5 Decor Essentials for the Makings of a Cozy Room
Tonight's my last night being 31... and every year past birthday #28, I say to myself "Yikes, time flies, how did I get to be this age so fast?"
When I was younger (and pretty much up until #28) I use to start countdowns 30 days prior to my birthday to let my brothers and parents know "how many shopping days left" they had until my birthday. I remember being sad in bed at night as a kid when my birthday was over, not because I had to wait a whole year to celebrate it again- but more because I was sad that I was another year closer to one day having to live without my parents (how freaking morbid of a thought for a little kid right???).
My mom was the first one to notice the birthday countdowns stopped a few years back. Slowly I stopped wanting to be older- it became "Alright, I'm good right here," and "I don't need anymore birthdays." It's a tough pill to swallow when you can start to remember 20...25 years ago, and when your mom starts to be younger than you are now when you're looking back on photos of your childhood. (I was 8 when my mom turned 32... how crazy.)
Strangely it wasn't #30 that was the toughest for me but rather "#29". When 29 hit I was overwhelmed with feelings of "God, are my 20's really almost over?". Questions like "Did I live up my 20s?" "Did I do everything I wanted to?" "Did I achieve what I wanted to?" and even "Did I wear everything I wanted to that now I could possibly be too old to wear?" started popping in my head.
Now that I'm embarking on technically my third year in my 30's, I have to say there are some things I've enjoyed about being in my 30's that I feel only come along when entering the third decade of your life. They include:
1. Feeling more comfortable and confident in my skin or in other words "Not giving a **** what other people think".
2. Along with number 1, speaking up and being more honest regarding my feelings in my relationships with people and putting myself first without fear.
3. Being settled in a career and being blessed enough to start spending more money traveling.
and
4. Not feeling like I have to "go out", but rather enjoying the comfort of being home on a Friday night.
Now I'm not a "homebody" or a "hermit" so-to-say. I like being social and hanging with friends, but I feel like I have a limit everyday and I love retreating back home and cuddling up on my couch. At the end of the night, I just want to be home and absolutely nothing is more satisfying than coming home to a cozy space, filled with items and treasures you love. Likewise when we have guests over I want them to feel absolutely comfortable and at home. In all spaces that I decorate for myself and others, I often include the same items over and over again to achieve that "feel".
Take a look for yourself:
Therefore my decor formula or "5 Decor Essentials" for a cozy space include:
"The 3B's and 2P's"
Blankets, Baskets, Books, Pillows, and Plants
Blankets:
In my house I have a total of 38 blankets. Some would call this a problem- but I honestly feel that one can never have too many "blankets". I prefer the super soft ones that I can only describe as feeling like "dead bunnies" (morbid again sorry) or knit ones like shown in the photo above- which are great for draping over chairs. The best places I find reasonably priced ($14.99-$19.99) blankets are: HomeGoods, TJMaxx, and Marshalls. Around Christmas time these stores load up on blankets, and come spring they try to get rid of a lot of the left over stock- so you can often find tons of blankets on clearance during this time of the year. I drape blankets over chairs, couches, benches, bed corners, or put them in baskets and crates around the house.
Baskets:
Baskets are a budget friendly way of taking up space in rooms within your home. I prefer weaved baskets or wire baskets. The best places to find baskets are again: Homegoods, TJMaxx, and Marshalls. They range in price from $14.99- $29.99 depending on the size. Tips for baskets: use them on one side of a bed or couch as a cheaper alternative to a bedside table, use them to hide toys and put a blanket over it when guests come over, or use them as fillers on shelves. I love the look of a blanket "spilling over" out of a basket. A decor tip for large baskets: instead of trying to fill up the entire basket with many blankets, stick a pillow you no longer like or use at the bottom of the basket with the blanket on top in order to take up space.
Books:
Books are a great decor filler for coffee tables, bedside tables, and shelving units. (When I have books as decoration in a room it makes me feel like I look like I'm "educated"...lol). I bought many classic books off amazon for pretty cheap as bedside table decor or I often buy "Time" and "Life" coffee table books in the bargain section of Barnes and Noble for less than $10. If you're interested in large amounts of books in certain complimenting colors check out: Books by the Foot.com (link below). They sell vintage books by color and height for reasonable prices and it's a great time saver to becoming a quick book-collector.
Pillows
My philosophy on pillows is the same as my philosophy on blankets: You can never have too much. I score the best pillows in Homegoods, TJmaxx, and Marshalls for between $14.99- $19.99. It's against my religion to spend more than this on a pillow (lol) . I prefer getting feather down-filled pillows, because they're not only more comfortable, but they also are the best pillows to do the "pillow-chop", which looks prettier. I also love purchasing pillow cases from H&M.com and an etsy shop called "Withlavenderandgrace". My budget hack for cheap down-filled pillow inserts to put inside pillow cases that are purchased alone (which can be upwards of $30 ), is to check the clearance section of HG, TJX, and Marshalls. Usually you can find a pillow on clearance for less than $9, take off the pillow case and use the insert for your pillow case. In my experience, the uglier the pillow case, the cheaper the pillow is on clearance.
Plants
And finally.... plants or flowers. No room is complete without some "life" in it or in my case "fake-life" because I can't keep a plant alive to save my own life. I prefer faux plants- which I usually find at the stores listed above or Hobby Lobby for between $6.99- $14.99. Check out my previous blog post called "Calling All Fake-Plant Ladies"... Where to find the "realist" looking fake plants, to see well... where I get the realist looking fake plants (lol).