How to Create a Cozy & Healthy, Non-Toxic Home

We just had Thanksgiving here in Canada, and I think it’s safe to say that cozy season has arrived! While I absolutely love summer, I also love embracing all the ways to make a home cozy (the healthy way), which seems even more important once colder weather arrives. Here are all the design basics you need to know to create your cozy retreat that is not only beautiful, but healthy too!

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When it comes to good interior design, it’s important to consider all 5 senses. A beautiful home should not just look nice, but also feel nice and function well. It isn’t just what you see that makes your home welcoming and comfortable, but also what you hear, smell, feel, and even taste. Keep this in mind as you create your cozy home this season!

Choose Your Belongings Thoughtfully

I hope this guide will inspire you to not only create a beautiful, non-toxic home, but also to curate your belongings with intention. The best spaces are created over time, not with a 2 hour trip to HomeSense. While I’m not saying you can’t buy anything from HomeSense, what I am saying is try not to rush the process.

Take your time choosing items that you really love. Choose quality over quantity. Choose items with a story and vintage charm. Choose to surround yourself with things that will improve your health, rather than take away from it.

Textiles

Swapping out throw blankets and pillow covers seasonally is an easy way to add more “cozy” to your space. Rather than buying soft pillows made out of polyester, opt for ones made out of natural fabrics such as cotton, linen, silk, hemp, and wool. They are a little trickier to find, but there are still tons of options!

Even better if you can find certified organic fabrics with the GOTS certification, or ones that at least have the OEKO-TEX certification. This helps to ensure your fabrics have been tested for some of the most common harmful chemicals in textiles.

100% cotton pillow covers- light blue gingham and rust floral print

I have been eyeing this certified organic cotton throw blanket. It is a little more expensive, but the knitted look is beautiful and so perfect for fall and winter.

And if you’re in the market for a new area rug, I highly recommend following the same advice for this item too! Wool is a common rug material, and it’s naturally stain-resistant. I love our 100% wool rug (which was surprisingly quite affordable on Wayfair).

In Summary:

Avoid: synthetic fabrics (polyester, microfiber, nylon, olefin, etc.) and any textiles that have terminology like “stain repellent finish”, “water-repellent finish”, or “wrinkle-free technology”. These most likely have been treated with toxic PFAS in order to give them these properties.

Instead, choose fabrics like wool or hemp that are naturally antibacterial, and wool is even naturally stain-resistant. Cotton and linen are readily available, gentler on your skin, and will reduce your exposure to microplastics.

Candles

Candles are one of the most popular home items to bring out during the colder months, so they deserve a section of their own to discuss! Unfortunately, synthetic/artificial fragrances are one of the most toxic items you could use in your home. Please do not buy any artificially-scented candles! While they may look pretty or “smell good”, they are contributing to harmful air quality in your home. The good news is that there are plenty of options for natural ones!

When choosing candles, the best ones are those made out of beeswax. They naturally have a soft honey scent, and you may find that added scents are really not necessary. However, if you do want an additional scent, make sure they are scented only with essential oils. Beeswax candles are clean-burning and completely natural. The next best option is coconut wax, which is often blended with beeswax.

The next best option would be soy wax, although the problem with soy is that much of it is genetically-modified to withstand heavy pesticide use, so the wax could be contaminated with pesticides. Ideally look for organic soy or non-GMO soy, and be careful not to buy ones that say something like “soy wax blend”, which implies it could be blended with paraffin wax (which is a petroleum by-product). Paraffin wax is not clean-burning and actually pollutes the air.

Another thing to keep in mind is what the wick is made out of. Some wicks have a metal core, which can be made out of aluminum. Some may even include lead (if the wick is sourced from overseas). Look for candles that specify a 100% cotton, hemp, or wood wick (which, by the way, also create an even better ambience with a subtle crackling sound and a wider flame).

Here are several examples of natural candles scented with essential oils:

Queen Bee Farms beeswax candles
Milk Jar candles- essential oil collection (ONLY the essential oil collection)
Rocky Mountain Soap Co candles
Cabin Fever Essentials (this place even has adorable beeswax candles in vintage teacups!)
Lovebee beeswax candles

In Summary:

Avoid: paraffin wax candles, unspecified wax blends, and any with artificial scents.

Use beeswax candles, ones made with coconut wax, or non-GMO soy wax. Make sure they are scented only with essential oils. Make sure that the wick is made from wood, cotton, or hemp.

Natural Scents

Using a diffuser with essential oils is one of the best ways to experience amazing scents for hours at a time. These can completely replace air freshener plug-ins and can often be quite decorative as well. I really love our acorn-shaped diffuser for fall and winter, pictured below (unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be available online anymore).

A note on natural scents

It’s important to keep in mind that natural scents made only with essential oils will not last as long as artificial ones and will be more subtle. This is actually a good thing! Artificial scents often contain phthalates, which is a chemical specifically designed to make scents last longer, and they’re linked to many health issues like hormone disruption. Once you adjust to natural scents, you will appreciate them so much more!

Another thing you can do is a simmer pot on the stove. These are really trending right now, so there are a lot of recipes online currently. I recommend keeping it budget-friendly by using only the peels of citrus fruit… there is no need to use the whole fruit! You’ll combine the citrus peels with cinnamon sticks, cloves, and any other spices or herbs you may want, and simmer it on the stove to give your home a beautiful, natural scent.

You can also achieve a similar effect by doing some baking! What better way to make your home environment healthier than by filling it with homemade baked goods. This banana bread recipe with spelt flour is my go-to recipe at the moment. It turns out perfectly every time. Of course, you could make something with pumpkin spice instead… like my sweet potato casserole that tastes like pumpkin pie.

