8 ways to Winterise your home this Autumn
Autumn through to Winter is the best time to give your home a seasonal interior design update, so with the first frost on the ground this morning my focus turned to the great indoors. Having been in the ‘Forever house’ for 6 months already I’m ashamed to say I’ve done little to zero interior decorating. Summer has been a time for tackling the garden and soaking up our new found country lifestyle. But now I’m inside I can’t take the magnolia anymore. I’m coming out armed with a roller and tray, and expect to see plenty of colour! But even if you have a picture perfect interior, the changing of the seasons is a great opportunity to give your home a seasonal uplift.
1 This time of year I’m embracing the country life and stocking up on logs for the wood burner. I love to make a heart-warming display close to my fireplace with baskets for kindling (My husband will scoff at this as he’s actually the one who’s on fire duty). Go all out creating a scene from ‘The Holiday’ and dot a few winter scented candles on the mantle piece to complete the scene. My favourite autumn scent is Fig and Cassis from the gorgeous girls and dear friends Lucy and Hannah at Willow and Honey.
2 As the evenings turn dark you’ll mostly find me curled up on the sofa. I usually have an unhealthy amount of box sets stacked up to get through (current favourite Black Mirror), so make your time on the sofa all the enjoyable by engulfing yourself in some super soft throws or a couple of plump cushions to snuggle down in. My mantra remains the same, the more the merrier, so any excuse to update the sofa with more cushionage is always to be embraced.
3 Lighting transforms a space, especially when it’s dark outside. Rather than relying on a central pendant light, or worse still a ceiling full of recessed spotlights, create a subtle atmosphere with table and floor lamps. These can add to the decorating scheme too so opt for lamp shades that add a pop of colour or go large and make a style statement. I’m loving the new range at Pooky lighting using these gorgeously rich autumnal colours in collaboration with the clever chaps at Farrow and Ball.
3 Update your home with more cosy textures this season. When you think soft furnishings, think contrast and really layer them up. I love to see stroke-able velvet’s next to raw linens, rough wool weaves next to shiny silk and leather next to sheepskin. I’m a fan of the affordable velevet and linen cushions from Graham and Green in super soft velvet with a linen backing.
4 The Victorians were serious interior decorators and they had this wonderful ritual of switching window drapes with the change of season. So consider swapping voiles or lightweight cotton curtains for a heavier interlined or better still velvet curtains. Or my design goal would be to have blinds and curtain combined for maximum snugness. We’ve been in the Forever house for 6 months and I’ve still not got any curtains up at all yet. Must try harder.
6 I love to make use of the winter evenings to go through our summer holiday snaps and get a few printed out to display. Having photos on display really creates the feeling of home. Tip is to convert them all to black and white; they look neater and chicer this way. I’d also group them together in similar (but never matching!) frames. They look great grouped on the side board or hung on a wall. In the hallway going up the stairs always makes a good spot
7 Time to get cosy underfoot. When it comes to choosing rugs it really is the bigger the better. In the living room your rug should be big enough that the front feet of the sofa or armchairs can sit on it. This helps to ground the space and make the arrangement of furniture feel unified. Same rule applies in the bedroom where the rug is big enough that at least a third of the bed can rest on it.
8 The ultimate way to winterise your home has to be under floor heating. We’re planning it into our Annex conversion because we’re rebuilding it from the ground up, and installing solar panels, we can. My clever builder of a husband was telling me last night that electric underfloor heating has come on in leaps and bounds and is easier to install and retro fit. So check out the options, you’ll cat will love you forever.
I’d love to know your tips for decorating and updating your home this season so please drop me a comment below.
Image credit: Featured image, Eva sofa in Fox velvet by Neptune.
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