How to Style a Cozy Corner

Let’s talk about how to style a cozy corner. For those of us still living in an apartment, real estate is limited. Literally. So while we might not be able to redesign a bedroom every month, we can take on a smaller project. One of my favorite spaces to create is a cozy corner. How many of you like to curl up in a cozy chair with a good book? Or maybe you use this chair as a depository for all your clothing (like me). Either way, taking a small part of any room and turning it into an inviting area is a way to refresh your decor.

Here are the basic elements that I used to create this space in our second bedroom! I first got the idea while browsing chairs at Kathy Kuo. If you’re new to Kathy Kuo Home, take a look at their blog. I guarantee you will fall in love after one post. They’re launching a design service this summer where you can get tips directly from their team of designers! Meanwhile, there are lots of great tips you can take and repurpose toward whatever home improvement project you happen to be working on. There are also tons of styles from French Country to Modern. Every piece is hand selected by their product team in person so you know the quality is there.

There are so many stunning pieces that sparked an itch to create more home content. I’m always switching up (small) things around the house so I don’t get bored. If you missed our living room refresh for spring, you can check it out here. Lots of color in that one! Read on for my cozy corner essentials!

1. The Perfect Chair

The foundation of every room (or corner) is a great statement piece. It takes me a long time to decide on accent chairs. For me, there are so many requirements. It can’t just look good. It has to also be comfortable, have a great structure, and I need to be able to curl up in it. I spend hours on the Kathy Kuo website until I settled on the Zaha chair. The high back and the modern design make it so easy to repurpose later. Good chairs are extremely hard to find so that’s where I tend to splurge. The size of the Zaha chair is perfect for reading a good book in. I’ve already tested it and it can hold tons of clothes too!

2. Statement End Table

My love of end tables is almost as strong as my love of accent chairs. I’ve been on the hunt for a great table for years. Having purchased a few too many in my life, I was wary of height this time around. This Tiff Hollywood Regency table (also from Kathy Kuo) was perfect. In this corner, it’s not the main show. However, I had it sitting against another wall in the apartment for a week before I rearranged and it also makes a great centerpiece. The mirrored surface really opens up a smaller space. I also love the antique vibe of the finish.

3. Accent Pillows

If you’ve ever watched my Instagram stories or read a home post of mine, you know how I feel about pillows. LOVE them. You also know how Matt (my husband) feels about pillows. While my motto is “the more the merrier”, his is “less is more”. Guess who wins. In the second bedroom (aka my blog-office), I do!

I knew I was getting daring my mixing a gold end table and a grey chair. It’s not typically a combination you see together. So, I incorporated this gold patterned accent pillow to tie everything together. It’s old Anthro but I’m also loving this one with tassels or this gold foiled one. To balance out a bold gold, I like to incorporate texture. You know my style is “textural”! So, this white ruffled pillow would be my top pick since the one here is also old! This just goes to show how long the life of white/gold pillows is if you are a lover of neutrals. You can swap them in and out of everywhere!

4. Cozy Knits

You can’t curl up without a cozy throw blanket, right? You guys are going to kill me. This one is an old Pottery Barn find that has lasted several years. However, my most favorite blanket ever (I’m under it as I write this post) is this pom blanket. It’s so incredibly soft! It’s a Bed Bath and Beyond one so remember to bring your 20% off coupon! Also, if you’re moving any time soon, I wrote about how you can get 20% off your entire purchase + 7 tips here. I used this when we moved to Chicago from Los Angeles – worked like a charm!

5. Pretty Candles

I’m also a lover of candles. This didn’t start until the move. Something about those midwest winters just make me want to get all cozy! Plus, I found these Capri Blue candles which Matt saw and said “I like this spikes on them”. That was approval for me to go buy a few more… The one you see here is the iridescent jar candle from Anthro.

6. Books

Why is it that a space just looks so much more refined with a book or two strategically placed? These books, All in Good Taste and Cupcakes and Cashmere at Home, find themselves all around our apartment during any given month. If you’re looking for a great coffee table book, this pink Valentino book is my top recommendation.

 

7. Unique Decor Items

Vases are my favorite for this category. Mostly because you can fill them with flowers! As I’ve gotten older, I’ve started to appreciate a good bunch of greenery in the house. I loved the look of these gold dipped bud vases. Since I already had a larger vase filled with flowers, I decided to leave these smaller vases empty. Since they come as a set of 3, you can mix and match these around the room as you please to bring everything together. They’re also smaller so you can squeeze them into any awkward empty corners. They’re just really great space fillers in a pinch!

8. A Personal Touch

I’ve been asked a lot about this shadowbox! It makes for an incredible gift for a bride to be too. I took a few of the memories from our wedding and staged them inside to create a little tribute to our marriage. I just played around with placing things: our invitations, flowers from my bouquet, tulle from my dress, our vows… until they looked good. Then I pinned a few things in place to make sure they would stay! I never thought I was very crafty but I’m really happy with how it turned out. Dare I say proud. Even though I don’t walk by it every day since it’s hung here, it give me all the feels when I catch a glimpse of it!

That was my thought process for how this room came together! In 8 categories! I also have this grey/silver area rug and faux fur rug styled here. You’ve probably seen the faux fur rug moved around a lot as well. I usually have it here in the living room! Also, this floor lamp is back in stock! I feel like this should be IN ALL CAPS! It was the most clicked item from the post on our guest bedroom and I was so bummed when it sold out. Shop it now if you’re in the market – it’s to die for IRL!

What did you think? How do you feel about mixing grey and gold? Are you planning to do a small refresh in any area of your home soon?

*In partnership with Kathy Kuo