Editor’s Note: This article is the first in a series of 6 articles exploring the trends that are driving interior design decisions. Metroflor Director of Design Natalia Smith has identified the Cozy Living macro style trend that has inspired Natalia’s five primary interior design trends. This article explores the Cozy Living macro style trend that lays the foundation for the subsequent interior design trends. In subsequent articles we’ll feature each of the interior design trends: Nature Home, Farmhouse Natural, Cozy Cottage, Calm Comfort, and Future Roots.

The last couple of years have brought unprecedented changes in peoples’ priorities and how they wish to live in their homes. Remote work and social distancing may have instilled in you the desire to create a home that’s an oasis of comfort and coziness.

Cozy Living goes beyond soft lighting or a particular color palette. It extends to all things cozy, from pajamas and slippers to soft rugs and cushy sofas. Cocooning at home and in life is increasingly popular, especially as life and the outside world get more stressful.

If feeling calm and relaxed is a priority to you, diving into the Cozy Living macro trend can help you bring that desired comfort to your home and life. You don’t need to live in an old and rustic building to create the Cozy Living feel. You can achieve the same effect in a variety of urban settings, including apartments, condos and lofts.

The key to a cozy space is creating an environment that evokes feelings of optimal safety and comfort. It’s less of a specific interior design trend than a goal or lifestyle. Coziness is fundamentally subjective. A cave-like domicile filled with plants might be the epitome of cozy for one person, while string lights, pastels and luxuriously soft couches might define coziness for another.

There is nothing better than coming home after a busy and stressful day of work, kicking off your shoes, getting into cozy slippers and feel safe and capable of relaxing in your own space.

Tips for Embracing Cozy Living

The Joy of Missing Out

The joy of missing out (JOMO) might seem controversial to some people, but it’s an outlook that pairs well with Cozy Living. Not everyone wants to live an aspirational lifestyle, and there’s been an understandable pushback by those who find more joy in cocooning and coziness than adventurous trips, extreme sports or music festivals.

There’s nothing wrong with embracing coziness, especially if you usually desire it more than exhausting outings after a hard day.

Nature Often Plays a Role

People are undeniably drawn to nature, and it goes beyond simply liking trees or the ocean. Candles are innately comforting to some people, and it might have something to do with fire and the warmth and safety it represents on an instinctive level. Some people may like wool blankets or coats for a similar reason. Wool has an inherently natural feel synthetic fibers simply can’t entirely replicate.

Wood floors and furniture have a similar appeal. They are a way to bring nature indoors and can add innate coziness to a home.

Is Cave-Like a Bad Thing?

Cocoons may seem cramped or claustrophobic, but they’re also synonymous with a refuge that’s safe for the life growing inside. Cave-like isn’t necessarily the ideal option for everyone, but it does appeal to some.

The option that is right for you is highly dependent on your own personal definition of coziness – which is sort of the point of the Cozy Living trend. You do you – and it’s great if a cave-like cozy room makes you feel safe and warm.

Things That Make You Feel Safe and Comfortable

Optimal atmospheres for relaxation often go beyond comfy furniture, wool blankets and candles. Decorations and décor matter too.

Many people find comfort and solace in their families. They may feel more stress or anxiety if they live far away from the people who matter. Family pictures of childhood or some other time in life when you felt most safe and comfortable could be ideal for inspiring coziness.

Others may prefer pictures or paintings of nature and prints of art that they find calming and comforting.

Décor is another very personal and subjective aspect of coziness. It’s necessary to be thoughtful and honest with one’s self about the definition of coziness. What does it mean to you? What type of décor will best enable you to harness that feeling?

Design Your Perfect Space with High-Quality Flooring from Metroflor

Natalia Smith has an extensive career in interior design. She began her career as an interior designer before move into the realm of interior surfaces design, first with Wilsonart and now with Metroflor where she is the Director of Design. In the video below, Natalia explores the Cozy Living macro trend and how it is influencing the in-coming, growing, peak, mainstream, and out-going trends in interior design.

At Metroflor, we offer a diverse array of high-quality luxury vinyl plank flooring options that complement a variety of interior design trends and styles, including cozy living spaces. Whether you will feel optimal comfort in a simple, rustic space or a sophisticated and contemporary one, we have several residential and commercial flooring products that will help you create an environment conducive to coziness.

For questions or to learn more about our products or design trend series, send us a message or reach out to a dealer near you.