The importance of lightings
There is perhaps nothing more important than good lighting to create a cozy atmosphere.
- How many light sources are there in your room?
- What is the design of each light? Do you like it?
- Are the bulbs you are using warm or cool?
Any harsh, single overhead lighting should be avoided.
Instead, make sure you have an abundance of task lighting, table and floor lamps, candles (preferably scented!), and ambiance lighting.
When the sun goes down, create clusters of illumination where you want focal and conversation points to be.
If introducing additional lights and re-jigging your lighting situation is out of the question for financial reasons, at least make sure you are only using warm bulbs throughout the rooms that you want to cozy up.
Light Temperature
What is cold lighting versus warm lighting? The temperature of your light bulb tells you how yellow (warm) or how blue (cold) your bulb is.
Warm white is around 3000k and cool white is around 5000k. So the higher the K (kelvin), the colder the light.
This is why candlelight is so cozy – the color temperature of a candle is about 1850k – a very warm light!
If you have cold temperature lights in your home, BANISH THEM! They are doing you NO favors!
Seriously friends, this is so important.
I remember spending a lot of time in kitchens lit with overhead neon tubes and feeling so incredibly ill at ease, I just wanted to run away. I felt like I was sitting in an interrogation room rather than at a nice family dinner!
Swap those cold bulbs out for warm bulbs and I promise you that change alone will make a huge difference.
If the world of lighting temperature and light bulbs fascinates you, then go check out this article where it explains it a lot better than I do.
String Lights
String lights add a wonderful bohemian vibe to any room. You can pretty much put them anywhere and not go wrong if that is the look you are after.
In the photo above, you can see how I have some draped over a painting which hangs above my bed’s headboard.
If fairy lights are a little too whimsical, you could try sophisticated string of globe lights instead.