With Christmas on the horizon, all of us take a look around the house and think we would love to spruce the place up a bit before the influx of family and friends over the festive period. However, with Christmas shopping to be done and arrangements to be made, the only spruce that comes to pass is the enormous tree the kids have beendemanding from mid-November.
Cozying up your home for the winter months doesn’t have to take huge amounts of time and money. In fact, do it right, and it can even end up saving you money through reduced heating bills. Here’s how.
Winter DIY Décor Tips
Rearrange the Layout
Take a critical look at how your furniture is arranged. L-shaped or rectangular layouts are fine in summer but do not make for a warm and cozy atmosphere in colder weather. The idea is to make the room as inviting as possible, so focus on circular or even hexagonal layouts. If you have the sofas and chairs pushed back against walls, your room will look more like a waiting room at the dentist’s surgery. Instead, have everything pulled together towards a focal point. Ideally, this will be a lovely warm fireplace, but failing that, the TV might be most practical.
In a larger room, don’t be afraid to experiment with having two focal points – perhaps with a small reading area in one corner and a larger social area in the main part of the room. You can also blunt off the sharp corner of a room by moving a cabinet or chest across it diagonally to soften the angle.
Throws and Blankets
You can buy the softest and most inviting blankets and throws for pocket change these days, and in winter, you really can’t have enough in the living room and bedrooms. Not only do they look great, but everyone loves to cozy up under a blanket on a cold winter’s night. A great way to keep warm without having to crank up the heating.
Stupendous Shutters
Did you know that most of the heat loss from a room goes straight out of the window? Closing the drapes helps to a certain extent, but why not consider adding internal shutters from Shutters.co.uk? Not only do they bring a contemporary, classy look, they also provide extrainsulation to a room. And what’s more, they take a matter of minutes to install.
Reverse the Ceiling Fans
Here’s a clever trick. If you thought ceiling fans were just for keeping the room cool in summer, that is only the half of it. By reversing the blades, you can reduce your heating needs by about ten percent. The fans cool a room by moving air downwards and creating a wind chill effect. During colder weather, your heating system creates warm air that naturally rises. Reversing the direction of the fan blades draws the cooler air up and sends the warmer air back down. You can tell the fan is in “warming mode” if the blades are going in a clockwise direction.
Add Some Warm Rugs
Solid wood or laminate floors are all the rage these days. They look great, and they are hard wearing, but they are not as warm and inviting on a cold winter’s night as a traditional carpet. A few well-chosen rugs add that feeling of warmth, as well as providing extra insulation and making your room look better and cozier than ever. What have you got to lose?
Warm Colors, Warm Room
Pastel shades and brilliant whites might make your home fresh and bright in summer, but when winter rolls in, they can feel a little stark. Now is the time to cozy things up with some warming winter colors. You would be amazed at the difference that some rich reds and darker shades of yellow can make to a room. You don’t need to go the whole hog and start repainting, just some carefully selected accessories like throws, cushion covers, and even decorative candles can be effective.
Get the Lighting Right
The modern era of LED lighting provides so much choice and flexibility, there is really no excuse for having a single ceiling fitting these days. Keep your winter lighting soft, and choose pearl bulbs over clear ones. A concealed floor lamp behind another object provides a fabulous dispersed light effect.
Keep it Warm, Cozy and Energy Efficient
Run through the above tips and you will find yourself with a room that has a new lease of life and will wow your family and friends. It will also be a warm, inviting space in which to spend the colder months, and you will even find your heating bills are reduced. What’s not to like? If you’re in the unforunate position of needing bigger repairs to keep your home warm during the winter months, such as replacing a furnace or repairing your roof, these can be costly. GetAssist can help you find an affordable, reputable local contractor to get the job done without killing your budget.
