How to Decorate Your Home Without Clutter & Still Make It Cozy

When it comes to learning how to decorate your home without clutter and still make it cozy, you don’t have to be a minimalist or get rid of the things you love. 

In fact, when I think about my decorating style, minimalism or minimalist doesn’t come to mind at all. Creating a cozy and relaxing feel is really my number one priority. Truth be told, I can’t imagine that I would ever willingly declutter my candles. If I had to name a style, it would be along the lines of a mid-century boho vibe. Yet it is still minimal and simple. 

Outside of that, I’m all about neutrals, and when I look around what I love most is the simple decluttered feel that allows me to feel calm when I walk through the door. I can sit and relax. So, while I can’t claim that my home is completely minimalist, I’ve worked hard on learning how to decorate without clutter and still make my home feel cozy.  

The truth is simple, decluttered spaces relax you!

Paring things down allows me to keep things neat and tidy but still have that cozy feel I love. So when I think about minimalist decor, it’s really about decorating your home without clutter and keeping it cozy at the same time.

What is a minimalist decorating style? 

So what exactly is minimalist decor? When I was looking for a definition of minimalist decor, there were a lot of different ways it was defined. Definitions ranged from pairing down to the bare essentials to foregoing ornamentation or decoration. 

My favorite definition was actually found in an article on the Home Depot website:

“Minimalist style is defined with one word: simplicity.” 

This definition says it perfectly. Having a minimalist home is all about simplicity. It doesn’t mean living with only the “bare essentials” or giving up all your favorite decor pieces that reflect who you are and your personality. 

It’s simply about creating a simplified uncomplicated home!

The #1 Rule For Decorating Your Home Without Clutter!  

When to comes to minimalist decor and decorating your home without clutter, there is one rule — Declutter!

You cannot create a simplified home or even a cozy and relaxed environment if you’re surrounded by clutter. No matter how you decorate or style your home, decluttering is a must to create a space you love!

Minimalism by nature is anti-clutter. This makes empty space an important element in minimalist decor. When it comes to learning how to decorate your home without clutter, removing as much clutter as you possibly can is the number one rule.

To start, decide which items you actually want to keep or need to have in each room. Declutter the remaining items or store them out of sight.

Once you’ve narrowed down the items you want to keep or need begin to clear the surface clutter. This is all those papers piled on the kitchen table or counters. Corral the kid’s toys that are scattered around in a bin or cute basket. Store those kitchen appliances in the cabinet. You want all surfaces to be clear of clutter. 

But be careful here, don’t just store things away that you could declutter! I promise sooner or later they end up out in the open if you do. 

The key to minimalist decor and decorating your home without clutter is to keep the decor you enjoy but own less stuff in general.

If you have a lot of clutter in your home, there are a lot of articles to help you declutter here. You may want to begin with How to Get Started Decluttering.

Okay, so now that you’ve decluttered the excess, how do you actually go about decorating your home without clutter?

Six Tips For Decorating Without Clutter 

Like I said above, you don’t have to get rid of the things you love to decorate without clutter and still have a cozy home. Minimalist decor is all about simplicity and creating an uncomplicated style. Follow these six tips, and you’ll have just that!

1. Create a Neutral Base

Choose a neutral color palette. This doesn’t mean that you have to avoid all colors and have a bunch of white furniture. Just know that too many colors make a room feel extremely cluttered. 

There are many people who love bright pops of color. And if you have young children, white couches and other furniture may create just as much stress as having too much clutter. So while minimalist decor is traditionally light colors, you can add the color of your choosing, but make sure to limit it to two or 3 colors and have a neutral base. 

You also want to keep in mind that light colors are generally more calming. The opposite is true with bright colors, they tend to energize us. So if the purpose of decorating your home without clutter is to aim for a cozy and serene space choose a neutral base. 

2. Choose Quality Over Quantity

Decorating your home without clutter is about making careful choices. Because you want to limit the amount of stuff you have in your home you will make fewer purchases. This allows you to afford to purchase quality pieces. Ideally, you will look for classic pieces that will never go out of style to invest in. 

Quality pieces are things you will love for years to come. They will continue to look good and hold up to lots of wear and tear for many years. This cuts down on the clutter (and saves money) by avoiding the need to replace items. You’ll also avoid becoming dissatisfied with the things in your home because they don’t look good after a short time. 

While it’s tempting to give in to those awesome decor sales, in the end, they contribute to your clutter and cause you to waste a whole lot of money. Instead, choose wisely and carefully everything you bring into your home. 

You are better off spending twice the money on one quality piece you love than having five pieces that are just okay. Always choose quality over quantity

3. Start with Furniture

When decorating any room it’s always wise to start with the furniture. This is because the furniture makes up the largest pieces in any room. And it’s usually the most expensive and hardest to replace.

So you should always begin simplifying a room by focusing on the furniture. As you look around at your furniture think about which pieces you could eliminate. Do you have any furniture items that you don’t really use or love?

Don’t worry about your home feeling empty by getting rid of large furniture pieces. I remember when I first started clearing furnishing out of my home it felt strange, I think that’s normal especially if you’re used to having every area of your home crowded with furniture. But I promise you will get used to it. Not only will you get used to it, but you will also love it!!! 

Having open space and no crowding gives that open airy feeling and makes cleaning 1000 times easier.

