The Importance Of A Cozy Home During A Pandemic
This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase through links on my site, I may earn a commission at no cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.
(Updated on May 20, 2024)
It is important to have a cozy home during a pandemic. If you must stay home, then you need to make your space comfy and appealing.
Outside our homes a pandemic rages. Epidemiologists have urged us to stay home as much as possible. So settle in until it’s safe to go out again.
We need our homes to be more than a roof over our heads. Home needs to be a cozy haven where we not only feel safe, but also content.
So how can you create a cozy space that you enjoy calling home?
Re-Evaluate Your Rooms:
The first thing is to re-evaluate every room in your home. Is a room serving a necessary purpose? Or has it become simply a place to store things?
If this is your answer, then start de-cluttering the rooms. Find a place to store these things so you can better utilize the space. It has been wasted space and needs to now have a purpose.
Do you need something in order to accomplish this? Order it online. That’s what I do. Amazon has nearly everything you could possibly want. And there are many other sites to order from as well.
Or if you live in a small space, you could create a room within a room. Like I did with my office niche.
Working From Home:
Many of us are working from home. And sometimes that means we end up working from the dining room table.
If this is the case, you need a dedicated space in which to work. It should be a tidy place where everything has a place and there is a place for everything, as the saying goes.
Get creative. Scroll Pinterest or Instagram for ideas. Google what ambiance it is that you’re seeking and see what pops up.
Now take a look at the rest of your rooms. Clear the clutter so you can see the bare bones of your furniture.
Decide what you must have and what you really don’t want anymore. Donate what you no longer love or want.
Rearrange The Furniture:
This might be a good time to rearrange the furniture and freshen things up.
Sometimes rearranging the furniture gives you a reason to clear the dust and decorate surfaces.
But furniture alone does not create a cozy home. What creates a cozy home is what your personality and style dictates. Personal items that have a special meaning, etc.
You don’t have to put always just put paintings on the wall. You could do something a little different like tack up a quilt.
I’ve done this many times. Many times it was a quilt I sewed myself. So it gave me great satisfaction looking at what I worked so hard on every day.
I ordered a little Duraflame stove to warm things up and to create a more cozy environment in my home.
In the winter the faux flames look so real and it makes the indoors feel cozy. Also it puts out a good amount of heat. That can help to lower your heating bill.
Your Kitchen:
What you do in your kitchen often depends on whether you own or rent your home. I rent, so I am somewhat limited. But I have always tried to make the most of what I have.
Consider taking the cabinet doors off and storing them. This creates an open look, and is the next best thing to having shelves on the wall instead of cabinets.
Arrange your dishes in a decorative fashion so that it’s pleasing to look at when you enter your kitchen.
This will also help you to keep things organized. You see it every day and will want to keep it looking tidy.
Add rugs to define certain areas. Rugs also make rooms look more cozy and appealing.
Provide adequate lighting. Lighting is an easy way to bring coziness to your spaces.
Begin A New Hobby:
You could begin a new hobby. Have you always wanted to try your hand at sewing or felt crafts? Well, now’s the time to do it!
Order what you need off the internet and while away the hours working on a new project.
It will take your mind off of what’s going on outside your door. And you can could make items to decorate your home or give away as gifts at Christmastime.
The times I spent hand sewing or embroidering were such happy times! I got to learn something new. And I was usually pleased with the end result of my long hours of work.
Add House Plants:
Bring house plants into your home. They not only look nice, but they also clean the air you breathe.
You don’t need to go out to buy plants. Because you can order house plants online. I’ve ordered many plants online myself and they were delivered well maintained and healthy.
In the wintertime, real house plants provide a sense of having a bit of nature indoors.
House plants also soften angles in the room. Having greenery in a space is refreshing and cozy.
Is Your Bedroom Welcoming?
If it isn’t welcoming, you need to make some changes. There’s no better time than now.
Oftentimes people skimp on their bedrooms because others don’t always see it. But it’s actually one of the first rooms you should consider decorating.
You spend a good 8 hours a day in this room. So make it as cozy and conducive to sleep as possible.
Order good sheets. Give yourself the gift of having a soft place to end up at the end of the day.
Start A Garden:
You could order seeds and start a garden in your yard. Or if you have limited space like I do, garden in containers. I actually prefer gardening in containers because you have more control over your plants.
My garden, such as it is, is my happy place. It’s where I grow vegetables, flowers, herbs, and even trees in containers.
Merely digging in the dirt is calming. It distracts you from the tension going on in the world reduces stress.
I am never more content than when I’m in my garden.
Add seating and decorate your outdoor space. Consider planting herbs that deter flying insects. Especially mosquitoes! Order a citronella plant to steer those awful insects away from your porch or patio.
If you plant vegetables, you’ll have fresh food to add to your table.
