Welcome And Season Setup

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Hi, I'm Alexa.

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And I'm Rory. And together we are the Romies. We're a husband-wife duo and longtime travelers who believe travel isn't just about where you go. It's about how it shapes the way you live when you get home.

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On the Roamies podcast, we explore where to travel, how to travel, and why to travel through our lens of creativity, wellness, and everyday life.

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We're calling it this season Rome to Hall. As we travel near and far, we're sharing the ways we bring inspiration home. Through food, daily rituals, business and design ideas, and the renovation of our historic picture up road.

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It's all about making travel tangible, livable, and meaningful long after the trip ends.

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So whether you're planning your next adventure or reimagining the life you're building at home, you're in the right place.

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Now, let's get into today's episode.

A Bathroom Stop Turns Magical

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Hi everyone, welcome to Q is for Quaint. We're gonna share with you a quaint town we got to explore for the first time recently in Italy and hopefully inspire you to head over there yourself. And you also get to meet a coziness consultant who gives us practical ways to bring quaint and cozy into our homes. Let's kick it off with this quaint and quiet must-visit town in Italy.

SPEAKER_03 1:24

We had been on the road for a couple of hours, maybe, and we were about to enter Slovenia. Didn't know what to expect, but we both had to go to the bathroom. So we were looking for an exit as quick as we could. And so we exited just randomly at what seemed to be the last exit in Italy before you went into Slovenia.

SPEAKER_01 1:44

We had been driving from Vicenza. We had a concert there, and so we were driving from Vacenza. And because we had never been to Slovenia, we talked about Slovenia in our previous episode, but right before we got to Slovenia, we did this pullover.

SPEAKER_03 1:58

Yeah, pulled off this exit. And it seemed like a you know, a normal town. I mean, it was a nice area. Like a little village. Yeah, yeah, a little village. It didn't feel Italian. I mean, it just was kind of in between vibes, I guess, for the little for the first area we stopped. Uh we went to the restroom and a restaurant, and then we had seen signs, and this is always like the kiss of leaving the trail we had planned for us. We saw some.

SPEAKER_01 2:22

Yeah, because I saw a sign for a castle. And I was like, Rory, the castle is only seven minutes away. And I'm 12 minutes away.

SPEAKER_03 2:30

I have hours more to drive, and you want to see a castle like a city.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

In Italy, why wouldn't you want to see a castle in Italy when it's only seven minutes one way?

SPEAKER_03 2:41

I acquiesced.

SPEAKER_01 2:42

What a good husband's.

SPEAKER_03 2:43

Yes, because well, it is a castle. Y'all. So you drive up this hill and you go through this old narrow gate. It's a big stone wall like castles have around them. You drive through a narrow gate that was obviously not made for cars.

SPEAKER_01 2:58

I was very impressed that Rory even like tried because I was like, there's no way a car would fit in this gate. But he just like drove right through.

SPEAKER_03 3:05

As Americans, you see these things, and your first thought is, well, we're not allowed to drive there. It's obviously made for bicycles or like someone on force. Right. Not a car horse. And then you drive through and you see that there are cars everywhere up there. You just have to go through the old city gate. Well, once you got through that gate, you enter.

SPEAKER_01 3:22

Now, by gate, he just means like a stone entrance.

SPEAKER_03 3:25

Yeah, it's a big stone arch. The old entrance to the castle.

SPEAKER_01 3:29

Yeah, there wasn't like a fence gate, like no, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_03 3:31

They had to take the gate down. As a matter of fact, they had to take the hinges out of the wall because otherwise your car's not gonna fit like literally through there. If you're in a bus, you're not going through that. If you're in a big van, you may not go through it either. So, anyway, we were in a car that actually fit through. Once you get through, the whole world changes. It's like you it's this idyllic little village kind of a thing. The hall is nice, it's all charming. There's a castle up on top of the hill that when you get to the end of the road, you're at a castle. It's like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Yes. That was so cool.

Driving Through The Castle Gate

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So this town we're talking about is Gorizia.

SPEAKER_03 4:09

Gorizia.

SPEAKER_01 4:09

Gorizia. G-O-R-I-Z-I-A. If you're reading it as an American, Gorizia.

