As the autumn settles more forcibly into full blown winter, I’m often asked by clients how to make their interiors more warm and inviting. As we spend much more time indoors during the winter months, it’s important to make our home environment more appealing than ever! It’s also a time for entertaining indoors, so it is especially important to give some extra love to the more public spaces in the home such as the dining and lounge areas.
Aside from making a home actively festive with holiday decorations, I am always looking for ways of adding light to a room to compensate for the reduction of natural light in the colder months. It is also the season for binge watching Netflix series, so it’s important that the TV area is cosy and inviting. I love layering throws and cushions which pick up on other aspects of a room – so that the sofa is just as inviting even when the TV is off!
This throw picks up other orange parts of the room and the candle on the coffee table will provide some nice ambience in the darker hours.
Fruit bowls of winter fruits replace more summery bouquets. It’s also a way to incorporate natural elements that bring a touch of the outdoors inside, reminding us that spring is just around the corner. You can also turn the fruit into warming apple crumble if they get overripe!
This unique cascading light fixture adds light to this staircase in the absence of a window. This is also a great way to make a feature of spaces that often go unnoticed.
When it comes to entertaining indoors, this home bar will be your best friend! With lighting built into the shelving unit, the bar adds light to room’s ambience and highlights the visually appealing crystal glasses. Why trek to the pub for a drink when you can curl up with a hot toddy in the comfort of your own home?
This elegant walk-in closet is fitted with strips of lighting running underneath each shelf, illuminating the items in the closet with a warm glow, and also lighting and framing the dressing-table mirror. Getting ready for your Christmas party here doesn’t feel so cold after all!
This inviting dining room is fitted with multiple lighting options – two pairs of candelabra style lamps against the wall emit a warm orange glow, and frame the lighting centerpiece, the impressive overhead hanging, as well as the three-bulbed standing lamp on the left-hand side. The reflective golden surfaces also pick up the light in the room and help retransmit it, adding to the ambience of warmth and festivity.
As we find a way to settle into the tranquil rhythm of winter, embracing the comfort of our homes becomes more important than ever. We believe that this season offers a precious opportunity to create spaces that nurture our well-being and provide solace from the cold. By focusing on maximizing ambient lighting, and thoughtful colour additions, the home can become a serene retreat to hibernate and recharge, but also to entertain. As we wait for the return of warmer days, let’s make the most of our indoor sanctuaries, finding joy and contentment in the art of cozy living.
