What makes a home comfortable? A mechanical engineer will tell you that you must achieve and maintain an indoor air temperature of 70 degrees and a relative humidity between 20 and 60%. But that’s just the start; a truly comfortable home engages all of your senses. It feeds the soul as well as the body. My old dictionary defines comfort as follows: “a relief from mental distress; to impart strength and hope to; a lift of the spirits that may mean relief from loneliness, dullness, grief, or pain”…Isn’t that what we want our homes to do for us? We want them to provide us a sense of comfort and well being, to be a place of refuge from the demands of the larger world outside of our families.

The success of coffee giant Starbucks has something to do with comfort. Starbucks describes their coffeehouses as a special place for us, distinct from home and distinct from work, a third place where you can relax, spend a little personal time by yourself or with friends. How do they create this feeling? With rich warm colors, comfortable furniture in a variety of seating arrangements, good lighting for each arrangement, often a fireplace, perhaps some music, plus there is always the smell of hot drinks. They want you to linger.

In my years designing homes I have learned that the places that are most comfortable share the following characteristics:

Appropriate scale - spaces that fit the family using them feel most comfortable. Grand vaulted living rooms designed for entertaining look good on paper and make for dramatic photographs. Their two story walls of glass, the beams, trusses, and lofts flying overhead are awe inspiring but often leave you feeling small, cold, and alone when it is just you and your family. People are drawn toward intimate, cozy, and appropriately scaled spaces.

Variety of seating arrangements – A room is comfortable when it gives you choices. Couches grouped for conservation, a window seat for one or two, a cushy chair, lamp and table in the corner, an alcove for the TV, fireplace, or piano – having these spaces within a room allows people choice and therefore makes them feel comfortable.

Good lighting – During the day nothing beats natural light. Being indoors and knowing whether it is morning or afternoon, spring or fall just by the quality of light is comforting. At night lighting should be designed according to the activities and arrangement of furniture in a room rather than just trying to achieve an overall level of illumination. Task lighting is more comforting than general illumination.

Connection to the outdoors - It is important to consider windows and doors in relation to what’s outside as well as what’s inside. It’s self defeating if a window has to be closed all the time because of your neighbor or the street in order to maintain a sense of privacy. Whether in an urban or rural setting consider the spaces around your home as important as the spaces within. Compose the views that you will see from your windows, follow the sun, and when possible extend your living space into the outdoors with decks, and patios.

Acoustics – A TV can dominate a room and make all other activities nearly impossible. When planning your house zone it for acoustical separation. TV’s, video games, and music lessons in one part of the house, conversation and quiet activities in another, sleeping somewhere else. Pay attention.

Healthy environments – Comfortable space are healthy spaces. They have good indoor air quality and are made up of non-toxic and non-allergenic materials. The air is fresh, and the temperature is stable. The popularity of radiant floor heating systems is in part due to the fact they do not blow dust and allergens around the room as forced air systems can do.

There are many other ways to achieve comfort in the home that are very personal. Colors, smells, sounds, your personal treasures, they all contribute. Living in a comfortable house is akin to being well-dressed, be it your favorite jeans, or party clothes. When you are well dressed the clothes not only fit and feel good, they also modify your consciousness and affect your conduct. You feel not only comfortable but confident and rich in spirit. You are not at odds with your own sense of self – they make you feel as you would like others to see you. Isn’t this how we should feel at home?