7 Home Decor Ideas to Warmup your House this Winter

Winter is here, and this is the season to brace yourself for those chilly mornings and evenings. Yes, the cold no doubt takes a toll on us, but when you have the perfect excuse for spending hours bundled up in quilts, sipping on endless cups of tea or coffee with your favourite book or movie for company, there’s little reason to complain. The best way to make the most of this season is to transform your home into a haven because the temperature outside is sure to compel you to spend as much of your time indoors as possible. Here are 7 great warm and cosy home decor ideas to help you get started on the right note.

Use warm room colours

Winter decor calls for hues that absorb more heat and are easy on the eyes, so it’s time to kiss summery colours like lime green, bright yellow and fiery red goodbye. Dark colours create a sense of warmth and are perfect for winters. However, they may make your space look smaller and inadequately lit-up, especially if your home does not get enough natural light. To strike a balance, set a warm colour palette for your walls that comprises a neutral base colour like off-white, light cream or beige and complement it with an accent wall by using wallpapers in colours like indigo, crimson, tangerine, olive green and chocolate brown. To create more visual interest, switch regular wallpapers with textured or patterned ones. Cover your floors

Few things are as unpleasant as your warm feet touching the cold, hard floor on a winter’s day. Padding up your floors with thick fabrics will not only keep such rude shocks at bay, but also lend a luxurious feel. Fabrics with higher pile (fluffiness) and greater fibre count tend to be warmer, so swap your regular flooring with soft rugs and shaggy carpets to keep your home warm and cosy while the temperature outside continues to dip. You can also create layers by piling rugs in different fabrics but complementary colours, such as a thin maroon rug on a fluffy white one, especially if you have wooden flooring. Wall-to-wall carpeting may sound enticing in winters, but we recommend you give it a miss as it entails high maintenance.

Play with layers and textures

An easy way to create a warm and comforting environment in your living room and bedroom is by adding more depth to the room. Populate your bed and couch with cushions in different materials and matching colours. Use a neutral base, such as a white bed sheet or a beige couch, and create contrasts in the foreground by opting for cushion covers and pillow cases in deep winter colours like black, navy, deep purple or charcoal grey. For that extra warmth, try layering different textures in similar hues, such as a thick cable-knit throw on the couch followed by cushions in twill or chenille. For a luxurious and cosy bedroom, opt for different layers like a linen bed sheet, a satin duvet and a fleece quilt.

Let there be light

The temperature inside your home largely depends upon the amount of natural light and ventilation it receives. While you may not want to keep your windows open too often to keep out the cold winds, it is always a great idea to allow the pleasant warmth of the winter sun to bathe your interiors. Blinds in light colours and with less opacity help you keep your privacy while also ushering in natural light. A big advantage of using blinds over curtains is that you can alter the amount of light that comes in, depending upon the weather and your mood. You can also pair blinds in similar hues but different patterns, such as solids and stripes, to create more visual interest.

Light up from within

Warm and soft lighting is a great way to intensify the romance associated with winter, so replace all your white lights with warm yellows. Coloured shades, dimmers and shields can be used to diffuse harsh light, keeping the ambience cosy and pleasant. Winter evenings are the perfect time to play around with mood lighting, so go ahead and install those hanging lights and tall lamps to create interesting focal points that make the most of light and shadows. You can also install small lights over or around your most prized artworks to bathe them in warmer tones. Finally, if you’re planning a romantic evening, set the right mood by placing candles in elaborate candleholders, ornamental wrought iron birdcages or glass lanterns.

Small accents go a long way!

Adding little personal touches here and there is a good idea for any season but works best to enliven the atmosphere on a gloomy winter’s day. For those who are nostalgic at heart, peppering your home with sentimental objects like meaningful photographs, souvenirs collected on your travels and other knick-knacks that are close to you will not only warm your space, but also your heart. You can also create vignettes by simply placing an assortment of items together, such as a variety of rustic candles, a collection of natural objects like pine cones, wood, stones or leaves, and even books.

Create cosy corners

Always wanted a small corner where you can cosy up with your favourite book? This is the time to actually make one! Use small areas of the room such as a vacant niche to create a snug corner by placing a settee and cushions or a comfortable wooden chair and table, and a smart lamp. Not only do these make for the right setting to relax and unwind as you read a book or wrap up some work, they also make your home warmer and more personalized.