Is Your Home Lacking the Cosy Factor?

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With a cool crispness in the air and darker evenings closing in, it’s time to start heading back inside and spending some cosy days and nights in our homes. If you’re looking around and your home feels a little stark, unloved or it’s just lacking that cosy factor then it can be difficult to properly enjoy the season. Here are some of the changes you can make. 

Change up the layout
First things first, the room might not feel cosy and comfortable because of the current layout. Either change things around to see how it all looks, or play around with a 3d room building tool so you can get an idea without having to move heavy furniture. Something as simple as adding a coffee table to the middle of a room, or a nicely styled bookcase in a bare corner could make all the difference. If your furniture is either too large or too small then the room can look either crowded or bare, so take all of these things into consideration. Maybe you could upcycle what you have, or find freebies online. If you have the budget you could treat yourself to some new furniture, carefully choosing pieces that fit perfectly within the space you have. 

Warm up the colour scheme
Cool greys are very trendy at the moment, along with stark white often paired up with black for a monochrome look. While this can look fantastic, it can also feel a little cold especially over the winter. Consider warming up the colour scheme a little, you don’t need to completely redecorate. If you walls are white, bring in shades like blush pink or mustard yellow as an accent colour. If they’re white, you can pair this up with just about any colour- how about jewel blues, purples or shades of bronze and gold for the autumn and winter months? Things like rugs, lamps, curtains, vases and frames can all be purchased in your shade of choice and bring in some interest and warmth.

Pile on soft furnishings
Speaking of soft furnishings, this is one of the best ways to bring in some cosiness. Put some cosy throws and cushions onto beds, sofas and chairs. Lay down large area rugs, especially if you have hard flooring down. Add sumptuous curtains to windows, even if you already use blinds, curtains can be decorative over the top and also block out any drafts. If you’re handy with a sewing machine, you could even make things like matching curtains, cushions and seat covers out of fabric of your choice. 

Get the lighting right
The lighting in our homes plays a huge role. We use our rooms for multiple reasons, and changing the lighting is essential for us to switch up the function. For example, you’ll want a low lighting (or no lighting) while you’re watching tv, but you’ll want it up a little brighter if you’re reading a book or eating. If you’re crafting or doing something that requires more light then of course you’ll need it brighter. You could purchase a variety of lamps and lights and use these to tailor the lighting, but these days it’s simple to do with smart bulbs. A couple of lamps is all you need, smart bulbs allow you to change the brightness and colour contrast with an app or through your voice activated speaker.

Test your heating
Chances are you’ve not used your heating over the last few months, so before the cold weather kicks in make sure to give it a test run. If you notice any problems, have a hvac company come out and fix it up before you get stuck with no heat on a cold day! If you have a log fire, start buying firewood and hoarding it away- that way you’ll have enough to last you through the winter without having to purchase loads in one go. 

Add fragrance
Finally, fragrance can be the finishing touch when it comes to cosiness in a room. Scented candles are especially good, not only do you get the flickering candlelight but they let off loads of fragrance and you can choose whichever scents you like best. Go with a good brand, they cost more but you’ll get much more bang for your buck when it comes to the fragrance.