SPEAKER_03 4:15

Yes. In the province of Gorizia, Gorizia. Italy. It's a very small little village up the top that obviously the castle once supported because I was looking at the research on some of the signs, and it's from like the 1200s and stuff like that. Uh so neat. Yeah, one of the houses, I think it's like, oh, this house was really built in the 1200s. And I was like, that was a really cool that'd be a cool place to live. It's at the bottom of the village, faces one of the main roads that goes up to the castle, and you could walk that whole area in like 10 minutes.

SPEAKER_01 4:44

Right. I mean, we were not there long because I, you know, it was just a detour. So I was like, Roy.

SPEAKER_03 4:52

We didn't go in the museum.

SPEAKER_01 4:53

We didn't go in the castle. We didn't go in the castle, but you can go around it, and I believe you can go in it. And we just tried to be.

SPEAKER_03 5:00

And there are there are little parks around it, you know.

SPEAKER_01 5:03

And even in our super short time there, it was like one of our favorite places we've ever been to. Yeah, it felt so good. So quaint. So quaint.

SPEAKER_03 5:15

Yes, all the locals were gathered in one of the pubs down at the bottom of the village hill. And uh, you could hear them laughing and joking and stuff. I mean, it it had to be locals because it was the middle of the work day, and like who else is gonna be there? Uh there were only like two people I saw standing outside the museum or three having a conversation. Was not busy. No, I mean, no one on the streets when we were there. Yeah. Uh because they couldn't fit through that hole in the wall. They they they got there and decided, oh, we're not supposed to drive there. We can't go there.

SPEAKER_01 5:45

Yeah. So you felt like you're in this little quaint paradise. Yeah. This little cozy town.

SPEAKER_03 5:51

Totally separate from the town we drove into. It felt like a completely different place. Yeah. Right.

SPEAKER_01 5:59

The town that supported it with all the gas stations. Oh my goodness. This little section in Grazia had like restaurants, it had the museum, it had the castle. So things that you could and and like just this cool dairy park area to walk around.

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That overlooks the other city.

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So there were things that you can do and experience and just be there and be all good.

SPEAKER_03 6:21

And seeing the castle could be cool. I don't know. We didn't see it.

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We only have pictures. So we'll share those on socials.

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Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:28

But that was such a fun, quaint town that was such a highlight of our trip. And I was so glad, Rory, that you were like, okay, we're gonna try it. We're gonna add time. We were really fast. Maybe 45 minutes. We had enough energy for the drive. Yeah, it was good.

SPEAKER_03 6:44

I would recommend it if you're if you're in that part of Italy on the border of Slovenia and Italy, and let's see, Trieste, I think is the main city down near the coast in Italy. So if you see Trieste, look

Why Gorizia Feels So Quaint

SPEAKER_03 6:56

up and to the left.

SPEAKER_01 6:58

Well, and speaking of looking up, in Gorizia, they had this wall, and you could look over and you have this beautiful view into the valley next door. Yeah, yeah. And like that view, you could just stand look at that for a long time. And so you have great views. It was just like this super charming, quaint, magical place. And so we highly recommend that you're just.

SPEAKER_03 7:22

Yeah, I would say go by, have lunch or have dinner, depending on what time of day it is. Like, and you have a few minutes to go by, go by and check it out.

SPEAKER_01 7:28

You could spend days there and just want a happy getaway place.

SPEAKER_03 7:33

It felt like the kind of place you wanted to go to and just be for a while. Yeah. For a few days and just like be and you you nothing going on while we were there.

SPEAKER_01 7:44

Right. But still things to do and still things to see and experience and just soak in some Italian culture. And one of the interesting things, or kind of one of the fun things that we saw when Rory mentioned the museum, there was a sign for the glass. There was this cool thing about glass making and a display about that and glass blowing and all that again. Yeah. And so it was really fun because it looked like that was one of a route that you could do. And so if that is your passion, like glass making, glass blowing, and that's something that fascinates you, you can go to this part of your glasses. Yeah, and and find that.

Build Trips Around Your Passions

SPEAKER_01 8:26

And what I what I love about just seeing that is just a reminder of if there's something that you love in your life, you have a hobby, you have a passion, you have an interest, you can create a whole vacation, a whole getaway around that topic, around that subject. With Rory being in a big band, he ended up singing at like these conventions and things like that. And we found this list of convention names somewhere. And there was a convention for toothpick holder collectors. There is a whole convention.

