How to Have a Cozy Living Room Without A Fireplace
From layering with texture to using personal collections, here are easy ways to transform your living room into a warm, comfortable retreat, even if you don’t have a fireplace.
It’s the time of year when the temps are cooling down and the days are becoming shorter and shorter. Right now is when we all begin to crave coziness in our homes.
You might not think it’s possible to have a cozy atmosphere in your living room if you don’t have a fireplace.
All I can say is, you would be wrong!
Here’s how to add cozy to your room even when there isn’t one.
Soften up hard surfaces in the room by replacing a wood or glass coffee table with an upholstered one.
An upholstered table usually has more visual presence than a wood or glass one. The combination of the cushioning and the texture of the fabric will go a long way to fill dead space and cozy up the room.
No budget for purchasing a new table? Do what I did and reupholster an existing one!
Arrange furniture so that it is closer together. One of the most unwelcoming things you can do in a living room is to line the furniture up around the walls.
Creating groups of furniture will not only create a sense of intimacy, it will encourage conversation.
Dillard-Jones Builders, LLC via Houzz
If you don’t want to rearrange furniture or change any other thing in your room, just the addition of throws or blankets will instantly warm up your space.
Especially if it’s faux fur!
For coziness, texture and pattern are your best friends.
Even with mostly white walls, white curtains, and some white upholstery, this room feels cozy because of the pattern in the wallpaper and the texture of the rug.
Notice that the ceiling is painted a darker color, which gives the entire space an intimate feel.
Wiseman and Gale Interiors via Houzz
Speaking of painting the ceiling, color drench the entire room in a single color.
Imagine yourself in a cocoon of a room such is this one. It feels like a great big hug.
Make sure to add an area rug. One rug layered over another is especially cozy.
And yes, you can add an area rug even if your room has wall-to-wall carpeting.
Even a cavernous living room feels cozier with the addition of built-in bookcases.
Add books and you’ll instantly have a cozy library feel. No bookcase? Just stack some around on accent tables or even on the floor.
An added bonus is that stacks of books make great places to display special treasures.
Heather Ryder Designs via Houzz
Make sure to include multiple light sources within a room. Overhead, ambient, accent and task lighting all work together to create a cozy feel.
If you’re after a cozy ambience in your living room, be sure not to skip the window treatments.
Add fabric to your windows. Better yet, add multiple layers of fabric or texture by combining shades with draperies.
Display a collection. Just like pulling furniture closer together creates a sense of coziness, so does an artfully grouped collection.
Summer Thornton Design Inc via Houzz
And last, but certainly not least! When you simply must have a fireplace, but the addition of one just isn’t possible, consider an electric one.
We’re not talking about the electric fireplaces of yesteryear. They have come a looong way since those days.
I don’t know about you, but all this talk about cozy makes me want to settle in with a blanket, some thick socks, a good book, and a cup of hot cocoa!
Such great design tips, Suzy! I love looking at other homes that are so put together when I feel like is just kinda hodge podge. Thanks for sharing the principles behind the looks!
Great ideas! I love having throws on my couches! I’d love to pull the furniture closer but then my 9 year old couldn’t do flips or stand on his head…. daily. My oldest daughter used to be proud of her 1 handed cartwheels through the living room. Now, she wishes she could still do a cartwheel.