As we head towards crisp and frosty mornings, shorter days and dark nights, we all want to make our homes that bit more cosy. Steve Hird, director at interior design specialists, Edward Thomas Interiors offers some suggestions to make the most of the winter months – including how to approach your seasonal styling.
For many, winter is all about home comforts and creating that hygge feeling, somewhere cosy and welcoming to hibernate as the temperature drops. It’s also a celebratory time of year, with Halloween, Diwali, Thanksgiving and Christmas giving us ample reasons to add decorations and embrace the festive spirit. But how do you translate this in the home?
Start by thinking about colour. This doesn’t have to mean a complete redecoration, rather consider your accents – cushions, lamp shades, throws, candles, picture frames; switching these can make an immediate impact. A strong mix of blues, greys, silver and black can instantly create a wintry illusion or for a warming, rustic chalet style why not add burnt orange, deep red, ochre or caramel?
From here, your styling should seek to create richness and warmth. Can you add a log burner to the living room, or neatly stacked piles of firewood? What about reupholstering furniture with deeper fabrics like velvet or wool? Bring in more seasonal greenery too such as ferns, moss, eucalyptus, winter berries and pine cones.
When adding decorations for festivities, it’s really a question of personal taste. There’s the option of a “designed” look, something that wouldn’t seem out of place in a department store window or hotel lobby, including a perfectly placed tree, luxurious velvety fabrics and elegant accessories. You could choose to go bold and bright with a themed takeover such as pumpkin trails, spiders webs, cauldrons, bats and skulls, or maybe the preference is for something more eclectic and home-made? Decorations collected from travels, handed down the generations, and lots of wooden, natural materials. Whichever you choose, our advice is to maintain the theme throughout your home rather than creating individually styled rooms.
It’s also important to think about how you enter and use your home during winter. Could the utility room be transformed into a boot room by adding shelving, a coat stand or even a patterned wallpaper – make it somewhere snug to contain muddy feet or paws! Don’t forget about the outdoors too– throws, fire pits, outdoor lanterns, rugs can all make an inviting space.
Lastly, don’t be afraid to embrace hobbies. For many people, winter is about getting outdoors and connecting with nature. Over the past year, we’ve seen a lot of wallpaper and accessories designed with animal or botanical patterns and these can be a really playful way of adding personality to a room. Similarly, in children’s rooms, guest bedrooms, hallways, landings or the downstairs cloakroom, add artwork and accessories to build a theme – country walks, hiking in the mountains, skiing – there’s plenty to be inspired by!
