Winter is coming. Is your home ready? Comfort is the most important reason to make one’s home cozy during the three months of nippy weather. The other reason is purely aesthetic – you may want to cozy it up just to be harmonious with the season. The third is tinged with green factors: bucks and the environment. Making a room cozy enough will save you a little bit of money and will help you be extra kind to Mother Earth in the process by using the heater less. Now that we’ve covered the three most important reasons to cozy up one’s home during winter, we’ll now focus on the fun part: decorating!
Layering
Winter is all about layering clothes, right? Extend that to your floors and windows as well! Why? Well, floors are responsible for roughly around 15% of heat loss, and windows can reduce heat by as high as 50%. You can trap heat around a specific area of your home through rug layering. It will provide instant (not to mention chic) insulation to your home.
Layering how-to: If the larger rug is in solid color, the one on top should have a nice pattern or in a lighter or darker hue for a good contrast. Dissimilarity in texture is just as important. A rug with natural fibers (coir or seagrass) paired with an authentic, high quality zebra skin rug is a definite room charmer – especially if the furniture is in muted tone.
If you have an existing curtain in light fabrics, bolster it with a flannel or wool ones. Better yet, replace your curtains with an insulated liner to block that chilly draft.
Draught-Proofing
You can keep those harsh winter winds and retain heat inside by using draught excluders. Draught-proofing your home is easy as 1 and 2. Buy any draft stopper (the chicer, the better), and then install it by simply placing it at the bottom of your door or window. If you’re feeling a little creative, you can do a fancy draught excluder as well.
Switch Beddings
It’s time to retire your white sheets in lieu of darker ones! Rationale: Darker colors absorb heat better than lighter hues. But if you’re going to the dark side, please, don’t be basic. Mix and match dark-colored bed sheets, shams, blankets, and duvets. Speaking of duvets, choose those with high tog rating; the higher the number, the higher the duvet filling. A duvet with a tog rating of 15 will ensure you of cozy winter nights.
It’s a-okay to retain your pearly white sheets, as long as, your comforter is in a darker hue. If you don’t want to veer away from a single color, try creating an assortment of beddings in similar color, but in various shades.
Knit Picks
Cozy up your home with some soft, chunky winter throws! Apart from the warmth throw blankets provide, they also add a decorative touch to any room. Instead of folding them neatly with nary a loose thread out of place (big shout-out to Type A’s), drape them over your couch or on your bedroom bench.
Why not try fur throws? It bestows instant luxe factor, texture, and coziness to a space. It comes in a variety of sizes and prints! Try a subtle version in a solid color such as sheepskin. You can also opt for wild prints like cheetah or red fox.
Pile Up Those Pillows
Snuggle up to fluffy decorative pillows in various sizes, shapes, and designs! To beat that dreaded chill, pick pillows made from wool, sheepskin, gabardine, chenille, mohair, shearling, and fleece. Dare to create a medley of throw pillows! They will instantly brighten your room and make it warmer at the same time.