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There's a society, a convention, a president, a secretary, a vice president.

SPEAKER_01 9:09

Yeah, of people who collect the things that hold toothpicks. And so I'm sure that you could find a whole like vacation trail of things of like toothpick holders. Your passion. So find your passion and build your travels around that. It doesn't have to be around a location. It doesn't have to be around what your family wants to do. You might need to do a solo trip and go explore like these little things that just fascinate you. And so it was fun to see the glass blowing or the glass making route. And uh we'll try to find that and put it in the show.

SPEAKER_03 9:48

And it's obviously very historical. It goes back, I mean, yeah, like hundreds and hundreds of years what they're about talking about, some of the first things like that in Italy, I suppose. Right. Uh and speaking of like passions, we're recording this outside right now. Outside, on the patio, looking at a uh a small mountain from a certain range, and then a village on the hill up there that's got its own big cathedral looking thing. It looks like a monastery. I don't know that it is, but it's a wonderful little village that you can go to up there with a big square in the center, and it's really old. We are in Schwitzerland. Yes, we're in Switzerland. So what a place to record this. Speaking of passions.

SPEAKER_01 10:32

Right, right. It's also a quaint little village.

SPEAKER_03 10:35

Yes, it is. Yes.

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So find your passions and dive on in.

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Travel your passions.

SPEAKER_01 10:41

Y'all, as Rory and I were talking about bringing your passions into travel, our guest on this episode talks about how to bring your passions into your home. And when you're intentional about that and you make the things you're passionate about easily accessible in your home, you create quaint spaces that serve the life you want to live. And as we are doing this series from Rome to Home, I wanted to think about what are practical, tangible ways that we can bring quaint into our home. And as I was doing that, Amber Brandt came to

Quaint Versus Cozy With Amber

SPEAKER_01 11:17

mind. Okay, so we have Amber Brandt with us, and she is the coziness consultant. And it's really fun because Amber and I worked together at some point when we both lived in Nashville, Tennessee, in music industry stuff. And now Amber has moved into this home space around cozy, and it's just super, super fun what she's doing and what she's up to. So, Amber, we're super glad to have you on the episode. Thank you for joining us. I'm so glad to be here. And it's when I think quaint, there's an element to me that is cozy. And, you know, it's kind of, I don't know if like quaint and cozy necessarily mean the same thing, but like in my brain at home, like that's you instantly came to mind when I think of quaint, because usually things that are quaint are cozy. I'd love to kind of just, if you have any insight on the difference between quaint or cozy, chime on in on that. But I'd also just kind of love to hear your background and what got you into this space and really helping people create cozy in their home and the importance of it.

SPEAKER_00 12:25

So, okay, I think first off, in terms of creating some sort of differentiation between those words, uh I think they're easily swapped out for each other. But in terms of if I'm describing a home or a coffee shop or a space, I would use the word quaint. And when you're in there, you feel cozy. But like if I'm sitting on my couch and I'm under a blanket, I would say I'm cozy, but I wouldn't necessarily call that quaint, right? Right. So quaint feels almost a little like uh a place, a destination, something. The way that we would describe a place that feels cozy is also quaint. Right. Like in Italy. I think yeah, for yes, or sometimes a friendship, you know, if there's like, you know, spending time maybe with your grandma, maybe that has like a fondness and that feels like quaint what you're doing together. But I think generally I associate quaint with a space and cozy with a feeling. So going into how like this coziness work kind of happened, when my husband and I early on in our marriage, we had a lot of discussions around our personal values and what brings us alive, what makes us feel alive, and also as a couple, like what is the culture in our home and in our family, and like how do we want people to feel when they visit?

