6 Design Mistakes Making Your Home Less Cozy – And How to Fix Them for a More Welcoming Space

Expert Tips from Interior Designers: Do's and Don'ts for Creating a Cozy, Inviting Home

As fall arrives and winter’s chill approaches, it's the perfect time to transform your home into a cozy, inviting retreat. While quick updates can provide instant warmth, designing a welcoming and comfortable space for years requires thoughtful consideration of every design element. From wall and floor treatments to furniture, layouts, window treatments, and accessories, creating a timeless, cozy atmosphere takes care and planning.

If you're embarking on a home decor project and aiming for that warm, lived-in feel, you're in the right place. We've gathered expert tips from seasoned interior designers on what to avoid to keep your home from feeling cold, along with valuable advice on enhancing its coziness.

What makes interiors feel less cozy?

1. Minimalist or overly modern schemes

Minimalist or overly modern schemes

If you want to cultivate a warm, inviting atmosphere in your home, experts recommend steering away from minimalist designs that feature hard surfaces, modern materials, and sharp angles. While these sleek, minimalist schemes can look striking in urban apartments, they may not provide the cocooning sanctuary you're seeking for a truly cozy home.

A lack of color and texture

Rooms without color and texture can often feel cold and unwelcoming. In fact, color is a key tool in an interior designer’s arsenal for creating inviting spaces.

A home can feel less cozy without the warmth of color and texture," says one expert. "While white walls, bright lighting, and neutral linens have their charm, they can sometimes lack the comfort and warmth needed to make a space feel like home.

Insufficient lighting

Cold, harsh lighting—or even insufficient lighting—can significantly alter the atmosphere of a space.

Bright, cold lighting can flatten a room and take away from the warm, welcoming feel that makes a home cozy," says Lauren Gilberthorpe. "Instead, choose soft, ambient lighting or dimmable options to create a more comfortable setting.

Interior designers widely agree that a well-planned lighting design, incorporating task, accent, and ambient lighting, is crucial for achieving a cozy living room.

Having no window treatments

Window treatments are often overlooked in interior design but play a key role in privacy, light control, and insulation. Interior designer Gaia Guidi Filippi emphasizes their importance, noting that homes with bare windows and no textured furnishings can feel cold and uninviting, especially in the absence of layered fabrics or rugs.

Decorating with colors that are too cold

A frequent mistake when selecting paint colors, especially when using neutrals, is choosing shades that are too cool for the room. The orientation of the space and the type of light it receives are critical for decorating success. For instance, north-facing rooms, basements, or areas with limited light often benefit from warm undertones to create a cozy atmosphere. Cooler tones in such spaces can make them feel stark.

Since white and light gray reflect the most light, they can help brighten north-facing rooms by maximizing the little sunlight available.

Choosing furniture too small for a room

The size of your furniture plays a crucial role in shaping the ambiance and experience of a room. Selecting pieces that are proportionate to the space you're decorating can prevent areas from feeling empty or cluttered. In larger living rooms, don't shy away from choosing substantial seating options. Bigger pieces can fill the space more effectively than several smaller ones, which may lead to a cluttered appearance. Opting for larger furniture shows confidence and intentionality in your design, creating a bold and cohesive look.