Right now, your home probably is brimming with the warmth and cheeriness of the holiday season. But once the tree and decorations are gone, how do you make that cozy feeling last through the winter months ahead?
We asked home decorating experts for some easy, practical and budget-friendly tips to extend that welcoming ambience, especially when it’s fiercely frigid outside.
The elements that make a room feel cozy and inviting are often those things that bring back fond memories, said Marie Vetter, co-owner with Jessie Thebeau of Red Door Designs, which opened in August in Cavalier, N.D.
“Anything that makes you feel nostalgic makes you feel comfortable,” Vetter said, noting repurposed furniture, updated antiques and items made from reclaimed wood can bring warmth and coziness to your home.
Blending the old and new creates a homey feeling, Thebeau said, noting that a pure white couch may be pretty to look at but not necessarily be inviting.
“If the room doesn’t look welcoming, it’ll never be cozy,” she said.
Scented candles boost the coziness quotient considerably because scent “makes you feel sentimental,” Vetter said. “It can definitely change your mood.”
While some people choose to embellish each room with a different scent, Vetter favors using one throughout the home.
In the wintertime, she prefers nature-inspired scents, such as “Very Snowy Spruce” by Scentsy, she said.
A sense of warmth
Lisa Johnson, who co-owns Living Sage home boutique with her son, Dalton Lilley, said, “People want things with a warm feeling in winter.”
Living Sage, in downtown Grand Forks, N.D., is teeming with accessories and decorative items that evoke a sense of warmth, including sweater pillows and repurposed furnishings.
Many items in the store are handmade by local artists, a fact that her customers appreciate, she said. “Whenever we can get things made locally, we try to do that.”
It aligns with the reason she and her son opened the store in July 2014.
“We wanted artists to be able to display their items whether it’s jewelry, lotion or barn doors,” she said. “There are a lot of talented people in the area.”
When choosing things to add a cozy feeling to your home, “I tell people not to be afraid to mix textures like metals, woods and prints,” Johnson said. “The trend is to use pieces with different wood stains it’s not so matchy-matchy anymore.”
She also encourages customers not to be afraid of color and, in winter, to choose accessories in “deep muted tones such as burgundy, brown, olive green and grays.”
“It’s easy to put colors together (by incorporating) the perfect accessory,” she said.
Tips
Here are a few tips to make your home a warm, inviting haven this winter:
Add a few pillows. Choices include quilted fabrics, faux fur, cashmere, velvet and sweater-knit. You even could sew up a pillow from a pretty pastel chenille or bright fake fur for the little girl in your life. In your living or family room, you can’t go wrong with the decorative textural knit, a cheery bright and a handsome dark.
Toss a throw. Plaid woven blankets are very popular this season. What says “come and snuggle” more than a classic red or green plaid blanket or a striped Hudson Bay blanket? For a rustic cabin look, opt for a lot of plaid and tartans in your space. Your family and guests will feel warm and toasty all evening.
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