Provide a bird bath to lure in birds. I love to watch the birds from inside as they flit about my patio and fly up into the overhanging tree. Add bird watching to your list of new things to do and enjoy.
If you consider all these things, you will have a cozy home to in which to ride out this pandemic.
And when it’s eventually over, you will still have a place that you love coming home to at the end of the day.
I really needed this post today. Thank you for the push to keep going forward. Hugs to you. Pat.
Today your blog was just what I needed. I’ve been trying to clean and decorate my house but have been very discouraged lately. It was your words were written just for me. Thank you so much!!
I have been having issues with your blog loading slowly. Thought it was just me.
I love your pretty patio and awesome fence! I had lots of pots on my patio last Spring, but the deer eventually ate all of them. That fence would definitely keep them out.
Your home is so warm and inviting.
I love reading your posts every day. They cheer me up in these difficult times.
My living room has become my “ nest”, my sofa bed stays permanently open, I love to relax here, with a ton of pillows, a book, a magazine, a seasonally appropriate candle burning, sometimes the kitties will cuddle and purr.
The tv stand/ fireplace is going on a chilly day and I’m just in 7th heaven!
Wouldn’t work for everybody but it’s my little slice of peace in this sometimes chaotic world:)
Brenda, you’ve created the ultimate cozy living space in your home. I struggled to decorate my previous home and find myself struggling with my new home. I have done some things in my home that make me smile but there’s still so much I’d like to do. I know exactly what’s holding me back but I can’t seem to overcome it.
I have not noticed any change in the way your blog loads.
You are so right, Brenda, that we need to feel safe, sheltered, and comfortable in our surroundings, turning them into our havens of comfort and security. Those of your fans who live in states where the weather gets cold and drives us inside know the season is coming (it’s here now in SE WI) for getting projects done indoors, because it’s just not practical to be outside for hours on-end as we are during the summer in our garden/patio/balcony havens. I spend the bulk of my time in my den/library/office, which is the smallest of my bedrooms and has an awkward layout – not conducive to a guest room with a full-size bed. It’s due for a massive overhaul this winter. Lots of wonderful videos can be watched for inspiration and practical information on “how to” on Youtube where people create office spaces out of the tiniest little nooks and crannies and open spaces. Highly recommend checking out Alexandra Gater, the Lone Fox and Monica Mangin’s most recent series for Lowe’s, where she created a small but dedicated office/work space for people working from home in the corner of a living room. She’s full of ideas, as are the other two I mentioned. Can’t say I’ve noticed any slow down in loading your site, other than a few days ago but it may have also been due to my laptop downloading the latest Windows 10 updates, which seem to never end! No problemo, I just re-visited your link later in the day and it popped right up.
I like the arrangement of books and items on your book shelf. I want to find a clock like yours.
After six+ months of working from home, I moved all the office hardware out of the dining area, which has no window, to the spare bedroom next to a window. The natural light has been such a wonderful change; wish I had done it sooner. Even though I had to give up room on my sewing table for it.
My daughter is converting one of her small extra bedrooms into her own personal gym for the winter. She is gradually making her investments in what she uses but what a savings already for her versus gym membership, not to risk infection and timesaver not out driving.
love your home Brenda and the way you change things around. My home isn’t bland but is understated I think you would call it. I like to spend so much time in my craft room that the rest of the house doesn’t seem to matter much as long as it is clean. I cook every evening and Simon cleans the kitchen every morning, he does such a good job, far better than me because again I would be thinking how can I get out of here sooner to get back to crafting! I do make time for gardening in the spring and summer and just as you can shop your home to change things around a gardening blog I follow said ‘don’t forget to shop your garden for different plants that may have sprung up’ I never thought of that so I went looking and found a butterfly plant and a salvia plant that I certainly didn’t put there. I found that exciting.
By the way I haven’t noticed any difference in your blog, (slower loading) or anything else recently.
Hi Brenda,
I have learned living small that you have to utilize every inch of living space to work for everyday. I am always amazed at how you have everything you need neatly organized and cozy. Your place is a beautiful sanctuary especially now with Covid. Have a great week.
Cozy,cozy,cozy!!! I wouldn’t change a thing😀
Such a great subject today. My daughter and I are in the midst of redoing things in the house. She’s painting a bookcase and a little chest and covering up that dull
Brown! It’s her venture into furniture refinishing under my guidance.
We have shopped the house and giving things new life. We even threw out our old very uncomfortable leather couch and are putting a daybed in it’s place in the great room. We have one in the dining room and really enjoy them.
We may not be able to have anybody over at the holidays but our house will be clean and fun. I love that little chest you put by your desk.
Brenda, You are so right. We need an oasis at home where we feel warm and hugged by our surroundings. I love all of your decorating ideas. I enjoy going back and seeing your changes over time. I’m sorry you lost so much of your original blog posts. I still see some of those pictures in my mind. I’ll keep coming back for new ideas. Sandra