is exactly why I am so passionate about cozy.
Moving beyond basic human needs, we also yearn for love, comfort, and support. Growing up in a home without these can create feelings of uncertainty, fear, anger, and sadness. If you have experienced this, you know that home never felt cozy. But now as a homemaker or a mom, you have a yearning so great to create a space of belonging for your own family.
Is cozy necessary for survival? Of course not, I survived and the 12 homes I grew up in never felt cozy. However, I would argue cozy is necessary for growth. Emotional growth, emotional health and wellbeing, having a calm and patient nature all require a cozy atmosphere. And so many of us are absolutely craving this for our families.
This longing in our hearts to be the parent we never had, create the home we always wanted, and have our children feel the love we missed is so palpable…yet may always feel just out of reach.
Let’s chat a bit about why I am so passionate about cozy
Why Am I SO Passionate About Cozy Homemaking ?
So why am I so obsessed with cozy? My answer is fairly simple and probably way more common that we know. Like many people, my childhood was not a happy one. I was an 80’s baby that was the product of a single mom who just didn’t have the tools or foundation to create the structure or environment I needed.
As a result, I have basically made it my personal mission to heal from that and focus my energy on creating that home I desired for my family.
The basic idea behind creating cozy is to focus less on things and more on shaping the family culture that provides a cozy atmosphere. My desire was to have a home so full of love and comfort and security that you couldn’t help but feel at home here.
The Importance of a Cozy Culture Over Stuff
If you are like me and creating a cozy home doesn’t come second nature then it can be easy to fall into the trap of needing things to cozy up your space. Don’t get me wrong, I love anything that will make my home cozy and I pour over of cozy decor blogs for fun (Fun tip: this cozy decor blog is my favorite!)
Decor definitely has it’s place and it can be so much fun. A well decorated home can be the chef’s kiss on an already cozy atmosphere. But, if you only focus on the way your home looks, it will never feel cozy.
Now you may be thinking, whoa whoa whoa Christen I have a a whole Instagram newsfeed of cozy home accounts I follow and I can assure you they feel cozy. Unpopular opinion time, those IG accounts don’t feel cozy…they look cozy and yes there is a difference.
This is one of those sticky situations where our emotions can play tricks on us. Without actually being in the space you are viewing on social media, you cannot get a true feel for the culture of that home. It may be beautiful, but not necessarily cozy. Stuff is just stuff, and while appealing to the eye it cannot provide those feelings of welcoming and warmth that cultivate a truly cozy home.
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Creating a Cozy Vision for Your Home
Now that we know the difference between a truly cozy home and an aesthetically pleasing one (and yes, you can definitely have both but that’s the goal not the first step) let’s talk about ways to create that culture.
I want to guide you through a quick exercise, I call this the Cozy Vision Exercise. Grab a piece of paper and a pen. Draw a line down the middle of your paper. In the first column I want to write “What I Had” and in the second column write “What I Want”. (If you prefer a printable ready made version, you can find that in the box below.)
This simple exercise will help you clarify your goals for your own home. In that first column write down words to describe your home you grew up in. How did it feel, sound, or smell. What made it feel cozy (or not.) Then in the second column I want you to explore your vision for what you want in your current home.
What do you hope people feel when they enter your home? In twenty years when your children come home for a visit, what do you hope your home means to them? How would they describe their childhood to others? When friends share the details of a visit to your home, what words do you want them to use? Use these prompts to create your list.
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Turning Your Cozy Vision Into Reality
Having a clear vision of what cozy means to you gives you the ability to take actionable steps toward actually creating the feeling in your home.
Routines and traditions will be so important to the foundation of your cozy culture. First have a clear picture of what you have to do each day so that you can weave in these rhythms that promote a sense of rest and comfort.
One thing that is definitely anti-cozy is always being hurried from one thing to the next. There is no doubt that we all lead busy lives, no matter your situation. Recharging your batteries and your family’s batteries is not a lengthy process. Small windows of opportunity in your day will create maximum impact.
Quick Cozy Rhythm Ideas
Carve out times that are dedicated to spending time together. Create a ritual of a game night or pizza and a movie night or a Saturday trip to the local park or even a hike.
Add in small touches to make the experience feel anything but ordinary. Make snacks for game night. Pop some popcorn and gather all of the cozy pillows and blankets you have for movie night. Create your own scavenger hunt for the park. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination or Pinterest, and often cost very little money. Time is the most precious currency we carry.
Above all else, tell family and friends that you love them. Compliment them and mean it. Apologize when you are wrong. Comfort the crying. Celebrate the wins. Listen, always listen.
This is the true meaning of cozy.
Take a breath. Some days will feel like a failure, they’re not. Some days you will lose your cool and tell yourself you just aren’t capable. That’s a lie. Perfect is the deception – it can never be reached. Present is the goal. Trying is the goal.
Small improvements each day are where its at. You are under no obligation to be who you were 10 minutes ago or 10 years ago. When you stumble, pick yourself up, breathe in deep and try again. You’ve got this! And I’m here to cheer you on every step of the way!
How Cozy Homemaking Has Changed My Home and My Heart
Let’s bring things back to the title of this article and hopefully encourage you in your journey to cultivate cozy. Changing my focus from task oriented to heart oriented has shaped everything I do in regards to
The chore list is just the collection of things I do in order to enjoy time with my family. Every dish I wash was a meal enjoyed. Every load of laundry is evidence of days spent on adventures, real or imagined. Every dinner prepared is an opportunity to communicate with the ones I love and create recipes passed down through the generations.
Is this a romanticized view of life? Sure it is! But does it make life so much sweeter? You bet it does. And suddenly everything is a potential moment for connection and creating memories.
That’s the true measure of success, friend.
one last thing…
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