“Female Living Space”: This Online Group Shows Women’s Cozy Homes And These Are 50 Of The Most Amazing Ones

The subreddit has 556k members who joined since its foundation in 2012 and is described as a place “Where the women (& enbies if they want to) live!” The subreddit features pictures of women’s homes, their DIY projects, progress and before and after pictures as well as questions and advice requests.

There is a stereotype that women are better at decorating homes and it comes from the notion that women are supposed to take care of the home, maintain cleanliness and make sure that it feels inviting. 

Maybe being forced to do that made women develop an eye for design, but men can equally well create put-together spaces that correspond with a certain style, that have color coordination and mixed textures.

Interior design is truly a skill that can be acquired and you don’t even need to go to school for that as there are plenty of guides online that will help you to create a certain feel that you want or achieve a style that you like. 

But you need to know what you want. That is truly the most important step - whether you want a certain color palette or have a certain aesthetic in mind or just an adjective of how you would like to feel in your space.

During the pandemic when some of our offices transferred to our homes, we realised how important it is to make our homes feel welcoming. Jade from Australia is one of these people. She posted the pink utensil photo in the subreddit and shared her thoughts about interior design as well.

Bored Panda also got in touch with Reddit user TimebombTinaOfficial who submitted her Laidy Lair's reading nook's photo. She is also known as Nita or Timebomb Tina on Instagram where she shares her reading finds.

Jade Tina told us that they both like decorating and don't view it as a tiring duty. Jade said "[She] works from home, so [she] wants [her] space to feel fresh and manageable." The woman takes her inspiration from "Instagram, Architecture Digest, taking note of how cafes and shops decorate, movies, places [she's] travelled to, everything!"

And for Nita, "[She] absolutely enjoys decorating and has been having so much fun creating wonderful spaces in the house [she] shares with [her] husband and cats.

When asked where the inspiration for the aesthetic surroundings come from Jane reveals that after taking in others' ideas, she turns them into something of her own because in her opinion, "you can tell when someone has completely copied a look, it always comes off as insincere and false."

While Nita has a specific taste and style of what she likes, "I find inspirations in art and past eras. Mid Century design and esthetic mixed with a little modern flair are my favorites."

When you figure what you want and find your inspiration, This Old House says that it all begins at the front door. You can make it as fun as you want, reflecting your personality and taste. Then they advise sticking to neutral colors for the wall inside because “Neutral walls give you the greatest decorating flexibility, allowing you to easily switch up your accessories. And if you have two small rooms next to each other, painting them the same neutral color helps them feel larger.”

A big part of home decor is the furniture and Michelle Lynne, a Dallas-based stager, discourages people from putting the furniture against the walls, “People do that because they think it will make their room look bigger, but in reality, floating the furniture away from the walls makes the room feel larger.”

A place that can be often forgotten when decorating is the kitchen as it’s a space that needs to be more practical than beautiful, but there are things to do to make it more inviting, such as letting more light in by removing heavy drapes.

Lighting in general has a big impact on how the home looks and This Old House explains that “Every room should have three kinds of lighting: ambient, which provides overall illumination and often comes from ceiling fixtures; task, which is often found over a kitchen island or a reading nook; and accent, which is more decorative, highlighting, say, artwork.“

Another trick is to hang mirrors in every room because mirrors not only double up the space but it also bounces the light around the room, making it look brighter. 

If you want to fill the blank wall with something else, artwork is a good option, but it must be hung at eye level and if you are composing a group of paintings or prints, 2 to 4 inches between items usually looks best.

A really easy way to make a room feel cozier and warmer is to put a rug down, but it can look out of place. The reason for it may be because the rule of thumb is that at least the front two legs of a sofa or chairs must be on the rug and it should encompass the whole seating area.

It could be that you want to redecorate your home to freshen it up and will buy something to give it a new accent, but in some cases it’s better to actually declutter and remove things instead of putting in more. 

Also, nothing screams refresh more than a fresh layer of paint. The cabinets might get a completely different look if you just swap the hardware and if that old chandelier’s metal is chipping, there are spray paints in every metal color to fix that.

My Move reminds us that “Decorating your new home is a marathon, not a sprint.” You don’t need to do it in one go because “As you spend more time in your new home, you’ll get to know it better. You may have new ideas on how you want a room to look and function a few months down the road.”

But they mention the things you want to think about eventually and some of them coincide with the ones that This Old House listed: splashes of accent color, flooring/carpets, storage/organization, accent tables, lighting, textiles like pillows and throws, wall art, and window treatments.

A few more tips and tricks from Pure Wow are “pendants should hover roughly 3 feet above surfaces”, “mix mediums in a gallery wall”, “Karate chop your pillows”, “no TV in the bedroom” and more as they list 50 of them in this article.

You may want to consider feng shui, which is “an ancient Chinese art of arranging buildings, objects, and space in an environment to achieve harmony and balance in a way that will bring peace and prosperity.” It has very specific requirements, like not hanging a mirror across the front door or not having a bedroom above the garage, which has to do not only with decorating and design, but also with the feel of the home.

Jade also has a few pieces of advice to keep in mind when decorating your space, "Make it feel like you, it should be a representation of who you are. I think you can get a sense of a person the minute you walk into their home. Also, balance aesthetic with function - it’s a house not a museum. Declutter often, and be ruthless. I do an assessment every 6 months or so, really step back and ask myself 'do I really need this/use this?' And then know that IG/TikTok can be good sources for inspiration, but have the confidence to do your own thing – those people will never meet you, trends come and go but authenticity is forever. Finally no corny messages in wooden lettering – if you need to be reminded to 'live laugh love' you have a problem."

Nita has a similar train of thoughts as Jade as in that you should take time to "collect pieces that are uniquely YOU." Because for her to find some of the vitage pieces that she has took her years. And the most "important tip to bringing a room together is to find decorating styles you like in magazines, online, in the wild etc." As a cohesive style is what makes the room make sense.

During the pandemic, when many of us were forced to stay at home, we discovered the joys of decorating and making yourself happy with arranging the space around you that feels the best. It seems that women on this subreddit really have the hang of it and we would like to hear your opinions. Let us know which one of these homes you would like to live in and if you find decorating your living space enjoyable!