10 Ways to Cozy Up Our Homes This Winter

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Seasonal decorating can do wonders for our homes, making us fall in love with our rooms once again. A house is very much like a living thing; it needs to stay fresh and interesting but also be warm and inviting throughout the seasons. That being said, there are a few tried-and-true ways to infuse warmth into our décor during the colder months, and I thought we can talk about some of them in today’s post.

1. A WARM COLOR PALETTE

Color is such a powerful tool in decorating. It helps set a mood and, if used well, can trick the eye and visually correct ill-proportioned spaces. One of the ways color contributes to mood is through temperature. When used in decorative accents, warm colors (variations of red, orange and yellow like copper, amber, burnt orange, chocolate brown…) naturally make rooms feel warmer and more inviting, and are a relatively inexpensive way to make our homes more cozy.

2. BOOKS

Maybe it’s the stories they tell, or the mood they conjure up, but books are such a lovely way to make a room look and feel comfortable and lived-in. After all, the more books you have, the more reasons you’ll have to linger in a room.

I have recently added a number of new books to our collection, books about color and vibrant English cottage gardens that I hope I’ll be able to share soon in a more detailed blog post. My favorite so far is Decoracion, about the work of Spanish decorator Jaime Parladé, a book I absolutely love and plan to talk about more here on the blog. For now, here’s a peek:

I’ve also gotten a couple of gardening books that have been keeping me company on cold afternoons, when I ambitiously dream about all the things I want to do in our cottage garden come spring: Cottage Gardens, A Celebration of Britain’s Most Beautiful Cottage Gardens with Advice on Making Your Own, by Claire Masset is lovely and practical, and I highly recommend it;

The other one is an older volume but you can still find it on Amazon. It’s called English Cottage Gardening for American Gardeners, by Margaret Hensel, and it’s such a delightful and informative read. Anyway, I could talk about books for hours… 

3. NATURAL ELEMENTS

Wicker, rattan, rush and wood are wonderful for adding both character and warmth to a room. Baskets, for logs or blankets or toys, as well as wooden furniture with patina and age are some of my favorite decorative elements in our home.

4. LIGHTING

Supremely important in any decorating scheme, lighting is our ally. Or can be. Exposure to natural light is essential to our well-being, especially during the colder months when we get so little of it. The good news is that we can simulate natural light and reap its benefits in our homes by choosing the right light bulbs. In the past, it was the incandescent bulb that created that flattering warm white light that was an instant mood-lifter but in recent years LED technology has advanced a lot and now we can get high quality bulbs that have the benefits of incandescent lighting but are also long-lasting and economical. We recently switched to warm LEDs throughout the house and we love it. We used these candelabra bulbs for our sconces and dining room chandelier, and these bulbs for the rest of our fixtures. 

5. CANDLES

And while we’re on the topic of lighting, we need to mention candles. Scented or not, candles are a wonderful way to create a an inviting atmosphere. I’ve been obsessed with Field & Fleur ever since I sampled one of their scented candles a few years ago. Blue Seaside and Cashmere Flannel are my current favorites and I have them on cue. 

6. SLIPCOVERS

Cotton or linen for summer, nubby wool or other woven textiles for winter. Having seasonal slipcovers may be somewhat of an extravagance but they do prolong the life of upholstery and save it the wear and tear. Slipcovers can radically change your home’s décor without actually purchasing new furnishings. 

7. BLANKETS AND THROWS

Tossed just about anywhere there’s a chair, a sofa or a bed, throw blankets are that last layer of soft goods that truly create comfort in a home. I wrote about our new faux fur throw blanket before but we do love it a lot and it’s on sale right now so if you’re on the market for a good quality yet inexpensive faux fur blanket, I highly recommend it. I have also been looking at cashmere and alpaca wool lately and have ordered this one in Mushroom & Bisque for our bedroom. I think a high quality woven throw is perhaps an investment upfront but ages beautifully and you’ll enjoy it for years.

8. NEW LAMPSHADES

A great bang for your buck, pleated or gathered lampshades with a rosy lining, defuse light to create a beautiful warm glow. They do come in a variety of colors and patterns, and price points. I found Etsy to be a great place to source some wonderful new lampshades for our home.

9. HEAVIER DRAPERIES.

Like slipcovers, this one is a bit of an investment, but one that I think pays for itself overtime. Hanging heavier draperies, made of wool or velvet, during the colder months can prepare your home for winter, especially if you have drafty old windows, like we do.  

10. PLANTS

Although the cold weather may keep us inside, there is no reason why we can’t bring the outdoors in. Potted plants, like maiden ferns, asters, orchids, as well as seasonal flower arrangements from your local grocery store can instantly bring life and interest to a space, for a fraction of the cost. 

Anyway, these are some of the ways I try to make our home more comfortable during the colder months, but I am very curious to hear your ideas. How do you prepare your home for fall and winter?