Throughout the summer, when the nights are long and you’re often sleeping with the window open and only the thinnest of blankets, the mere idea of doing everything in your power to create a warm and cozy atmosphere in your home will be more than a little off-putting.
However, during fall and, indeed, as winter starts to setin, the cozier and more welcoming your home, the better, and with this in mind, here’s a simple guide to creating a warmer ambiance at home.
Make the Fireplace the Focal Point
First and foremost, when you imagine a warm and inviting room, you can’t help but imagine a beautiful fireplace and ornate mantlepiece, and it may well be the case that you already have a functioning fireplace installed in the living room.
If so, work to make the fireplace and surrounding area the focal point of the room. For example, if there’s currently a mirror on another wall or a large piece of statement artwork, remove the distraction and focus on the fireplace instead. Alternatively, if you just have an alcove where a fireplace once was, you could invest in a small and affordable portable fireplace with the flame and fire effect to stand in its place.
Layer Throws, Rugs & Cushions
The beauty of cushions and other soft furnishings is that they can simply be removed from their position and placed into storage in the warmer months when you don’t need to be covered in blankets.
In the winter, however, you’ll naturally want to make your home not only appear warmer but actually feel warmer too, so instead of paying excessively high monthly installments on your energy bills, choose a variety of cheap rugs to cover the floor and cozy blankets for the couch and the beds.
Display Family Photographs
Back in the day, it would be very unusual to walk into a person’s home and not see a wide variety of family photographs and images of pets, both deceased and current, displayed around the house.
These days, however, due in no small part to the complete takeover of smartphones for storing images, personalized home décor items such as photo frames are now few and far between in most people’s homes.
However, nothing says warm, cozy, intimate, and welcoming than a canvas print of the family in the hallway and framed photographs of your children graduating displayed in the living room, so sift through your photographs and have them professionally printed and framed.
Upgrade the Drapes
It’s highly likely that in the more functional rooms within your property, such as the bathroom and kitchen, you’ve invested in thick blinds for the windows, rather than short drapes and this doesn’t need to change.
However, when it comes to the bedrooms, living room, and dining areas, add instant warmth with beautifully finished and high-quality drapes that can be pulled over the windows and glass doors to create a more intimate ambiance. This should stop any heat escaping through the windows and keeps the entire house cozy.