Design Homes Around Your Values

SPEAKER_00 14:00

And so a lot of those like values that we identified. Um, we really, when we bought our first home, we bought it with those values in mind. Like we knew we wanted to have room to host people and plenty of beds to sleep in. And so it was like we needed more bedrooms. We knew we wanted a formal dining room because we wanted to have a nice long table and serve. And those were things that were that hospitality, you know, value was really important to us. And so then as a result of that, I feel like we eliminated certain homes because they didn't have like these particular elements that we wanted. And then as we lived there, when people would come over, they would say, This is so cozy. When I have a house, would you help me? And it was like, I have this distinct memory of that happening so often that it was like they would walk in the door, they their mouth would start, they would start to say, and I would just look at my husband like, somebody is saying it again. Like, and so it was one of those things that it's like, okay, well, number one, it worked that we designed around our values. And number two, maybe there's like some energy around this for me. Maybe, maybe there's like some some work to be done and opportunity here. And so initially it was just, you know, when people had a space they were designing in their home where they were redecorating and they just wanted a little help. And then I made that more formal over the years as like a side business. And so a lot of what I write about now has to do with that and is largely around making decisions for your spaces based on your values. Because if you design according to your values, you're going to feel cozy in those spaces and they're going to be life-giving to you, and they're going to help serve that in you. So you have a space where you do more of those things. You encourage more life-giving activities and the things you really enjoy because your space is set up to do them well. So that's kind of how this all started. And now I'm about five or six years in helping clients and speaking and writing about this. So love it.

SPEAKER_01 16:07

Now you mentioned values-based. Um, do you want to just dive into that, speak about that approach a little bit more?

SPEAKER_00 16:15

So I think a lot of times, okay, if someone has me over to decorate in one room of their home, I will always have them walk me through their spaces, their whole house, because I want to see what sort of things they're interested in. Like I went to a house once where she wanted me to help with a basement that was really cluttered and create kind of like intentional spaces for her kids to play. But I went into one of the rooms in her home and there was so much photography gear and 3D printing gear and musical gear, and it was all in one space. And I was like, okay, wait a minute, what is this? What are you doing in here? Because I don't see this reflected anywhere else in the rest of your home. And I feel like these are important things. So why aren't why isn't there more designated space for this? Well, we're not getting, you know, our kids are little and we don't get around to it as much as we wanted. And so it it became less about discussing like how do we organize this basement in a way that looks and and is clean and nice? And like actually, how does this basement serve you better for the things that you love and maybe things that are activities that are life-giving or values, like if you enjoy making art or making music together as a family, like is there a way in which we can bring this from the back burner to the front burner by reorienting your home around that? Because if that is something that is important to you and you value, then let's give it the space it really needs. You know, and sometimes it's as simple as like, you know, if a value is spending time around the table with your family, that can be mealtime, but it could also be like in our house, we really enjoy playing games. And so that has been instead of having games put away in a closet somewhere, we kind of generally keep them out in a tray near the dining table. Because if the proximity is reduced in your space and you see it, you're more inclined to just pull it out at the end of a meal and do that thing. And it is about playing the game, but it's less about playing the game than it is about we're having a time of meaningful connection and we're making the space to do this instead of being scattered on devices or being distracted or cleaning the kitchen, right? We're making space to say, this takes me two seconds to grab, and now we're going to spend this time together. And so when I talk about values, I don't mean, you know, specifically like we value playing games, but it's like, okay, what is really important to me is the space away from devices where we're connected and we're interacting with each other. And so that can mean meals, cooking together, that could mean playing games together, right? What is unique to your family or your situation? And how do you want to do more of that thing in your space? And ultimately, right, that is going to create connection. But those are things that feel cozy to you and you're glad you made the room for because otherwise, right, all time is just kind of the same and you're busy and hurried. So sometimes it's about designing your space in order to create more room to do those things that are really like life-giving and valuable to you.

Ask The Question Under The Question

SPEAKER_01 19:42

Yes. Do you have any kind of steps or I don't know, maybe maybe hack is the word to help folks maybe even think through what well, what do we want in a home? And because Rory and I, we've mentioned this on the on the podcast, even that your home should serve you. And that's really like what you're saying. And you know, for us, home is you know, it's a great place to be, but like for us, it's like a launching pad for our next adventure. Right. You know, we we love having people over, but we're hardly ever home. And we like hardly ever being home because we're off exploring the next thing. And so, like for us, our luggage needs to be easy. It's gotta be easy and convenient to pack and unpack. And when we are home, we're not doing X, Y, Z. Maybe we do have a space where we can have friends over for the day or two that we're home. We totally like what you're saying. I'm like, yes, yes, yes, because your home should serve you. And I love that that you help people bring out their personality and bring out who they are so that their home serves them. So, yeah, anyway, back to my question. Like, how do you help people define those things so that it's easier for their brain to connect and for you to help them as well?

