12 Ways to Make Your Home Cozy This Fall

Inside: Lower stress and make your home cozy and peaceful this fall with these 12 tips for creating a relaxing home.

You walk into your tidy living room and sink into the sofa pillows. As you pull a plush throw blanket onto your lap, you sip a cup of hot tea while catching the subtle smell of apples and pumpkin. Low-key, relaxing music drifts out from the kitchen speaker.

Doesn’t this picture sound lovely? It invokes feelings of warmth, calm and coziness…the epitome of the fall season!

By making your home cozy you also provide a retreat for you and your family to unwind, connect, and even be productive. Creating this peaceful vibe keeps anxiety and stress at bay, allowing for a sanctuary of calm amidst our busy, challenging world.

Decor Tips to Make Your Home Cozy

Throw Blankets

Everyone loves to warm up inside when it is cool out. Layer throw blankets on sofas, reading chairs, and beds for an added level of cozy. Weighted blankets are a beneficial feature for anyone in your family who needs to feel calmer or has sensory issues.

Throw Pillows

Add some fall flair and comfort to your home by switching out throw pillows on sofas and chairs. Replace your usual pillows, or add to your collection since layering is an effective way to make your home decor cozy. Use 18 X 18 size pillows in traditional fall colors of plum, burgundy, and gold (jewel tones like deep turquoise and emerald green work for a pop of color).

Flowers and Plants

Adding a simple fall bouquet or plant arrangement is an easy way to make your home cozy and inviting. Look for inexpensive fall flowers at your local grocery (Trader Joe’s has a good, affordable selection) such as mums, pansies, and aster. Throw stems in a mason jar or glass pitcher for a quick table centerpiece.

Or go the artificial route (no shame in that game, I do both) and decorate with zero maintenance fall foliage. You can find inexpensive, attractive faux stems and plants at Target or Ikea.

Aromatherapy

Fragrance can truly affect the mood of a room. And who doesn’t love the rich, warm smells of fall? Pumpkin, cinnamon, apple, mahogany…there are many options to choose from that cozy up a home. My personal faves are The Perfect Autumn by Bath and Bodyworks and Pumpkin Dulce by Capri Blue.

Soft Lighting

Warm, soft lighting is the quickest way to make a home feel cozy. Just turn off the overheads and turn on tableside lamps. The delicate glow effect immediately creates a more inviting, relaxed space. Use “soft white” bulbs to really establish this ambience.

Inviting Spaces for Conversation + Connection

Fall weather makes most people want to curl up with a blanket and hot drink to relax or chat. Create inviting spaces in your home that allow for connection with your spouse and kids (or a friend who pops over for coffee). Ideally, this space will be an area without a TV or screen to encourage non-digital activities and facetime with others.

Other Tips for Creating a Cozy Home

Declutter

Spring may be known for a season of cleaning, but fall is a great time of year to declutter. Cleaning out areas around your house is smart as you prepare to decorate and shop for the upcoming holidays.

Closet Cleanout

Clean out your closet so you can see what new fall fashion pieces you really need to add (without buying too much on a whim). By decluttering your wardrobe you lower the stress of “what to wear” and having too many extra pieces clogging up your closet.

Family + Home Routines

Routines are vital for family life, especially this time of year with school and extracurricular activities in full swing. Our family maintains regular bedtimes and afterschool routines to keep us healthy, on track, and informed, which kids like to be as much as adults!

Avoid Screens

Yes, football is on and it’s hard to not watch (trust me, with sports lovers in our house, I know!). But TV and phones can increase stress and distraction. To make your home cozy, try turning off the screens and relax with a non-digital activity: baking, reading, journaling or a family board game are just a few suggestions.

Cozy Fall Recipe

Soups, chilis, baked goods…all the things that make fall taste so amazing. This is not a food blog (and I’m not much of a cook) so I won’t be sharing any specialty recipes here but I will pass along this Baked Apple recipe from my mom. The smell in your home is worth the effort alone! Bonus tip: For a quick fall treat, bake pumpkin muffins using Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Bread Mix, add grated zucchini and flaxseed for a little extra nutrition — kid-approved!

My hope for you in making your home cozy this fall is to create a place of warmth and peace. A place where you and your family can lower the outside world stress and be with each other.