Home is where the heart is: a Cozy ambience

Via Cosmopolitan magazine

I wanted to share with you one of my favorite pages from Cosmo that I had ripped out last year. I love being a good host, having people over, and creating a welcoming mood for people to let loose and enjoy themselves. When I lived in Toronto, I stayed in the student village seen here in Nelly Furtado's video clip actually. One day, one of our 8 housemates (yes, the place was like the U.N) who liked hanging out in our turf (the ground floor which was inhabited by my 3 friends and I) decided to pimp out the house in an attempt to please us. Apparently, he had recently inherited a whole lot of money and he wanted to spoil us with it. So...he bought a pool. An inflatable 15 person pool with a ladder :) We were the only house in the whole area, of about 500 student townhouses, to have a pool....because it was illegal since only one side was fenced up which could lead it to pose a drowning threat. There weren't any children living in the area....but there were drunk 1st-year students roaming around the streets.
Anyway, the pool became a landmark attracting people and students from all over the Village.(it really was called the village by the way) Since sunshine itself was a luxury, having a pool was the equivalent of having a private jet. It was a great attraction for guests, and fun nighttime barbecues.

In Lebanon, there was Pandora. The tent I had set up in my balcony during the whole summer. A beautiful view of the medditerranean sea matched with a heavenly evening breeze, made it a go-to destination, or a come-to destination :) I placed a lantern on the rail, and a large plant, you know to create a natural environment, and decked out the interior with mattresses, pillows and covers. And That's one of the benefits of living alone, you get to turn the balcony into a a camp site...Pandora welcomed many guests over the summer, and everyone loved her. Especially after long nights of partying and interacting with people, Pandora helped us unwind and lay down under the stars to the sound of chirping crickets...It's so easy to complain about Lebanon and all its defaults.Actually, it's fairly easy to complain about any country. Whether for me it was, Saudi, Canada, or Lebanon...
In order to cope with this attitude, I always came up with ways to have certain elements in my home that transport me far away from the stresses of everyday life..Not to say I live in a state of denial, on the contrary, I am perfectly aware of the particular circumstances that can negatively affect my mood..and those that can easily boost it. In this case, it was the silence of the night, the summer breeze, sleeping outdoors, and being surrounded by people who share the same desires...

Of course, you don't need an inflatable pool or a tent in order to feel that way... Here are easy ways to make your home therapeutical and cozy enough to both alter your mood and that of your guests.

1- Go big with candles
To add drama to your place, try placing different colored candle sticks on your candle holder. Pink, red, blue, yellow, orange...etc Put them in "surprising vessels, like eclectic tea cups or clay gardening pots" as seen in the photo above.  
2-Have Scents Appeal
"Boil cinnamon sticks in water for a few minutes to get a warm, homey aroma. or put some lemon, lime and orange slices )with peel) in a cute bowl for an upbeat, citrusy fragrance."
4-Add some playful stuff
"Ambience doesn't have to be about getting intense. A string of lights will keep the tone in your place breezy and fun. Wrap it around a large picture frame, a plain lamp, or your mantle." (p.s use plain ones, not multi colored xmas lights!)
5-Bring nature inside
"Seashells or other natural elements like river stones are unexpected and give a casual feel. Place them in a rough-hewn bowl,where you would normally display a bouquet of flowers." I collected some myself on my recent trip to Dubai!
6-Encourage browsing
"A large stack of books on an end table invites guests to kick back and flip through them. Thrown an old photo album (nowadays, it can be a digital one) or cool picture book into the mix." My heart breaks at the fact that my book collection is scattered between 3 countries...I get a sense of comfort by having them on display, each time I read one of the titles...I get a mental flashback of the book/story/the experience of reading it...
7-Sound it off
"Make playlists for individual occasions and really consider what you're craving in the situation.If you're having a party start with light tunes you can talk over, then move to more upbeat songs as the night goes on..." My recently married friend and her husband for example, have their ipod playing at all times, near a digital album of their months long honeymoon trip...the ipod plays mainly classical (orchestral wonders, piano pieces) and chillout music..it was so good that I would turn it on first thing every morning. 

"May your home be wonderfully wonderful, full of wonders and wondrous things...so that you may wander the world as Alice did" - Me :)