What does cozy mean to you?
Number three in an ongoing series of reviews on design and décor books
Written by Cece M. Scott
What does cozy mean to you?
Liz Marie Galvan, author of Cozy White Cottage defines cozy as being ‘the perfect balance of peace and happiness’ which is an aura she aptly nurtures in her 100 ways to love the feeling of home.
As spring begins its courtship of Mother Nature, kissing us with sunny days, warm breezes, and unbridled spirits, I turned to Galvan’s book for some easy-to-execute ideas on how to spiff up the overall ambiance of my home on the range, where the fox and my delightful owl friend, Oliver Twist, roam…and burrow.
Oliver Twist
Photo credit: Cece Scott Photography
Not having a crafty bone in me, (except as it pertains to life!), what I like about Galvan’s book is the (mostly) one-page ‘how to’ tips, categorized into themes that are simple and unpretentious. They include: Dwell: living room – a cozy place for loved ones to linger; Nourish: kitchen – a cozy place to share conversation and comfort food, (editor’s note…and wine!); Gather: dining room – a cozy place to be together around the table; Rest: bedroom – a cozy place to soothe your soul; and my favourite, Create: office and craft room – a cozy place to dream big dreams.
For all you avid gardeners who can’t wait to get digging and planting, there is a robust chapter titled, Grow Garden: a cozy place for beauty to bloom. Delightfully, it is an inclusive chapter that appeals to both new gardeners and green-thumbs.
Some of the numbered tips that I have actually implemented include:
No. 67: Ten-minute cozy challenge: “If you are frustrated with a design in your home, set a timer each day for ten minutes, tinkering on a particular vignette or space. When the timer sounds, you’re finished until the next day. Too often we wait until we have a huge block of time or the right inspiration to tackle a challenge which can be overwhelming,” Galvan says.
No. 82: Barn Doors: “An easy way of adding character to your home without a major overhaul.” My daughter used this idea as a way to add finishing touches to her artistically designed woman cave. She enclosed the bathroom and closed off the storage area with two grey-slated rolling barn doors. The feel is deliciously country fresh and sumptuously cozy.
No. 84: Edit your space, which is basically deciding “what you want to keep or toss.”
At first glance, it may seem simplistic- heard-it-all-before kind of thing – but the way in which Galvan dispenses her advice with clean lines and colourful warm images resonated with me and motivated me to take action. In fact, the read feels like a friend is over and is helping to create bright, cozy, and spiritual-infused spaces.
So motivated was I around putting ideas to action, that just yesterday, after purging the hall closet, the bedroom closet, and my special ‘oh! I got this on sale secret closet,’ I donated three, stuffed-to-the-gills-hard-to-carry-bags, to my local Sally Ann Thrift Store.
That’s the good news.
And the even better news?
Three store fronts down from the thrift shop, my ‘cute little top store’ already has their sweet spring tops on sale at 50% off. Who can resist?
So now, five of the just-empty hangars in my ‘secret on-sale closet’ have once again got friends to hang out with.
“After all, isn’t it the love we put into a home that really makes it beautiful? Being cozy is truly a gift worth working for.”
-Liz Marie Galvan
Make sure to drop by next week when Cece Reviews FIELD FLOWER VASE: Arranging and Crafting with Seasonal and Wild Blooms by Chelsea Fuss
Looking to create fresh-air spaces that make you think of warm summer breezes? Read Cece’s review of Sarah Richardson’s City + Country
Check out Cece’s review of Courtney Allison’s French Country Cottage
Cece is the feature cover writer for several prestigious publications and is an informed, connected and enthusiastic book blogger at cecescott.com. Her first book, The Love Story, was published in 2019. Her second book will be coming out in the spring of 2021.
Cece is also working on a book of Daily Reflections for Auto Immune Condition Warriors.
Not a subscriber? Sign up now to get access to Cece’s interviews with popular, adventurous, intriguing, fun, famous, authors…not to mention great book-themed gift ideas.
Follow Cece at 
Email Cece
Cece’s social media solutions provided by Digital Dijana, (Dijana Maderic) Connect with Dijana for your social media solutions @ dmaderic@hotmail.com
Cece is now an independent contributor for Fansided.com writing about the NBA.
Get your Raptors Rapture here Thursday is go time for the Toronto Raptors as they push for the playoffs (raptorsrapture.com)