If you live in a smaller home as I do, it may be hard to eliminate enough to create the airy open space you’re looking for. Consider replacing some of your furniture with pieces that sit off of the floor. A mid-century-modern style furniture is a great option because you can see the floor under the furniture,  chairs, and cabinets. The sleek legs of this design create open space. 

The goal is to create as much open floor space as your home allows!

4. Prioritize Functionality and Style

A place for everything and everything in its place is the mantra for decorating your home without clutter.

With minimalist decor, the furnishings in your home should be functional as opposed to purely decorative. However, you can still have pieces that create a warm and cozy feel.

Go for furniture in wood tones or that has a warm color. This will help create that cozy feel.

Next, look for furnishings that also contain storage for the things you need. This allows you to store things out of sight, but still have easy access to what you need. 

No matter how minimalist or clutter-free your home is, we all still have stuff. We need to be able to put these things away. By choosing furniture pieces that are functional for storing items you need, you’ll have designated places for keeping these things out of the open spaces.

In the kitchen, make sure you have proper storage to allow storing appliances in cupboards or cabinets instead of on the counters.

For the bedroom, have sufficient storage so that all the clothes, shoes, and accessories fit in the closet or the dressers.

When decorating the living room, have a place for all the media, books, and anything else you need to store in that room, that can be closed or covered so it’s not seen.

Doing this gives your home a minimalist clutter-free feel because all the items are hidden away. It makes decorating your home without clutter easy!

5. Use a Consistent Tone and Style 

Decorating your home without clutter is nearly impossible if you have too many colors or busy patterns. Minimalist decor uses a consistent style and color pattern throughout the home. You want to create a flow throughout your home. 

We touched a bit on color above, but it bears repeating. Select that neutral base and add just a splash of color with accessories or a large statement piece. However, most of the room should be more subtle. White of course is the classic color pattern in minimalist decor, but earth tones are also a great option — think blues, browns, tans, and greens.

These color choices also help to create a cozy feeling while helping to keep things from looking cluttered. Whatever colors you choose, carry those colors throughout your home. 

Using different textures and patterns will add a lot of visual interest, just be sure they are all in a similar tone. 

While your home does not need to look like everything came from the same furniture store, that’s boring, you do want to keep a similar style in each room. In other words, don’t have a random mish-mash of design eras and periods.

You want to create a cohesive and unified look. Decorating with boho, shabby chic, traditional, and farmhouse style all at the same time assaults the senses. Having too many styles in one room makes the room look cluttered and items appear out of place. 

Keep your decorating styles consistent to tie pieces together. 

6. Accessorize With Restraint

A home completely clear of things is likely to feel sterile and boring. At the same time, a home filled with too many decor pieces feels cluttered and overwhelming.

The key is to accessorize with restraint. It’s better to have a few statement pieces that add interest, color, and textures.

So instead of a coffee table completely free of any objects, you could have a textured vase with fresh or dried florals. Use a statement piece on the wall. Decorative bowls or trays can sit on top of an entryway cabinet to hold keys and sunglasses.

Use a throw blanket and a couple of throw pillows on the couch to up the cozy factor. Adding a few of these items in a similar tone is a great way to add texture, just don’t overdo it! Leave plenty of open space.

The main thing with accessorizing your home is to resist the urge to fill every corner and surface of the room with decorative ornaments and knickknacks. It’s the open space, clear of clutter that creates the feeling of calm and peace. 

How to Create a Cozy Home Without The Clutter

One of the big things that draw people away from minimalist decor is the thought that your home will feel cold and sterile. However, this is simply not true. 

By adding your personal touch and using various textures and natural elements, you can make any space feel warm and cozy. Your personality should always be reflected in your home and that is what will help create that cozy and warm atmosphere.

As you think about the things that are most important to you in your home, pay specific attention to these areas to create a cozy home without clutter. 

Use Lighting to Create a Cozy Atmosphere

Lighting in your home makes such a difference. The lighting you use can either be garish by being excessively bright, or it can foster feelings of coziness and comfort. 

This makes lighting an excellent way to bring cozy decor elements into your home without adding clutter. You can use lights to add warmth by choosing a simple lamp with warm natural light bulbs. Avoid using fluorescent and LED bulbs because they give off a cooler feeling.

Candles are another fantastic way to use lighting to create a cozy home. A couple of well-placed candles are all you need.

In the daytime, let the natural light in. Keep window treatments light and airy to allow as much natural lighting in as possible.

Textures Add Warmth & Interest

Textures are my favorite way to add a cozy feeling to my home. Layering in textures adds both warmth and interest.

But adding layers doesn’t equal adding clutter back into a room. A few well chosen pieces will add comfort and a cozy feel without adding a cluttered feel. 

Area rugs, throw pillows and blankets are all easy ways to add a variety of textures. Choose a couple of contrasting textures to highlight in the room for the best effect.

Try adding a soft rug, a fur blanket, and linen pillows, and macrame wall coverings all give a cozy feeling without creating clutter.

Natural Elements Up the Cozy Factor

Using wood-based neutrals, baskets, and greenery should all be essential elements of your decor. All of this will make you feel naturally centered and grounded, which creates a calm and peaceful environment. 

Even just adding a few houseplants can go a long way. Consider using plants for centerpieces when decorating your room. The green color of the plant looks good with any neutral color scheme you choose.

Decorating your home without clutter is all about making careful choices and choosing the best quality furnishings and decor over the number of items. You can turn any room into a beautiful peaceful oasis and still decorate your home without clutter. The end result will be a home you love!