HGTV's Heather El Moussa Shares Her Secret To Making Homes Feel Warm And Cozy

So often, the most personal and inviting touches in our homes can be those that are the smallest. A cozy throw or warmly scented candle can make a space, no matter how spare or minimalist, feel like a home. A bouquet or stack of books can impart a feeling of lived-in-ness that can benefit any room no matter its size, style, or décor. These small touches are exalted by HGTV's Heather El Moussa in a recent Instagram post, where the host of "The Flipping El Moussas" invites viewers into her own abode to promote her line of candles. In the post, she gives some other helpful tips on how to marshal these small touches to create a perfectly lived-in home. It's an approach she uses both in the homes she helps flip with husband and co-host Tarek El Moussa, as well as in the house they share with their family.

The trick? It's all about expressing the personalities of the people that live there and catering to an abundance of senses — from sight and sound to touch and scent. With careful attention to these elements, whether your space is large or small, new or old, you too can create a cozy home for your family or guests.

Heather El Moussa, showing off a selection of Home by Tarek and Heather candles in her reel, mentions the overwhelming importance of scent.  Whether it's the use of delightfully scented candles, air fresheners, or other scent elements, the smell of your home goes a long way toward forming a first impression, good or bad. El Moussa also mentions her air purifier, which is especially useful in combating unpleasant scents and allergens.

Consider the overall impression of each room on guests as they enter with the above senses in mind. Think about how to create your desired impression and make your house smell amazing. The desired effect may even change from season to season, room to room. While florals and citrus scents may make your home feel crisp and fresh in spring or summer, you may opt for warmer notes of vanilla and spice in colder weather. Or some spaces may lend themselves to certain scents, like lavender for relation in a bedroom or mint for energy in a home office.

Lighting is also important, as seen in El Moussa's home where a mix of flickering candles, small accent lights, and overhead pendants create a homey atmosphere and appeal visually to guests while still providing needed illumination. Perfect lighting is often a mix of brighter and softer lights. Harsh lights like overhead fixtures may be overwhelming, so try creating different lighting concepts with sconces, lanterns, candles, accent lamps, and task lighting where needed.

Sound is similarly important to creating a harmonious environment. Heather El Moussa mentions a love of light country, but you can use music, whatever your preferred genre, to create a mood and express your personality. Think about how sound impacts your home, good or bad, whether that's music or ambient noise like loud traffic, birdsong, or the drone of a television. Adjust the soundscape of your home accordingly by adding sound-proof materials or strategically placed speakers. 

Finally, she mentions touchable elements, like a cozy faux fur throw blanket, that with other dynamic elements in the room, add a sense of texture and tactile interest. Sometimes rooms, especially more minimalist or neutral-driven spaces lack variety and interest, so make up for these things in softness and texture, adding things like baskets, throws, cushions, and ruddy pottery. Even a colorful room benefits from multiple textures and tactile elements that invite you to touch them, so try to add elements like faux fur, velvet, and woven fabrics to the mix if you can.