Keep it Cosy; Creating warmth in your home

When shopping for a new sofa or armchair, consider the kind of upholstery it has. Plush fabric sofas and velvet sofas are a popular choice at this time of year as they’re perfect for snuggling up on in cooler weather. Not only do they look luxurious, but this kind of upholstery warms up quickly and retains heat, which is exactly what we want when it’s cold outside. Whether you need a two seater, three seater or four seater sofa or armchair, choosing one with plush or velvet upholstery is ideal. For an extra cosy effect, choose a matching footstool in plush or velvet and put your feet up while you warm up.

Make use of Rugs and Draft Excluders Rugs are perfect for keeping things warm underfoot, especially if you have wood or tiled flooring. Any type of rug is better than none but opt for a shagpile rug or a rug in an ultra soft material for maximum warmth. Draft excluders are also a simple yet effective way of keeping heat in and cold air out – simply lay them across the bottom of any doors that tend to let cool air through. Draft excluders are generally inexpensive too and available in a wide choice of colours, patterns and materials. Draft-prone windows causing problems? Draft excluder tape is a good option and is usually pretty simple to apply.

It may seem odd, but it’s been proven that furniture placement can influence the temperature in your home. That means where you choose to place your furniture can impact how warm spaces in your home will be. Large items such as sofas, bookcases and media units can block heat, so be sure to place furniture away from radiators to allow warmth to circulate freely around the room. In turn this will warm the room up faster so you can turn the radiator down or even off sooner. You’re also more likely to feel chilly if you’re sitting close to walls or windows, so give your living room a revamp and move the furniture to a more central location.

During the colder months it’s tempting to want to let as much natural light in as possible. But keeping the curtains and shutters open can be detrimental to retaining warmth in the home. When possible, keep the curtains drawn and shutters closed, to keep the heat in and shut the cold out. You can even buy thermal insulated curtains to really maximise the effect, otherwise opt for lined or heavy curtains to act as barriers against the cold to keep things cosy.

Maximise the warmth of your sofas and armchairs with cushions and throws. Choose comfy cushions with thick-knitted covers and accessorize with generously sized, fluffy throws to snuggle under as cold weather draws in. Don’t leave your bedroom out though – start treating your bed to extra pillows and cosy throws to keep you warm through the night without needing to turn the radiators on, though it could make it even tougher to get out of bed on chilly mornings!

Choose ‘Warm’ Colours As a finishing touch, opting for accessories in rich, ‘warm’ colours can help to create a feeling of warmth in the home. Earthy tones are known as being the warmest, so choose decorations, throws, pillows and rugs in darker shades like mahogany and dark reds, deep browns and navy blues. These are just a few simple ways you can keep your home toasty this season. From something as simple as drawing the curtains and adding throws and cushions to considering how you position your sofas, there are small changes you can make to help keep the heat in and the cold out.