How Four Creators Use Scent, Light, and Ritual to Create a Cozy Night In
There’s a special kind of comfort you can only find at home after a long day. The ingredients vary from person to person: A favorite corner of the couch, a blanket you reach for without thinking, a warm drink in a familiar mug, a snuggle with someone you love. The details change, but scent is the thread that ties a cozy night together and turns an ordinary evening into something restorative.
With that in mind, I asked four creators to share their cozy-night-in rituals and the scents that help them unwind. Their answers were a reminder of how much the senses guide us. They can be subtle, but they shape the entire experience of being at home. Here’s how each creator brings those sensory notes to life in her own evening routine.
Blake Swanson’s Perfect Night In: Comfortable and Relaxing
For Blake Swanson, a cozy night in is something she has always loved. She laughs that she has “grandma tendencies,” the kind that made her friends beg her to go out in her early twenties. Now she embraces it fully. After a long day, she lights a couple of candles, does her skincare, makes tea, and settles on the couch with a book. Even fifteen quiet minutes help her reset.
Her ideal evening at home stretches out a bit more. She cooks dinner with jazz in the background, then takes a shower and changes into pajamas immediately after eating. If it’s the weekend, she and her husband put on a movie — her all-time favorite is About Time. While it plays, she paints with watercolors, a habit she’s been loving lately. Later in the evening, she makes chamomile tea with lemon and ends the night reading in bed.
Scent is a big part of creating her ideal atmosphere. “Having candles burning makes my home feel so much more comforting and cozy,” she says. Her current favorite is MINOT’s Daybreak, which she describes as “a little floral, a little warm, a little smoky.” It works in the mornings or evenings and adds to the slow, comfy mood she loves.
Blake’s tips for creating calm:
- Choose paint colors that set a calming tone (her bedroom is Sherwin-Williams Niebla Azul)
- Use lamps and candles instead of overhead lighting
- Build small habits that add value to your evening and how you feel
Hannie’s Perfect Night In: Unrushed and Settled
For Hannie of The Hannie Diaries, unwinding means stepping away from screens. She journals, reads, or works on her latest craft project — right now that’s knitting holiday gifts — all activities that help her relax and decompress after a long day.
She also uses scent as a transition point. “I like to light a few candles as soon as I’m done with work, and it signals to my brain that it’s time to slow down,” she says.
Her favorites are MINOT’s Cliffwalk and Voyage, both of which remind her of Nantucket, where she first purchased a MINOT candle at a beautiful stationery store. “Living in New York City, these scents always bring me back to slower and softer living.”
Hannie’s ideal cozy night in centers on atmosphere. She avoids overhead lighting and instead fills her apartment with lamps and candles to create a calming glow. She cooks a comforting meal and lets the sounds of dinner sizzling set the tone while autumnal or Christmas jazz plays in the background. Evenings also come with a little sweetness: Hannie keeps frozen cookie dough on hand so she can bake a warm treat topped with flaky salt.
Hannie’s tips for creating calm:
- Use lamps and candles to make the evening feel softer
- Place candles in all the major areas of your home so they’re never far and fill the space with a comforting scent
- Keep a sweet treat on hand to bake for an instant cozy boost
Jessica Litras’ Perfect Night In: Luxurious and Intentional
Jessica Litras’ ideal cozy night in begins with a comfort meal — often a creamy instant pot pasta — followed by baked goods and either a can of Olipop or a glass of red wine. Then she curls up on the couch with a good book or show as the fireplace flickers and candles glow nearby. It’s a scene built on warmth, softness, and ease.
No matter what the day looks like, she prioritizes her evening ritual. “Herbal teas, hot showers, shower steamers, skincare routines, and, of course, candles,” she says. These small routines help her let go of the day and settle into the night.
Scent plays a huge role in shaping the mood in her home. “I light candles throughout the day and tend to gravitate toward luxurious, coastal scents. I light candles the most at night for a cozy ambiance.”
Lately she’s been enjoying MINOT’s Cove, which features a blend of sage, lavender, and cedarwood. “These scents combined make me feel like I'm at a luxury coastal hotel.”
Jessica’s tips for creating calm:
- Use adjustable lighting or smart bulbs to match the mood of the moment
- Keep important spaces clean so the evening feels uncluttered and restfu
- Add cozy rituals like baking something sweet to warm up the space
Kate Benjamin’s Perfect Night In: Warm and Calm
For Kate Benjamin of Great Point Design, the ideal cozy night in is simple and still: “It’s dark out, the house is quiet, and the lights are all on their lowest setting.” After her son’s bedtime, she makes a cup of tea, lights a candle, and curls up on the couch with a soft blanket and her needlepoint. She and her husband might have a show playing in the background, but the real draw is the content, settled feeling of being home.
“Cozy nights are all about the small layers of comfort,” she says. For Kate, that means familiar textures and intentional atmosphere. In the colder months, her favorite worn-in sweatshirt and heavier throws pair with rich, woody scents and moodier lighting. In spring and summer, airy linens, open windows, and fresh citrus or salt-forward scents lighten the space.
Regardless of the season, scent is key to Kate’s transition from day to night. “Scent is everything. It’s how I shift from the day’s chaos to calm.” She leans on warm, grounding scents when she wants to relax, and fresher notes when she needs to reset or clear her head.
For a cozy night in, she reaches for MINOT’s Dusk, a spa-like blend of lemongrass and warmth that makes her home feel calm, intentional, and “like you’ve just stepped into a quiet retreat at home.”
Kate’s tips for creating calm:
- Keep only what you love in view
- Choose soft lamps instead of overhead lighting
- Do a five-minute reset before bed (clear counters, fluff the pillows, and so on) to feel more grounded in the morning
Every cozy night in looks a little different, but the heart of it is the same. A home that feels warm. A pace that feels gentle. A moment that feels like yours. I hope these creators’ rituals spark ideas for your own evenings and help you build a space that feels calm, intentional, and deeply comforting.
xo, Kerry