I and A Mag Jan20

Cosy Up Your Home
Spring may still be a while off, but there are ways to make your interior more inviting,
even in the midst of winter.
Long, dark nights and chilly mornings
can be made more bearable by some
clever thinking in your home.
To start, make sure your lighting is up to scratch.
A well-designed lighting scheme reinforces
a sense of security, comfort and vitality, and
making dramatic improvements could be
as simple as adding a floor lamp in a dark
corner or a reading lamp next to a favourite
armchair. For the best effect, layer lighting in
the same way that an interior designer layers
fabrics and textiles, ensuring that light comes
from a variety of sources and directions. For a
quick upgrade on a budget, replace main light
switches with dimmers, and plug in a selection
of table or floor lamps at strategic points. Check
that your bulbs give off the correct amount of
illumination for the task at hand, and also that,
where appropriate, they are a ‘warm’ white
in colour rather than ‘cool’. Add the leaping
flames of a log burner or a few pretty tea lights
or candles (safely positioned, of course) for an
atmospheric evening in.
Colour can make all the difference to the feel
of a room, and a quick paint job – perhaps just
on one wall – can be transformative. Earthy or
spicy colours such as claret, mustard, ochre or
chocolate are great choices, while navy or dark
grey are more neutral and perhaps easier to
live with all year round. Don’t be afraid of trying out darker
shades – not only are they very on-trend, but they are really
effective at creating a feeling of cocooning comfort. Think
about the other main colours and textures in each room. For
warmth underfoot, throw down a deep pile rug or two to add
extra softness, while at the windows it may be possible to
swap sheer, pale, lightweight curtains or blinds for something
heavier and in a bolder shade – think wool, tweed, velvet, even
felt, denim or mohair.
In the bedroom, replace pale linens with sheets or a duvet
cover in a deeper shade, piling on quilts, eiderdowns,
bedcovers, throws and blankets, combining colours, patterns
and fabrics for a glorious mixture that feels truly sumptuous.
And in the living room, pile up cushions on sofas and armchairs
for a sense of cosy luxury, then add some generously sized
throws over the back: great for snuggling under. You could use
a length of tweed edged with velvet ribbon, chunky knitting or
crochet, fake fur or soft fleece. Draw the curtains, light the fire,
pull on some fluffy socks, make a mug of hot chocolate and
settle down with a good book or a favourite box set – baby it
may be cold outside, but inside it’s warm, cosy and welcoming.
How to increase you home’s heat efficiency
• Insulate your loft. Use 300mm of quilt insulation, but retain
some ventilation so as to avoid condensation.
• Deal with draughts. At windows, fit rebated seals, secondary
Image: Curtains: Kortori fabric in Gilt, from £34 per metre; cushions left to right: Moda fabric in
Gilt, from £36 per metre; Kortori fabric in Gilt, from £34 per metre; throws: Asami fabric in Gilt/
Willow, from £42 per metre; all from the Orientalis collection by ILIV: 01772 651199; i-liv.co.uk.
glazing or well-fitting shutters (which can be as effective as
double glazing). Or use the old-fashioned method: heavy,
floor-to-ceiling curtains with a thermal lining. Venetian
blinds can come treated with a special coating to add more
insulation, or you can invest in made-to-measure blinds that
feature a cellular structure to retain warm air.
• Doors will also benefit from seals or a curtain – a rising door
curtain rod (aka a portiere rod) will hold the curtain out of the
way when the door is opened.
• If the suspended timber floor is draughty, seal any gaps at the
bottom of skirting boards with foam strips, silicon mastic or
slivers of timber. For gaps between floorboards you could use
fillets of wood, pack the gaps with string or cord and finish
with wood filler, or try a special gap filler that comes on a roll
with its own applicator.
• When fitting carpet, look for underlay with the highest
possible tog rating.
• Bear in mind that wood-burning stoves are far more energyefficient
than open fires.
• Help prevent heat loss from radiators – especially when fitted
on an outside wall – by fitting tin foil (or special radiator
reflectors) behind them to reflect the heat back in.
by Kathrine Sorrell
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