10 Ways To Make Your House Feel Extremely Homey

Let’s Turn Your House Into A Home: A Complete Guide

I have spent hours thinking through everything you could possibly do to make your house feel more homey. Everything from decluttering to deciding on a home decor style. I have made a list of everything you need to do (don’t worry, it’s all fun!)

Here is the complete guide to turning your house into a home.

1. Warm it up with lighting

Pendant lights | Paper towel holder | Tea kettle | Chandelier | Kitchen chairs

Change out all your light bulbs

Your light bulbs could be the secret culprit to why your house doesn’t quite feel like home. 

In the lighting world, there is a color temperature scale called Kelvin (K). Your light bulbs can range from 2700K – 6000K on this scale.

2700K Light bulbs

All you really need to know is to keep your light bulbs in the range of 2700-3000K if you want that “homey” feel.

All of the lightbulbs in my home are 2700K. This type of lighting provides a soft warm glow and makes your space feel SUPER inviting. I always recommend this light bulb temperature.

Upgrade your light fixtures

When you first move into your home, you will have some builder-grade light fixtures or old light fixtures from previous owners that are just not your style.

Pendant Lights

One of the easiest (and understated) ways to improve your space is to upgrade these fixtures to something that is more “you”. 

Just take a look at this before and after of our dining room chandelier. The difference that this change makes is HUGE.

Add lamps instead of overhead lighting

Lamps – I could talk about them for days. I absolutely love the way a room looks when it is solely lit by lamps. It brings such a cozy feel to your space and makes you want to snuggle up and never leave.

Plus, lamps are a relatively low-budget item that can drastically change the feel of your home. Consider adding a couple of lamps to every room in your home, especially bedrooms and living rooms.

Don’t underestimate a dimmer switch

When we first moved into our home, my husband replaced a lot of the switches in our home with dimmer switches and I was so happy that he did. I couldn’t stand the harsh overhead lighting, especially at night. 

I wanted to enjoy the chandeliers and canned lighting in our kitchen but couldn’t fathom turning them on at full brightness.

Once the dimmer switches were in, I used them so much more and they kept the room feeling warm and inviting. Plus, it’s perfect for when you are hosting dinner parties.

2. Add comfortable items to make it cozy

Cozy rugs, comfortable throw blankets, and a million accent pillows – you get it. Adding soft design elements can automatically make your house feel homier.

Add accent pillows

Accent pillows are a great way to add texture or a pop of color to your space. You can incorporate them in a lot of fun areas in your home. 

I have always loved the idea of having a comfortable dining nook in my kitchen but unfortunately, there just wasn’t enough space to add one. So to compromise, I found a settee that I adore and styled it with some soft throw pillows. It makes the space feel so much more cozy!

Use rugs wherever you can

If your home has a lot of hardwood or tiled floors, it can sometimes make your home feel less welcoming unknowingly. 

I know you might not want to cover up your beautiful flooring but adding a rug under your kitchen table, in your living room, or in your dining room can soften up your space.

Floors are naturally cold and hard so adding something soft under your feet is the perfect fix.

Don’t just stop with traditional area rugs for kitchens and living rooms. 

Think about adding rug runners in long empty hallways or big entryway rugs in your foyer to make your space welcoming right when you walk in the door.

Rugs can make a HUGE impact especially when you want your house to feel more lived in.

RELATED POST: The Most Common Rug Sizes (With Super Helpful Visuals)

Always have cozy throw blankets on your couch

This idea is mostly for your living room but since we often spend the most amount of time in this space, it’s important to cover it.

Throw blankets are a perfect way to add comfort to your couch. Whether you are using the throw blanket to style your couch or to snuggle up with for a movie, throw blankets will make you want to be a homebody.

RELATED POST: 20 Extremely Snuggly Throw Blankets On Amazon

3. Hang up decor

Nothing feels more cold and sterile than windows without curtains and walls without pictures.