SPEAKER_00 21:09

I think it's just some of, I mean, I say simple values based. I mean, this isn't simple work, right? This is hard work. There are those are big questions. But, you know, a lot of times it's like someone is coming to me because they are frustrated and, you know, they see it as like I don't have enough storage or something like our perspective is like an organizational problem, maybe that they feel. Yeah, right. Or they're like, they're having indecision about something, you know. And so then what I a lot of times it's it's it's like light therapy, right? Because a lot of times I will say, like, okay, well, so there's something under that feeling, right? There's a frustration. And so it it is about, it's actually about trying to answer the bigger questions. And sometimes We're feeling frustration, and the solution is actually really simple. Like if it's a storage solution, maybe we just need to go through our home and see where we're not using storage efficiently somewhere else, right? Like maybe there's a piece we can bring from another room and repurpose in here. Like maybe we actually already have the solution in our home and I can help uncover that. But a lot of times it's trying to kind of ask the question under the question. Like, you know, a lot of times am I, and I don't think this is the case for you, right? You're gone a lot. But sometimes people are like, you know, I don't have a good space for hosting. And I see their room and it's like, it's lovely. It's it's plenty big. They have, you know, they have plenty of chairs. And so then I'm like, okay, actually, this might actually be about something else. Like, you know, are you you're bumping up against this? And this is important to you. So what is keeping you from doing this? What is keeping you from doing this thing? Is it actually an issue with space in your home or not having enough seating? Or maybe you do have those things, but you're so hung up on it having to look a certain way, right? Like sometimes it's it's asking like a deeper question. So I think, I think under our hangups, right? It's asking maybe where is this frustration or this feeling coming from? Do I actually have some sort of shame? Like I'm embarrassed about something else in my home. So it's like I'm using that as an excuse not to invite people in. But also I think on a positive, sometimes it's like, what do I want to be doing more of? What do I, what did I really used to love? I loved sitting down to paint. Okay, what is keeping me from doing that now? You know, and just being really honest with yourself. There are seasons of our life where it makes more sense, right? If you're traveling a lot, obviously you're not going to be hosting, you know? Or if your kids are small, right? That's gonna limit some things that you can do in your space. But if you can identify what is the thing that you really loved about doing that, you can find another expression that makes sense for your current season of life, really to live into that. So I think just really practically speaking, it's being really honest with yourself about how you feel and trying to identify, right, like what is that feeling and how can I easily fix that? If it really is just about getting some a new storage unit, then go buy one today. Go get one off of Facebook Marketplace, you know. But if if it's connected to something a little bit larger, you know, it's worth asking questions about because I don't think that we should have to live sad or regret or putting off hosting until everything is just perfect in our space. Like we have opportunities to to do that now. Um, and it might just mean doing it a little differently.

SPEAKER_01 24:53

Right, right. And adjusting. And I think we touched on this a little bit in our M is for minimalism episode with Katie Wells, but the the idea of maybe you just like the idea of hosting. But when it comes down, you really would just rather go on a walk with a friend or meet them somewhere for coffee. Then you could create a cozy space in your home for something you actually really like and not just the idea of something like you should do in your home. And so again, making this space really serve you. So I love that you help people dig deep and figure out, you know, answers to those questions, like that whole being honest with yourself. Yeah, I really like the idea of this, or I really do like hosting people. And this is my obstacle. And it can be practical or emotional or both. And and having someone like you to bring those things out and to discuss those things with is really, really helpful because I think sometimes just trying to do that on your own, it's tough.

SPEAKER_00 25:56

And and having a springboard to and I often call myself just a second pair of eyes because, you know, I, you know, I get so narrow focused even in my own space, right? Like I've used my space the same way for so long. Sometimes I don't see the potential or the opportunity, you know?

SPEAKER_04 26:14

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 26:15

I often say that sometimes you just need a second pair of eyes. And a lot of times people hire me to come into their house and consult on something and they already have the right instinct. It's literally like I almost feel guilty charging them because I'm like, I just came in and said, yes, great idea. Yes, you should do that. Yes, you know. And sometimes people just need to be affirmed, you know, but their instincts are natural.

SPEAKER_01 26:42

That is worth paying for because you having that affirmation that, yeah, this is a feasible, good idea, you know.

