Top Tips for a Cosy Home in Winter

Cosy homes are even more important during the cold winter months. We all need a refuge from the world in winter and figuring out how to create a cosy home that works for you and your family is part of that. We often hear people asking, “What can I do to make my home cosy?”. Or perhaps it’s a little simpler than that, along the lines of, “How to make my house more comfortable?”.

No matter how you phrase the question, we’ve got some helpful tips to create some cosy homes this winter.

How Do I Keep My House Cosy in the Winter?

Cosy means different things to different people. Just like all elements of interior design, what one person finds cosy will be another person’s idea of how not to do it. Cosy home furniture might mean ottomans laden with blankets in one home while another family may be happier with cosy sofa nests.

Here are some cosy home ideas to adapt for your home:

1. Warm the colours up – Winter is a time for fooling ourselves it’s warmer than it is, and colour plays a big part in this. Warm colours like deep reds and browns can make rooms immediately feel warmer, but you don’t have to redecorate to achieve it – changes to your soft furnishings can make all the difference.
2. Create sofa nests – For many families, the sofa is at the heart of the winter months, so adding blankets and cushions to the cosiest space in the house can make it even cosier. For extra warmth, use those deep colours we mentioned above.
3. Use ambient lighting – Harsh lighting can replicate the harsh conditions outside, so one of the simple steps you can take to keep your home cosy is to adjust the lighting for the season. Keep the main room lights off wherever possible and invest in some extra lamps for your living spaces. Targeted lighting focuses on the area you’re spending time in and makes the space feel cosier.
4. Add seasonal scents – If you’re wondering how to make a cosy home during the winter, don’t forget the power of smells. Fragrant candles and incense can make a home feel warmer, just stick to seasonal smells for the full experience – cinnamon and gingerbread are perfect.
5. Indoor textiles – Plenty of cold, hard surfaces can make a living space feel chilly, but simply adding table runners and seasonal place mats or other textile products to those surfaces can improve the overall warmth of a room.
6. Buy a rug – Rugs are under-appreciated as a way of adding an extra layer of warmth to a home, particularly as many of us have carpeted living rooms. Still, whether you have a hardwood floor or carpet, a thick rug can make a room feel warmer – plus it’s nicer if you happen to walk around in bare feet!
7. Opt for thicker curtains – Cosy homes are made cosier by keeping as much heat in as possible. In the summer, thin curtains help to keep us cool, but when the nights draw in and it’s frosty outside, we’d all benefit from the physical and psychological barrier against the cold outside world.
8. Move your furniture – Looking for cosy home furniture without breaking the bank? Indulge in a little interior design and move furniture to keep warmth in the room. If a chair has been blocking the radiator, move it to block the window instead – the room will feel instantly cosier.

Some of these tips may work for your home while others don’t quite fit, yet there is something for everyone.

How Do I Make My House Cosy on a Budget?

For those wondering how to create a cosy home on a budget, it’s worth remembering that several of the ideas we’ve discussed above can be done cheaply or even just by moving things from one part of your home to another.

Cosy home ideas can be as budget-friendly or as expensive as you like. While new curtains may seem like an extravagance you can’t afford, you could move a piece of furniture to block some of the heat loss through the windows and double check there are no gaps letting draughts in around the window frame. Or if there’s no way to move furniture in your home, a cheap rug in front of the sofa and some ambient lighting around the room can help enormously.

One thing to bear in mind is that one person’s cosy doesn’t necessarily match someone else’s. Pick your favourite ideas and run with them.