Coziness more about feeling than things

"Knowledge of what is possible is the beginning of happiness." George Santayana (1865-1952), Spanish philosopher, essayist and poet, "Little Essays" (1920)

Q: Can you help us define cozy? This is our fourth home and we've yet to achieve what we consider cozy. There is either so much stuff in our home that it resembles a used furniture store or when we try to "pull" things together, they just look mismatched and unattractive. We decided that having more things doesn't equate to cozy. We must be putting the wrong things together. How do you get the "real" cozy? We want it.

A: Ah, the perpetual quest for cozy. We can have many diverse style preferences, everything from country to ultramodern, and we want it all to be cozy. It can be done, and done well in every style imaginable.

Webster describes cozy as "enjoying or affording warmth and ease; snug; marked by or providing contentment or comfort; marked by the intimacy of the family or a close group."

That sounds easy enough, right? The key to achieving cozy is to first decide what it means to you, not Webster or anybody else. To me it means comfort, ease of use, warmth and having things I love around me. Any space can be cozy if it meets those requirements.

So, let's see how you can do this in your home.

One of the key factors in cozy is color. It can be on the walls, in your furnishings or in the accessories. I don't necessarily equate cozy with white walls, but some people do and get their cozy infusion with touchable, yummy fabrics and art and accessories.

You've heard this a million times, but here's a million and one -- don't be afraid of color. Painting a room is the most inexpensive and most powerful change you can make. If you like red or chocolate brown or a soothing green, go ahead and paint your walls. The worst that can happen is that you decide you really don't like it and just paint over it.

Having said all of this about color, a monochromatic room done in all shades of white also can be cozy. Cream walls, oatmeal chenille upholstery, a white flocati or shag rug, a white cashmere throw, white orchids -- get the picture? -- that's cozy in a different way.

Here are some things to consider when trying to create cozy:

Are you comfortable in your room? Is there a good place to sit? If you want to put your feet up, is there a place to do that? If you like to read, is there a good chair with good lighting? If it's chilly outside, can you make yourself warm? If it's 115 degrees outside, can you remain cool? Do you have things you love around you? Is your home comfortable when friends and family visit?

If you can answer yes to all of these questions, you have achieved cozy. There is no magic formula and it's certainly not about money. It's entirely up to you and what's important in your life.

Getting cozy away from home is doable also. I have friends who take a few of their favorite things with them when they travel. Hotel rooms, regardless of price or location, most likely feel, well, like hotel rooms. Taking your special pillow, a cuddly throw, a family photo, a small travel candle or sachet with your favorite scent with you when you travel will make any place you land more like home, and create that cozy feeling.

And when you're ready to return home, you know your space will welcome you with that wonderful familiar feeling and warmth of home you have created.

Carolyn Muse Grant is the founding president of the Architectural & Decorative Arts Society, as well as an interior design consultant/stylist specializing in home staging. Her Inside Spaces column appears weekly in the Home section of the Review-Journal. Send questions to creativemuse@cox.net.