We all know how to make a home 'feel' warm – it involves practical things like double glazing and efficient central heating. But how do you make your home 'look' warm?
Use lots of knitted textures in cushions, throws, and draught excluders. Faux fur is also very effective for adding warmth. Fill your home with things you would want to touch, whether it’s wood or fabric. And keep your feet warm with carpets and rugs.
Contrast and layer material finishes, such as a leather sofa, a deep-pile wool rug and a wooden coffee table. The different textures offset each other for a luxurious effect.
Dark green, deep purple, red, orange and brown – these are the colours that are good for making a room feel cosier.
In the colder months lots of white, light blue, light green and light purple make a room feel bigger and therefore colder.
So if you use a light or neutral colour, balance with bold “splashes” – such as dark blue, red and deep green.
It’s true that patterns feel warmer than plain expanses of colour, so introduce patterns where you can.
The surprise hit this winter is tartan, available in cushions, throws, duvet covers and even a Vivienne Westwood plum and green wallpaper, if you’re feeling bold.
In a bedroom setting, try changing your bed linen to a seasonal shade, or a cosy “winter warmer” pattern.
Don’t just light the fire, make it a focal point. Put some eye catching accessories on the mantelpiece, and build up the hearth with beautiful ornaments (if the fire’s on) or beautiful plants (if the fireplace is purely decorative).
Put a rug in front of the fireplace, add your favourite armchair nearby and perhaps a side table for a mug of cocoa – or a glass of whisky – and you’re saying “cosy” without a word being spoken.
Most people undervalue the power of scent. Fragrances have the ability to evoke an array of feelings and emotions.
To make your home smell 'warm' during winter use cinnamon, cookie dough, pine, plum, spiced apple and orange in candles, oils, reed diffusers or heated potpourri.
And don’t forget the power of all those textures we mentioned earlier – the smells of wood and fabric, especially when they’re new.
Lighting makes a difference to any room – and yet very few of us make the effort to change the lighting between summer and winter.
Switch ‘cool’ light bulbs for ‘warm’ ones and even switch light shades if you’re after a more dramatic effect. Having candles at varying heights is good too, as it casts different, subtly changing light. Lamps or even fairy lights inside is a great way to make a room cosier.
“Open plan” is very modern of course, but it’s not necessarily conducive to the cosiness you want on a winter’s day.
Re-design your space in winter by using furniture like a settee or a sideboard to deliberately create smaller spaces out of a large one.
Cunning lighting can also help to separate a cosy sitting room, for example, from the bright lights you want in a kitchen.
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