shorelines ◦ interiors by gregory ◦
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"Cozy"
During a winter storm, you probably want to get cozy—warm, comfortable, and snug. Cozy rooms have the warm light of fireplaces, woodstoves, and candles. Cozy rooms are comfortable from extra blankets and throw pillows. And cozy rooms make you “snug as a bug in a rug.” Alas Benjamin Franklin, cozy decorating is much more than good rugs. Beyond the warmth and comfort of candles and blankets, a cozy room should be friendly and intimate, and it should tell a story.
During holiday parties, we meet new people and spend time explaining ourselves. We might reveal our relationship to the host and a bit about our personal lives. We might reveal our interests or travels, something to spur further conversation. In essence, we tell a story. When decorating a room to be a cozy retreat from the world, again you should tell a story. After choosing art and furniture that reflect your style, the cozy factor is achieved through the addition of personal mementos—the photographs and collections you hold dear.
What better way to make your room seem friendly and cozy than to display favourite photographs? I ask my clients to find old black-and-whites of family, friends, and travel destinations. If you don’t have black-and-white, colour photos work just as well. Place your photos in frames and stand them on the mantel and the coffee table. Fill the extra spaces of your bookshelves. So the room doesn’t look busy with little squares, try to keep the frames similar in colour or material, such as all wood frames, or gold-painted frames. My favourite for black-and-whites is always the warm silver frame. They blend with any colour scheme and they make the photographs appear more artful. If you want a modern, minimalist presentation, consider framing your photographs in matte board, then prop them against books on the shelves or picture frames on the mantel. How ever you decide to frame your photographs, the point is to surround yourself with familiar faces that will give you comfort. And the comfort will make you cozy.
The other cozy memento is the personal collection. If you have a favourite collection of larger items, such as tin boxes, gather them together on a side table for a single display. A collection of very small objects such as thimbles are also much more effective when displayed together. Gather them together in a glass bowl and set it on the table. Gather a collection of shells or rocks into a woven basket. Disparate objects can also be gathered into a collection. To be effective, the grouping must have an underlying logic, such as a similar colour (all red items), texture (all silk items), or country of origin (all English items). An exotic collection of tourist souvenirs can be especially lively and entertaining. Although collections present our interests for the world to observe, they are also the cozy reminder of personal time spent collecting.
Photographs and collections displayed well will enrich your home. The caveat is that too many possessions displayed will look very similar to clutter. If you have many things to display, then put some aside in a cabinet ready for seasonal rotation into your room. Good luck making your rooms cozy; fore cozy makes the house into a home.