By Shelby Deering | Photos by Shanna Wolf
The author Laura Ingalls Wilder once said, “Home is the nicest word there is.” As someone who was no stranger to bone-chilling Midwestern winters, Wilder touched upon something that’s true for many of us: when the weather outside turns frightful, home is where we find our comfort and warmth.
If you’re prone to the blues this time of year, creating spaces that feel like a warm hug — an effect the Danish call “hygge” — could lift your spirits and make you feel better. “Naturally, we want our homes to feel warm, welcoming and cozy, especially during the winter months when we all hunker down to get away from the bitter cold,” says Garrett Cheyne, Principal Designer and Owner of Delavan’s Curate Design Group. “We gravitate toward soft finishes, cushy furnishings, lower light and overall comfortable, cozy spaces.”
Michelle Miller, of Michelle Miller Design, believes that late fall signifies the end of outdoor living and the beginning of our “nesting period indoors.” “It’s because the home in winter becomes not only the sole venue, but the soul venue,” she emphasizes. “People are less motivated to go out, so why not make the home a snuggly, cozy epicenter until the sun shines warm and it’s time to play outdoors again?”
Of course, coziness is something that really isn’t limited to the colder months, even though it may be higher on our priority lists this time of year. As Philip Sassano, Architectural Digest Pro and Principal of The Design Coach, LLC in Harvard puts it: “I believe the concept of cozy is intensely personal and transcends seasons.”
SOFT & SNUG
To soften your surroundings, try incorporating things like bedding, rugs, cushy floor treatments and other soft textiles. During the cold months, Cheyne recommends filling duvets and pillowcases with luxury down inserts and adding in a high thread-count sheet set. Everything will feel soft and soothing. “There is nothing like a properly weighted duvet that you can just fade away under,” Cheyne advises.
Miller says that she’s all about layering when it comes to bedding: “In my mind, layers allow you to pull on or off as you sleep and give flexibility if there are two people in bed,” she says. To achieve this level of layering, place a light blanket over the sheets, a duvet with a mid-weight comforter, a second duvet with a light comforter or coverlet and even a blanket draped at the bottom to add texture. “While you don’t have to sleep under all the layers, this allows you to build the bed in an abundance of color, textures and softness,” Miller says.
Rugs are another effective way to add warmth to any room. Sassano is a fan of the combination of natural wood and vintage rugs. “Layering rugs gives interiors a collected vibe that resonates year-round, and [layers] can be removed to suit the season,” he explains.
Cheyne says that when it comes to area rugs, if your budget allows, splurge on a “cozy and butter-like feel under your toes.” He specifically suggests mohair. “The fiber is incredibly strong and super soft. There is nothing like this texture and the mood it creates,” he says, adding that if you want a more budget-friendly fiber, wool is the way to go.
One trick to make rooms feel warmer is to incorporate more wintry textiles in the bedroom and living room. Miller points out that blankets are definitely a must if you’re creating a homey feel in your spaces, and you can swap out any cotton and linen versions for chunky, cable-knit blankets, faux fur throws and velvet blankets. These can also be good textile options for throw pillows throughout your home.
Cheyne adds that one unexpected way to add warmth and coziness to a room is through your window treatments. “Whether you are thinking about adding drapery panels, wood blinds or simply a motorized screen shade, this layer is incredibly important to the over laying and coziness to a space,” he says. “Not only are they beautiful and functional, they help to keep the heat in on the colder days and nights.”
CREATING A COCOON WITH COLOR
Paint is another way to achieve a comfy, wintry look in your home.
While it may seem counterintuitive to creating a warm space, sometimes dark, moody rooms can create just the right sense of enclosure. “There is nothing like a dark room,” Cheyne says. “Consider color-drenching an entire room in one color,” he continues. “The darker, the better, when done right. Painting your walls, ceiling and casework all one color creates a softness on the eye. There is no visual break in color, so your eye won’t gravitate to any particular surface. This allows you to decompress and relax and let your cares drift away.” For this, the experts recommend hues like slate, forest green or even black, if you’re feeling bold.
However, if you just want to dip your toe in the water, Miller suggests embracing a temporary accent color. “Neutral living rooms will fare beautifully with a few ruby or navy velvet pillows,” she says. Miller also advises swapping out summery rattan placemats for slate or faux- leather placemats.
Miller adds that you can also look at your year-round color palette in a room and bring in darker versions of that same color. For example, if you have a light blue bathroom, you can bring in navy and deep teal accents. If your kitchen is predominantly red, incorporate shades of dark ruby and crimson. “This way, you are not necessarily changing up the whole color palette but just deepening the color palette you already have,” she says.
CALM AND COLLECTED
Our experts agree that there are several decorative pieces that you can bring into a space that instantly communicate a warm, sheltered vibe. Sassano is partial to a displayed collection of books, small accent lamps for ambiance and candles and diffusers to add a sensory component.
A mantel is an ideal spot to showcase decor, and a fireplace perfectly sets the scene as well. “There is nothing like the added ambiance of having your fireplace going while cuddled up on the sofa watching a great movie,” Cheyne says.
Lastly, be sure to set out items that promote self-care and coziness, like seasonal soaps, wood or metal hammered bowls filled with comfort-food snacks and a coffee station readied with spiced apple cider and chai tea bags.
“Winter is all about home and feeling warm and relaxed,” Miller says. “There is no need to break the bank. Accessorize where you hang out in the home and where you really live in the space — that is what is most important for creating a cozy space.”
