Smart & Cozy: Easy Home Upgrades for Long Winter Nights

By mid-December the sun sets before most of us leave work. The house feels darker, the floors feel colder, and it's tempting to just turn on every overhead light and crank the thermostat.

There is a cozier way. The Scandinavians have a word for it, hygge, but you don't need a fancy word to get the idea: warm pools of light, something hot to drink, a soft place to sit and fewer little hassles. Here are the easy, mostly renter-friendly upgrades that make the long nights feel good instead of gloomy.

1. Put your lamps on a schedule

Overhead lights are harsh. Table and floor lamps at different heights create the warm, layered light that makes a room feel inviting. The problem is that nobody wants to walk around the house switching on five lamps every evening.

That's where smart plugs come in. Plug a lamp into a smart plug, plug the smart plug into the wall, and you can turn the lamp on and off from your phone, by voice, or on a schedule. Set the living room lamps to come on at sunset and turn off at bedtime, and the house greets you warmly every night.

Our pick: Kasa Smart Plug HS103P4 (4-pack)

The Kasa HS103 plugs connect over regular 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi with no hub, work with Alexa and Google Assistant, and are set up through the Kasa app. A four-pack covers the living room, bedroom, entry and holiday tree. The app supports schedules and an away mode that turns lights on and off while you're traveling, which is a nice bit of peace of mind during holiday trips.

What buyers like: easy setup, compact size that doesn't block the second outlet, and reliable schedules. What to know: they are for lamps and small loads within the plug's rating, not space heaters; check the listing for the maximum load.

2. Layer your lighting

Even without smart plugs, lighting is the biggest cozy upgrade:

• Use warm bulbs. Look for bulbs labeled "warm white" around 2700K for living spaces.
• Light at three heights. One floor lamp, one table lamp and one low light (candle, lantern or string lights).
• Light the corners. Dark corners make a room feel smaller. A lamp in a corner makes it feel bigger and warmer.

3. Keep the hot drinks hot

Few things beat a hot drink on a cold night, and few things are more annoying than a cold cup of coffee you forgot about.

For the whole evening: Stanley Classic Legendary Bottle (1.5 qt)

The classic green Stanley bottle has been on job sites and in hunting blinds for generations. At home it is just as useful: brew a pot of coffee, cocoa or tea, pour it into the Stanley, and it stays hot through the evening without a burner. It also doubles as a soup thermos for sledding and game days. The lid works as a cup.

For one person: YETI Rambler 20 oz with MagSlider lid

If you're the type who wanders the house with a mug, an insulated tumbler keeps coffee warm much longer than ceramic. The YETI's MagSlider lid uses a magnet so it comes apart easily for cleaning, and the tumbler is dishwasher-safe.

4. Build a reading corner

You don't need a library. You need a comfortable chair, a lamp, a blanket and a small table for your drink. Put a basket next to it with a throw and whatever you're reading. When the corner is ready, you'll actually use it instead of scrolling on the couch.

5. Add soft, portable light

Battery lanterns are an underrated home item. They give a soft glow on the porch or the dinner table, they're safe around kids and pets in a way candles aren't, and when a winter storm knocks the power out, they're already where you need them.

Our pick: Etekcity LED camping lanterns (4-pack)

These battery-powered LED lanterns collapse down for storage and pull up to turn on. A four-pack means one for each main room. They're one of the most popular lantern sets on Amazon and a staple of family emergency kits.

For a full winter storm plan, see our winter power-outage kit checklist.

6. Fight the drafts

Cold drafts make a warm room feel chilly. A few inexpensive fixes:

• Door draft stoppers for exterior doors
• Foam weatherstripping around drafty doors and windows
• Thermal curtains closed at sunset, opened on sunny days to let the sun in
• Area rugs on hard floors, which feel warmer underfoot

These are classic recommendations from home energy guides because they work and you can install them yourself.

7. Reduce the little hassles

Coziness is partly about fewer annoyances. A few quick fixes:

• A boot tray and hooks by the door so wet boots and coats have a home
• A blanket basket in the living room so throws aren't on the floor
• Smart plug on the coffee maker if it has a mechanical on-switch, so it starts before you're up (only if the maker's instructions allow it)
• A charging spot for phones so they're not scattered around the house

Your cozy-night checklist

• Lamps on a schedule at sunset
• Warm bulbs in living spaces
• A hot drink that stays hot
• A reading corner with a lamp and a throw
• Battery lanterns ready for storms
• Drafts sealed

Small changes, big difference. If you're shopping for someone who would love this kind of setup, see our gifts for homebodies.