I also really love to use aromatherapy in other ways in my home. In the shower, I absolutely love using these natural shower sprays that make it feel more like a spa experience. It helps to turn my shower from a chore into more of a relaxing ritual. Essential oils are also great for making a natural linen spray. Use it to refresh linens around your home and change up the essential oils you use based on the season.

The shower spray I love (left) and my DIY foaming hand soap for fall (right)

Lastly, I love to make seasonal hand soaps with essential oils. It takes only minutes to make and will save you money in the long run. You can make whatever scent your heart desires based on the current season. Each time you use it, the seasonal scent will uplift you and add to your home’s ambience.

In Summary:

Avoid: Any products made with synthetic fragrances such as Glade plug-ins, Febreze, artificially-scented soaps and room sprays.

Instead, use essential oil-based alternatives: essential oil diffusers, natural hand soaps, aromatherapy shower mists, homemade pillow sprays, and linen mists. You can also do a simmer pot on the stove and utilize seasonal baking.

Lighting

Lighting is probably one of the most overlooked design details! But, having proper lighting with varying light sources is crucial to making a space feel cozy and warm. Use warm light bulbs and vary the light sources- aim for at least 2-3 different light sources, combining functional lighting with more decorative lighting. Examples: overhead light, table lamp, floor lamp, wall sconces, candles, string lights/fairy lights.

Adding this vintage lamp to my desk made it feel so much cozier!

You can even use battery-powered candles to give you the ambience of candlelight without worrying about the scent or having to be careful about where you place it. I recommend getting ones like these that have a natural flicker effect and a black wick– it makes them look so realistic!

Battery-operated candle in a glass votive (votive from Dollarama)

Also, don’t overlook your outdoor space! Cozying up on your outdoor patio with a hot drink can be a wonderful way to wind down in the evening if temperatures where you live are still reasonable. We have a large patio that we can view through each of the windows in our condo. Because of this, keeping our patio looking beautiful has always been important to me. I finally decided to add solar lights out there this fall, and I absolutely love them! It’s crazy how much ambience they give to our patio, which I can experience even from being inside.

Below are the outdoor solar lights I bought, and I highly recommend them. I love the metal frame that will hold up well to the crazy wind storms and hail storms that we get around here.

In Summary:

Avoid: using cool-coloured light bulbs or different coloured bulbs that don’t match, and avoid having only one source of light.
Instead, use warm bulbs and have multiple sources of light, combining functional lights with decorative ones. Consider adding outdoor lighting as well, especially if you have a nice view of your outdoor space.

Greenery, Plants, and Bringing Nature Inside

Incorporate live plants wherever you can. They have a lot of health benefits, in addition to adding a decorative element. Along with houseplants that can be enjoyed all year long, choose seasonal plants/greenery like potted mums in the fall, poinsettias and potted evergreens at Christmas and in winter. You can even use flowering plants such as an Easter cactus for flowers in the spring.

Our coffee table decor in the fall with a potted succulent, and beeswax candles on our TV stand in the background

This doesn’t mean that you can’t use any fake plants, but I caution you to be very picky about them and use them sparingly. Be sure to choose ones that look realistic, and don’t use too many! Using fake plants everywhere will only make your home look cheap. Don’t worry, if you don’t have time to care for real plants, I have a great solution for you below…

A budget-friendly option that can be reused for many years, but is still completely natural, is to use dried florals and greenery. I have several types of dried greenery and florals and they are awesome. They keep their colour for many years. I have eucalyptus stems in our bathroom, evergreen-looking stems (they are actually called Melaleuca Bracteata, grown in Australia) for winter/Christmas, and oat grass that I use in the fall, all purchased on Etsy.

The dried stems I use in the fall (left) and in the winter/Christmas (right)

I recommend looking on Etsy to see all of the amazing options that are out there for dried and preserved florals and plants. So many gorgeous options!

And speaking of floral preservation, pressing your own flowers or leaves is another natural (and basically free!) way of adding beautiful artwork to your home and bring the outdoors in. I am really loving the pressed leaves art I made for my fall decor this year.

In Summary:

Avoid: using too many fake plants.
Instead, use live houseplants as well as dried/preserved greenery and flowers. Adding seasonal plants like potted mums, pressed leaves, and evergreens is a great way to add an extra touch of natural coziness and bring nature inside.

Key Takeaways

Choose items that you love and don’t rush the process. Prioritize quality over quantity, and consider all 5 senses in your space.
Natural fabrics: Swap out pillow covers and throw blankets for seasonal textures and colours made out of natural materials. Look for cotton, linen, hemp, silk, and wool, with cotton and linen being the easiest to find.
Natural candles: Avoid paraffin wax candles and unspecified “wax blends” (unless it’s a beeswax-coconut blend), and instead use ones made with beeswax, coconut wax, or tallow. The next best option is non-GMO soy wax.
Natural scents: Avoid artificially-scented candles, plug-ins, or room sprays. Instead, make your own scented soaps with essential oils, use essential oil diffusers or a simmer pot, and make your own linen spray or pillow spray with essential oils. Take the time to make some healthier baked goods too!
Layer your lighting: Aim for 2-3 different light sources in your space, and be sure to use warm light bulbs. Mixing functional lighting with decorative lighting is a great way to do this.
Use live plants and dried/preserved stems: Use dried/preserved seasonal florals and stems instead of fake plants. Incorporate seasonal live plants like potted mums or mini evergreen trees. Use fake plants very sparingly.

I hope these healthy home tips have been helpful and inspiring! If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments below. Don’t forget to save this post to Pinterest: