13 Things That Keep Your Home From Becoming Truly Cozy

It’s not an easy task to create a truly stylish and cozy home and each owner has a personal approach to it. We try to surround ourselves with the things that will both bring us good vibes and please our eyes: we put memorable photos in frames, we bring in plants, we decorate bookshelves with beautiful figurines, etc. But occasionally we get a feeling that something is still wrong and it’s at this moment when a look from the outside can help greatly.

We at Bright Side tried to figure out what prevents our apartments from looking like the ones shown on designer booklet covers.

1. Plastic kitchenware

Plastic products undoubtedly have a lot of advantages: they are pretty shock-resistant, easy to clean, and are not expensive. However, they look equal to their value. In addition, over time plastic starts to disintegrate and release volatile substances that can negatively affect our body. That’s why kitchenware that is made of ceramic or glass is much more useful, profitable, and aesthetically pleasing.

2. Postcards on shelves

Translation: “Congratulations!”

Many people like to decorate shelves with various cards. These bright pictures remind them about a nice event, but they never actually fit in with the room’s interior. In addition, if they are not well-fixed between let’s say 2 glasses in a cupboard, they keep falling down and it might become an issue to pick them up because they end up “hiding” in the remotest of corners. Let’s be honest: both closed and open shelves look much better without these colorful paper attributes.

3. Colorful photo frames

Bright and voluminous photo frames can rarely fit into an interior and oftentimes distract attention from the photo itself, becoming almost the main element of the whole composition. Opting for a calmer and smoother frame in neutral colors can be a much better decision.

4. Wind chime

This is a very wide-spread element of decor that came to us from China. Wind chimes don’t carry any practical significance and in the majority of cases, simply distract attention, while the abundance of tiny elements creates an impression of messiness. Moreover, wind chimes are perfect dust collectors.

5. Outer wiring

As a rule, outer wiring significantly spoils the overall look of a wall. Moreover, the holes from the nails fixing it don’t add much beauty to it either. That’s why if you have an opportunity to hide wires inside the wall, you’d better take it.

6. Glazed bookshelves

These bookcases were quite popular during our parents’ time. Though glass resists dust accumulation, it promotes the appearance of stains and handprints. Open multi-layered shelves are much more convenient and, in addition, they look more stylish.

7. Artificial fruits

Just like artificial flowers, plastic fruits look cheap even if the manufacturer paid attention to the tiniest of details. That’s why if you don’t like the idea of keeping a vase with real fruit in your sitting room, you can try freshening up the space with the help of a vase with dried flowers that match the tone of the room.

8. Messy shoes at the front door

This “dump” creates the feeling of messiness right from the doorstep. Moreover, in these cases, shoes get dirty easily and fall into disrepair faster. That’s why it’s so important to take care of footwear. A special organizing shelf for shoes can be the perfect option. It’s not expensive and it helps you save a significant amount of space.

9. Plants in food containers

Sometimes we don’t get enough time to re-plant a plant we recently brought home so we keep postponing it daily. Needless to say, it only spoils our interior, and this temporary “flower pot” can spoil both the mood and the environment. In order to avoid it, you need to have the soil and flower pots ready in advance.

10. Figurines of different types and colors

Most of the time these are brought back from vacation. They settle in on our shelves, occupying the workspace, which is not that big, even without them. It’d be more practical and aesthetically pleasing to keep a couple of these figurines that fit into the interior the best. You’d be surprised at how an insignificant detail like this can improve the general perception of the room.

11. Plates covered with other plates

Storing food using this method is both unkempt and inconvenient. A glass container with a sealed lid will do the job much better: it will keep the food fresher for a longer period, it won’t let foreign odors inside, and it will generally take up much less space in the fridge. Moreover, the choice of both the shapes and the colors of these containers is basically unlimited.

12. Wall wrist-clock

These used to be incredibly trendy wall clocks. They would be present in every other apartment. And they would tick pretty loudly too. However, they are in no way connected with the modern style and design. Instead, a minimalistic round (and silent) clock will fit into almost any room without breaking the harmony.

13. A toy tiger on the back of the couch

It seemed a true treasure back in the day. Even kids were not allowed to play with it — it was there only for decorative reasons. If the back of your armchair or couch is still a resting place for this stuffed animal, it’s time to get rid of it right away.

Perhaps you have a different opinion about these things? What else would you add to our list?