How to Instantly Make Your Home Look Lived-In

Sometimes, a newly furnished space lacks that little something that makes it feel like home. As great as the modern farmhouse or industrial interior design styles might look in photos, the real art of home decorating is creating a room that people want to spend their time in. Whether you are prepping a room for a showing or making your new apartment cozier, here are some ideas for how to instantly make your home look lived-in.

Art, Photos, and Books

Displaying decor that we associate with stories, memories, and passions is a perfect way to instantly make your home look lived-in. Hanging art on the walls contributes to the interior design themes and turns bare walls into something to enjoy each time you pass by. Photos of family and friends bring happy days outside into your space. Books on shelves and side tables give a room a sense of sophistication and a more casual worldliness, especially paperbacks.

Utility and Function

By adding furniture that looks as comfortable as it is, you can create a more inviting home. Thin plastic chairs may lighten a space’s visual noise, but if you or your guests hesitate to use them, they only make a space less welcoming. Another subtle way to suggest a home is well-loved and well-lived-in is to display kitchen appliances neatly on the countertops and hang other kitchen tools, like pots and pans or coffee mugs, where you can see and easily access them.

Welcoming, Warm Lighting

Warmer, yellow lights mimic the light of the sun on the horizon, signaling to our brains that it’s time to relax. By using warm lights in areas like dens, bedrooms, and even the living room, you can designate rooms as places to settle in for the day and enjoy. Yellow lighting also gives a room a slightly older, more lived-in feel than crisp blue light. Focusing on lighting is one of many ways to breathe life into styles like minimalism.

Throw pillows and large rugs offer a final, cozy touch that suggests your house is actually a home. By tying comforting aspects into any kind of interior design, you can create a space that you’re able to relax in and truly enjoy.