SPEAKER_00 26:51

And but I've also stopped people from making really large purchases because like, oh, we need more storage in the kitchen. And I'm like, well, you already have this whole thing right here, and you're storing an old popcorn machine you don't use and XYZ in here, right? And if you just move these things out, you can prioritize this better. You actually already have what you need. You just need someone, you've just become so insulated to it because you're so used to seeing it. And so, yeah, sometimes it's just about having a sounding board to help you see and unlock what's already there.

SPEAKER_01 27:25

And when you are consulting people, now you're based in Michigan, but can someone meet with you remotely as well? Like, do you consult remotely?

SPEAKER_00 27:34

Yep. You know, I have done a lot of virtual consults and I always start either in person or online, like someone marching me through their house just to let me see the rest of their space. Because sometimes, right, it's like those things, like I said, you know, behind a closed door where it's not even on your radar, and I see it and I'm like, I'm gonna, I'm gonna poke at this a little. Like, what is this thing? What is, you know, have you considered this? And so I've done the same thing virtually where people just, you know, take me on a little video chat around their house. And, you know, I might say, like, okay, go back to that room and measure this, measure that bookshelf really quick. Like, will that work in this space downstairs? You know, and so we we make it work, but yeah, in person or virtually.

Consults In Person Or Virtually

SPEAKER_01 28:18

Yeah. Cool. Now, if you're coming to my house, we still have the renovation we have to do. But if you were gonna come to my house, one of the interesting things that Rory and I are gonna face when we get to that whole decorating phase is our spaces are so big. We moved from 458 square feet when we lived in Los Angeles, and now our house in Texas is over 4,000 square feet. And the way that it is laid out, we have like every room has like its own suite attached to it for the bedrooms. And when you walk in, a very large like living room type space. So we have large spaces, and I feel like this is a rare question, but I feel like it's also a real question.

Make Big Rooms Feel Cozy

SPEAKER_01 29:04

Because I feel like there are gonna be people that relate. How can you make something that's big feel cozy and quaint?

SPEAKER_00 29:12

Yes, yes. Um, a few years ago, everybody was doing gallery walls, and for me, it's a no because they can start to feel chaotic and there's so many little things that you can't always appreciate what's there. And so, like if you have a large space, a large scale, obviously piece of art is going to help fill that space. But largely I think making sure that your sight lines, that you have things that are not all on the same plane, right? You don't want, you know, kind of your, if you have a fireplace and then your couch, and then you have a lamp right next to it, right? That's relatively the same height where everything is kind of here and you have nothing that's filling that space. You want like a tall lamp that comes over the furniture, right? Or you have like some sort of like large plant or something. You want to break up that sight line a little bit. That's gonna help the spaces feel more full without feeling cluttered.

SPEAKER_01 30:10

Right.

SPEAKER_00 30:11

Like larger scale, right? Making sure that your furniture is also the right scale. You don't want either a couch that feels like in a small space, right? You don't want a couch that feels overwhelming. And in a small space, you don't want a lot of little pieces of furniture, right? You have the room to work with. So making sure that you have like appropriately scaled items, I think also helps to fill a space. But whether a space is large or small, I think largely texture is really, really important for making it feel cozy, having a lot of different textures. So obviously, like soft thrill blankets, right? Like if you have in your furniture, if you can use a fabric that has more texture to it, right? And there's like different elements, right?

SPEAKER_01 30:58

Also having we touched on that in our previous episode, P is for patterns, because that's something I love is like some time of type of textured pattern, whether it's in clothing or furnishings or whatever. So you're speaking my language, keep going. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 31:12

Um, appropriate light, right? Having enough light. I think what I see a lot when I go into people's homes are their art is like hung maybe too low, right? They have this sort of like you walk into the living room and it's all just everything is kind of on the same plane. Um, where they have, if they have a side table, they have a lamp that's sitting on it. And I'm always like, clear off that space, get a lamp that is taller, that's going to fill more of the space and draw the eye up, right? And fill the space. If you have that vertical space, you want to use it. And again, not to make things more cluttery, not just to hang art to fill the space, to be intentional about it, but to utilize not just the footprint of the space, but also what is the vertical space. If you have windows that are up high, then you want to do what you can, right, to help draw the eye up to utilize that space too. And I think I'm always amazed because like this room I'm in is pretty good size, and people still, the feedback is still that it is cozy. And I think that is because you don't have to move far to grab a blanket. There's like my pillows are big and they are comfortable, but they feel like the correct scale for the space. The textures on your feet, like the rugs, right, have texture to them when you stand up. They feel comfy and cozy on your feet, and that matters, you know. So yeah, I think it's not necessarily about having more, it's about having the correct scale to make that space feel like it's appropriately filled. And that can help it to feel cozy. And quaint.

