Make Your Home Cozy And Inviting With This My Lottery Dream Home-Inspired Update

Light, cool-toned neutrals, like crisp white and gray, have reigned supreme in the design world for the past decade. Whether this was an overcorrection of the beige era, we may never know. While light-neutral walls can do wonders to brighten up a room and make it appear more open, they can also make a room feel cold and uninviting. A warm-toned element is required to create that cozy and welcoming aesthetic most people seek in their homes.

Luckily, David Bromstad of HGTV's "My Lottery Dream Home" offered a solution to this conundrum on an episode that aired in 2022: wood accents. The designer showcased a home in which the living room featured cream and white walls and trim, accented by warm wood ceiling beams, railings, and floors. If you've been struggling to find the right way to warm up your white room, this may be the solution you're looking for.

Most people know that colors with an undertone, like blue or purple, are considered cool-toned, while those with a base, like red or yellow, are warm-toned. What remains a mystery is how spending time surrounded by those colors can affect you and your guests and why. According to Mental Health America, the answer lies in color psychology. Psychologically, light, bright, warm-toned neutrals are stimulating. In other words, being around them can make people more energized, active, and social.

In comparison, cool-toned neutrals have the opposite effect. These colors elicit a feeling of tranquility and an urge to rest and retreat, meaning any room you plan to entertain or socialize in regularly needs a warm element. As David Bromstad said in "My Lottery Dream Home," "When you put some sort of wood accent with any sort of something very clean, there's a relatability to it that's really nice (via YouTube)."

Adding wood ceiling beams and hardwood floors is sure to warm up any crisp, clean, neutral room. However, it can be quite costly, especially if the area is large. If you're looking to bring some warm wood elements into your existing home without taking on a second mortgage, there are many ways to go about it that don't have to break the bank. Applying wood or coconut shell paneling to an accent wall, for instance, can instantly make a room feel more relatable and inviting.

Are you looking for an even smaller project? Consider the décor in the space. Is there an accent or coffee table you could replace with one that's crafted out of wood? Are the photos and art pieces on the wall framed in metal or glass? Swap them out for warm wood frames. The contrast between warm wood tones and crisp white is so impactful that even small pops of wood can dramatically change the atmosphere.