Curate your favorite artwork

If you notice that your house feels empty even though you have furniture in every room, it could be the lack of decor on your walls. My absolute favorite decor tip is to add large artwork or a gallery wall to a blank wall. It instantly makes the room feel bigger!

These intentionally curated pieces of art or family pictures make your home feel like it’s a reflection of you.

Hang floor-to-ceiling curtains

And if you are feeling like there is still something missing in your room, it could be your window treatments. Adding floor-to-ceiling curtains can remarkably make your home feel larger and bring your eye up.

By keeping your curtains light and airy, you can also help make the room feel lighter. Just check out mine in my living room. It made all the difference after we hung them up across all the windows.

RELATED POST: 10 Expert Ideas For How To Make A Small Room Look Bigger

4. Make sure your bedroom is comfortable

Focusing on other areas of your home first before your bedroom can be tempting. But since your bedroom is where you spend most of your time, it is important to take the time to design it how you want! 

This would include buying a super comfortable comforter, styling the bed with adorable pillows, painting the room a calming color, and adding cozy blankets for your nighttime snooze. 

Don’t underestimate a good night’s sleep in your bedroom. Having a cozy space you can enjoy at the end of the day is crucial for you to feel like your house is truly your own.

5. Pick a home decor style and dream up your plans

Often when you feel like your home is all over the place, it is because you haven’t established your home decor style.

Deciding on your home decor style is one of the most exciting parts of being a homeowner!

You can take inspiration from anywhere or utilize Pinterest to find different types of decor styles that you might like. The possibilities are truly endless. 

If you are feeling overwhelmed with all of the design possibilities, start by selecting a color palette (no more than 5 colors) to get you started. The details can come later.

Make sure to add your personality & hobbies

Your home should be a reflection of you. And if you are the type of person who has a lot of hobbies, you should display them proudly.

Your home doesn’t have to feel like an art gallery or a perfectly staged home. 

You can incorporate your favorite things in your design style that make you happy. Because if you ultimately love all of the things in your home, your house will feel so much more enjoyable.

6. Mix in old with your new

One way to quickly make your house feel boring is by having too many similar pieces of decor or furniture. 

A fun way to combat this problem is to mix new pieces of decor and furniture with older thrifted finds.

By adding thrifted or hand-me-down pieces into your home, you are automatically adding character!

Since these are pieces that people have used and loved before, they can bring a sense of hominess that newer furniture simply cannot.

There is beauty in imperfection.

7. Remove clutter anywhere you can

A big part of living in your home is the actual living part of it. Naturally, you are going to have a bit of clutter built up in your home, from mail piling up on counters to shoes scattered throughout your entryway.

This can sometimes make your home feel unintentionally crowded. By decluttering high-traffic areas of your home like your kitchen, entryway, and living room, you can bring some much-needed peace.

Having a space that feels relaxing and clean is just one aspect that makes a house feel like home.

8. Light candles to add to the vibe

To go along with the first suggestion of being intentional with lighting, candles are a great way to do this!

Not only do they bring cozy warmth to a space, but they can make your house smell extremely good, which brings us perfectly to this next suggestion!

9. Make your house smell heavenly

Making your house feel like a home is more than just a visual thing. The way your house ~smells~ can improve your mood and affect the way you feel about a space.

If you can’t tell, I feel extremely passionate about this topic haha so if you would like to read more about how to keep your house smelling good at all times, there are more ideas where that came from.

10. Add greenery or fresh flowers

Buy freshly cut flowers

The last and maybe easiest idea on this list is to style your home with fresh flowers or greenery.

Placing fresh-cut flowers around your home can increase your mood, lower your anxiety, and make your space more beautiful.

Add in a faux tree

While fresh flowers are stunning if you can have them in your home at all times, it might not be realistic. Another great way to add greenery year-round is to add faux trees to your design. 

I have a super realistic faux tree in my living room and I LOVE the way it looks. When I added it into the space, it instantly made it feel homier.

RELATED POST: 12 Best Artificial Trees for Indoors That Look Super Realistic