Cozy Winter Cocoons

Nature’s incredible display erupts like fireworks before us with new bursts of colour each autumn day. The rich reds, burnt oranges and sensuous saffrons of the outdoors are always a great inspiration at this time of year, and it is now, as our chilly nights turn into chilly days, that we take focus from our gardens and turn it back into our homes. If you like making changes to welcome the coming seasons, it is time to take a look at changing our cool crisp summer retreats into cozy winter cocoons. It’s easy to create cozy comfort if you keep a few things in mind - just remember, it’s all about layers, layers and more layers and lots of texture.

A few tips to try:

Use fall’s bounty to pull in some of that rich colour just mentioned. The exotic coloured kernels in Maize, (Indian corn), is one example of how nature can be used as inspiration in your new fall colour palette. This corns’ kernels include purple, olive, brown and, of course, a deep yellow. You can also try bunches and piles of sunflowers, pumpkins, gourds and leaves to give depth of colour and lots of interest to your room.
Incorporate sumptuous fabrics like velvets, chenille’s and wool gabardine into spaces currently occupied by summer silks, linens and organzas.
Roll up your sisal area rug and store it for next summer. Replace it with wool, shag or the sheepskin variety.
Toss in some texture, with boucle, chenille, corduroy, damasks, furs and cable knits, these are just a few.
Use the above textures, colours and fabrics to cover existing sofa pillows. Just like a new coat or sweater, this will help to keep your room looking and feeling warm.
Add a throw to the back of your sofa or to the end of your bed. A stack of extra blankets placed neatly in a family room not only looks inviting and warm….they are warm.
Add a lamp to the room for an extra layer of light or change just the shade of an existing lamp. If your style allows, you can add a trim to the shade.
Sheers are lovely, billowing in the summer breeze, but they just don’t seem like enough protection for winter. Replace them with a heavier fabric drape such as an ultra-suede or velvet, you can also layer the heavier drape using a double rod. Specific window coverings help tremendously with energy efficiency and warmth and can result in serious savings on your utility bills!
Your bedroom can also benefit from the change of season. It is easy to create a completely new room just by changing you bedding. Like the other rooms in your home, your bedroom will feel like a haven when you use textures and fabric to layer. Just a couple of additions or switches will work wonders, something as simple as a new bed-skirt, coverlet for the end of the bed and some toss pillows can create a cozy cocoon. It’s also time to change linen or silk sheets for soft cottons or flannel. If you love flannel but would love something a bit more exotic, try Alpaca. Alpaca is super soft and is seven times warmer than wool.
If you can’t possibly get a traditional or gas fireplace into the room, the new electric fireplaces work well and give wonderful ambiance for rooms that you would like to use in the winter but are just too cold.