Cultivating A Cozy Home In Simple, Yet Important Ways

As a stay-at-home mom, cultivating a cozy home has become one of my top priorities. Not only do I do this for my family, but also for myself! There’s just something about curling up at the end of the day in space that feels warm and comforting. In this blog post, I’m sharing how you can cultivate cozy in your own home in simple, yet very important ways. 

What exactly is a “cozy” home?

The actual definition of “cozy” is: giving a feeling of comfort, warmth, and relaxation. 

This sounds exactly like what a cozy home should feel like, but practically speaking, what does that look like? Well, that really depends on you as the homemaker, and your family members. 

In order to be actively cultivating a cozy home, you need to be paying attention to the needs and desires of your family. It’s about creating a cozy space for them to relax, feel safe, and want to come home to. 

Some factors that influence what this will look like in your own home are:

• Culture
• Religion
• Age
• Interests
• Hobbies

All of these things will play a role in how you cultivate that cozy feeling, what it will look like, and what makes something feel “cozy” to you. But considering how much time we spend in our homes, striving to create a comfortable and cozy space is so important. Home should be the place that ties your family together, and as a homemaker, you have the power and ability to create that! 

You may enjoy this post with all sorts of homemaking hacks and tips to make things a little easier!

Cultivating Cozy On A Daily Basis

Being a stay-at-home mom/homemaker is my full-time job. But it doesn’t have to be yours, in order to cultivate cozy in your everyday life. Even if you work outside of the home full time, you are still a homemaker. And you can provide so much joy for yourself, and those in your home. 

>>If you feel like you need some encouragement in your homemaking right now, this may be of interest to you: 18 Simple Tips For Finding Joy In Homemaking Tasks

The art of homemaking is something that we as homemakers do on a daily basis. Homemaking is so much more than just mopping the floors and trying to keep up with the laundry. (Notice I said “trying”…because with small children, are we ever really caught up?) 

As the homemaker, you are the heart of the home, the one who keeps things beating and in working order. On a daily basis, it is you who creates the feeling and atmosphere within your home. You do this in so many ways, but it’s often the little things that make all the difference. 

If you’re unsure how you can be cultivating a cozy home on a daily basis, here are a few things you can do today to get started:

• Diffuse some essential oils or light a candle
• Hang some family photos on the wall
• Eat supper together at the kitchen table
• Bake something that your family loves
• Tidy up the front entryway so it feels welcoming when your family comes home
• Spend time together talking, or playing a game

Like I said, homemaking isn’t only about keeping a clean house, although that is definitely part of it. It’s also about cultivating relationships within your home and being purposeful about doing so. 

>>>Read Also: Fun And Affordable Family Activities To Do At Home 

To me, taking care of my family includes taking care of their hearts. I want my husband and children to wake up every day knowing that their home is a place of love. As a homemaker, there is no greater achievement than knowing I have made a positive impact on the lives of my family. 

Realizing that the role you play as a homemaker has the power to shape and bless the hearts of those around you, takes things to a whole different level! 

Homemaking in different seasons of life

A lot of us who are homemakers are also busy moms with so many things happening at once! It can sometimes feel impossible to find time to take a shower, let alone spend time cultivating a cozy home! 

I get it – fully! Not only am I a stay-at-home mom and homemaker, I also homeschool our two kids. I am well versed in the busyness of mom life, and all that it involves. And the reality is, your homemaking will look different depending on what stage of life you’re in. But that is OK! 

Homemaking With Littles

When you have a bunch of little kids in the house, the idea of lighting candles to create a cozy atmosphere might give you visions of calling the fire department to put out a fire in your living room! Or maybe you want to sit down at the kitchen table to eat supper with your family, but the baby is crying and your toddler decided to get into the diaper cream and use it as a body lotion for all of her dolls! (I say this from experience….)

If you are a young mother who is trying to create a cozy environment in your home, my advice is to respect the season you’re in and don’t try to live outside of that season. 

I know you desperately want some peace, quiet, and tidiness right now. And I know that when you scroll social media, you see pictures of perfectly curated homes that make you feel like you’re failing at this homemaking gig. I really do see you, and I understand where you’re at. 

But please Mama, remember that this stage is temporary. So instead of trying to establish your home in a way that suits the realities of older children, stay focused on serving your current family. 

How can you cultivate a cozy home during the messy, chaotic years of having littles? By kissing their boo-boo’s, singing them a lullaby, making eye contact and smiling at them, and letting them know how loved they are.

A cozy home is nothing without love. By shifting your focus to creating a foundation of love inside your home during these hectic years, you are setting the stage for every season of life that will follow. 

>>Here is a great post with simple ways to handle your homemaking with littles!

Homemaking in the later years

With every stage of life, things continue to evolve and change, including your homemaking. Right now at the time of writing this, my kids are 6 and 11. And while they are still young, they aren’t babies anymore. This means I have more time and energy to pour into other areas of my life, and homemaking. 

Eventually, they will be all grown up and moved out of the house, and my homemaking will once again look entirely different!

The point I am trying to make is this: Cultivating a cozy home as a homemaker is about so much more than the tasks you do each and every day. It’s about creating an atmosphere and a feeling within your home, that your family carries with them wherever they go. 

• “Cozy” is what fills the hearts of your adult children when they think about coming home for dinner. 
• “Cozy” is the feeling of just wanting to get home after a long day and curling up on the couch with a blanket and a good book. 
• “Cozy” is knowing that no matter what is going on in your life, your home is a place of rest and safety.

As a homemaker, you do so much more than what society labels you as. You make such a big difference in the lives of your family, and you have the privilege of cultivating the environment your family needs, in order to thrive and know they are loved!

Creating Your Own Type Of Cozy

The bottom line here, is that cultivating a cozy home is a very personal thing, and it will look different from season to season. You will always be finding new ways of meeting the physical, emotional, and mental needs of your family as everyone grows. This includes YOU. 

As I look back on my own journey of homemaking, I can see how the things I value in my home have changed, as well as how I cultivate a sense of cozy for myself. 

When I was in my early twenties and newly married, a cozy home for me was take-out, a blanket, and a movie. Now, it’s the sounds of my children playing, while an apple crisp bakes in the oven and the breeze comes through an open window. 

Whatever makes you and your family smile when you think about your home – those are your own unique “cozy” things! Those are the things about your family culture and dynamic that make your home cozy – for YOUR family. 

So, if you feel like you have no idea how to cultivate a cozy home, just stop and think about what makes you smile….and start there. Don’t overthink it and try to change everything in an effort to create your “cozy”. It’s there….you just have to find it!

Blessings!

~Maryann