SPEAKER_01 32:50

Yes, awesome. Okay. Now, what about you kind of touched on this a little bit because you said, you know, let's not make it cluttered. And sometimes if I am visiting someone's space, sometimes what might make it appear to feel cozy is like there's a lot of stuff going on. And I feel like cozy could be cluttered, but also like cluttered is not a fun word, and you don't want your space to feel cluttered. Right. Um, at least I mean, I don't, because my brain is already cluttered. So I need a space that isn't. So how do we do cozy without being cluttered?

Cozy Without Clutter Through Collections

SPEAKER_00 33:29

So I think the other important word, cluttered, is collections. I I think in collections because here's the thing, right? If one of your values, like if you come from a long line of Mets fans, right? And you have sports memorabilia, right? Ideally, you are going to have that reflected in your home if that's something that matters to you. You enjoy going to games as a family, you have a lot of your culture, right? Your family culture is wrapped up in that. But it shouldn't look like a frat house where there's just stuff everywhere, right? It's like you can reflect that thing you really enjoy, but you should think really strategically about how you're putting it out and grouping things together into collections. Because if stuff you love is just kind of scattered everywhere, not only is that cluttered, but it actually isn't really doing that love of yours justice, right? It's like if you can actually think about how do I build a collection around this and display it together in a way, even maybe even with like appropriate, you know, a specific light, or how can I do it so that it actually elevates this thing? It doesn't take over my whole space and it actually makes it its own little focal point where it's all collected and curated and it makes sense working together. And it still reflects that this is a thing we love. I mean, if if you have a dedicated room in the basement and you just want it to be everywhere, then that's great. But I think just keep it in that space and don't let it creep into all the other spaces. Right, right, right. I love miniatures and I could easily just keep putting them on every surface and hiding them everywhere. And so one of the ways that I rein that in is by putting them in plants or purposely hiding them so that they're not easily visible, right? So then they actually become a thing that you discover and then it has a sense of whimsy to it.

SPEAKER_01 35:30

Nice.

SPEAKER_00 35:31

I've had to work really hard to wrangle that because I could just let them take over. And so I think that idea of whimsy, you know, if you can love something and design it in a way that is subtle and collected and curated, or you can minimize, create some rules around it. Like it's okay for me to have these things, but I'm not gonna keep adding to my collection, right? I'm gonna have it on these two shelves. I'm gonna display it in this room. It's important and it's something that brings you joy, but it doesn't need to take over. And that's where it gets into that cluttered space. For me, because I like to do a lot of hosting, you know, I see things out like little serving trays that I love, or like cute mixing bowls or things that could be out on my counter. Right. And so instead of continuing to collect those things, I've made some rules around what I can purchase and how, because that could be an area for me where I could just keep adding and adding. Right.

SPEAKER_01 36:31

It's funded by.

SPEAKER_00 36:33

And so, but having just a couple of rules in place makes it easier to say good yeses and no's when I'm out. And for that specifically, like I decided a few years ago I'm only going to be to buy white or wood. Okay. And so now all of my pieces, even though I've bought them from so many different places, they all work together. And I can use them if I'm hosting a baby shower here or a girl girl's night or Christmas dinner, right? They're not, they don't have any kitschy phrases on them that are like, oh, this is the guac, this is the bowl for guacamole because it has a cute saying, right? It's like everything, right? Everything is versatile and they can all work together. Um, and that has helped me to stop collecting, right? And being more intentional about if it's a piece I really need or if it's something I don't actually already own. And that helped to curb that. I got rid of things that were different colors or didn't make sense with what I had. Um and so yeah, so if it's something you love and you know you're gonna use, just yeah, having some sort of boundaries around that and and figuring out work what works for you and then sticking to those rules, I think is important.

