The festive season is fast approaching and the temperature has dropped, so now is the time to focus on making your interior really comfortable, cozy and inviting in preparation for the colder months. In this post, I’m going to share my failsafe tips for creating a warm and welcoming home in winter.

Embrace an on-trend, warm colour palette

Autumnal hues such as burnt oranges, toffee tones, plums, paprika shades and dusky pinks have been huge within interior design for 2023, as we move away from warm whites and stone colours for shades with more depth and pigmentation. The great thing about these on-trend colours is that they are rich yet comforting, making them great shades to surround yourself in for the winter months. If you don’t fancy painting your walls before Christmas, change up your bedding or cushions to a warm palette for an enticing and sumptuous interior.

Block drafts or update your conservatory windows and glass

No one wants a cold house during the winter months. To stop chilly breezes, use draught tape around doors and windows, apply draught excluders over letterboxes and the bottom of external doors and put a chimney sheep inside unused fireplaces.

Making your conservatory usable during winter is possible if you update your windows and glass roof. Doing so will ensure that you regulate the heat, making your heating worthwhile as the glass allows heat to escape easily if it isn’t double-glazed and heat-regulated.

Layer your textiles and soft furnishings

Layering up textiles not only keeps you warm, it also looks inviting and cosy. Add a large bedspread to the bottom of your bed and make sure there are a number of thick throws to hand on your sofa to snuggle under in the evening.

Focus on lamps

Ignore central pendants and ceiling lights in winter and instead turn on a number of lamps dotted around the room. Mood lighting is important when creating a cosy home and the surge in popularity of portable lamps means that you can place lamps in areas where there is no easy access to a socket (such as on shelving or in the corner of window sills).

Enjoy scented candles

Winter really is candle season, so make sure that you remember to light those scented candles sitting on the sideboard rather than leaving them unlit. Woody notes of fig, pine and musk work well in winter, while citrus scents are great over the festive period.

High-pile rugs

Thick, shaggy high-pile rugs are a must for winter as not only do they feel warm and cozy underfoot, but they also block heat from being lost through the floor.

Remember to book a chimney sweep

If you are lucky enough to have a wood burner or an open fire, remember to book a chimney sweep before winter kicks in! Most people forget to have their chimneys professionally swept until they need to use the fire and by that time, chimney sweepers are usually all booked up!