SPEAKER_01 37:49

That's super helpful. And those boundaries you can still expand. Like when you say white, it could be a white textured pillow, it could be a white ceramic bowl or a white spoon with a wood handle or something. But yeah, that is I love that's that's very helpful.

SPEAKER_00 38:12

I just I recently added a marble tray, like a serving tray that I found because you know it fits my rules, but it had a scalloped edge, and I had never seen anything like that, and I didn't own anything else like that. And so I let myself add that to my collection. But it's helped to me to get very, very specific to not just buy to buy because I like something, to buy so that it makes sense with everything else I already own.

SPEAKER_01 38:39

Well, and looking at you, you and I are conferencing via video right now, and I can see the spaces that are behind you. You have a white wall with wood ceilings. And it's like it makes sense too that you've even incorporated that into like the structural part of your home. So then when you bring the decor in, you're enhancing all of that. And I that's somazing.

SPEAKER_00 39:03

And specifically, specifically in this house, because in our other house, we had more color. But when we purchased this, it was largely because there is a lot of woods around our home. And you know, it's mid-century, so it has like large windows, and I wanted to minimize somewhat this space inside, right? To like make that that emphasis and your attention to go outdoors. So that was largely two, right? That was an intentional choice.

SPEAKER_01 39:29

But yeah, great.

Stop Chasing Trends And Buy Less

SPEAKER_01 39:31

This has been really helpful. Any other kind of last insights you wanna share about creating a quaint and cozy space?

SPEAKER_00 39:41

I think I think it's an important time to have conversations like this, not just because we're going into fall and it's like, you know, cozy Gilmore girls season, but but just largely because social media, like there's still so much pressure to always be buying for your home, to always be keeping up with trends, or, you know, we follow influencers because they have the same bodybuild as us. And so then we maybe feel constant pressure to keep buying the clothes that they're, you know. I think just generally speaking, there is just an emphasis and a focus on always needing to be renovating in your home, always needing to be adding more, keeping up on whatever is the trend. And I think if we can have that mindset, right, that goes back to no, what is actually true about me and our family and our family culture and how we want to feel in our house and how we want people to feel when they come here and getting concrete about those things, it makes it so much easier to stick to it because it's like, well, I don't actually need that. You know, I like that, or I might splurge on that this fall if this is, you know, the new color that everyone's using. But I've chosen a specifically quieter palette so that I can add some of that color or some of that texture that changes like seasonally or with trends. But what is here that lives here all the time is something that I've chosen because it brings me joy and it makes sense for the way that we want to live. Um, and I think that's I think it's countercultural and it's unpopular and it and it doesn't maybe draw as many followers, but I think it's being true to the life that you actually want to live and those little decisions that we make add up to how quaint our house feels or how cozy we feel in our space over time. 100%.

SPEAKER_01 41:39

Yes. You have a lot of great insight, and it's really, really fun to hear

Where To Find Amber Brandt

SPEAKER_01 41:45

from you. Where can people follow you and connect with you and learn more about you?

SPEAKER_00 41:52

So I have a website, thecosinessconsultant.com. I don't I don't often update it, except if I have an interview or if if I've been featured in a news outlet, I'll typically also update there. But the best way to follow me is on Instagram. That's where I post the most. And whatever I post there also feeds to my Facebook, but that's where I'm most active posting and in stories. And I try to share some really practical things that you can do in your home or in your space. But I also talk about some of these larger themes of having a life that feels cozy to you and uncovering your values and just a space where people can not feel pressure to have their house look a certain way, but to have things that they can use that are valuable.

SPEAKER_01 42:33

So I really appreciate that about you. Yeah, that's very helpful. So, what is your Instagram handle? The coziness consultant. Same. Okay at the coziness consultant. We will put her links in our show notes so you can just go right there and click and get on over to her, follow her. I know you have way more coming our way, but your Instagram page is already so helpful. And so we look forward to following you and continuing to learn and dive into the resources that you provide and the ideas that you have. Thank you so much, Amber. It's just so good to you and so good to have you. Thank you for your advice and input. And I look forward to implementing some of these as we get to the decorating phase in our home.

SPEAKER_00 43:18

Yeah, let me know how it can help.

SPEAKER_01 43:20

All right. Thank you, Amber Brandt, the coziness consultant, for your quaint how-tos. And thank you all for joining us, and we will see you on the next one.

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