How to Prepare Your Home for the Cool Winter Months
Aspen Lou is an Entrepreneur, a Rural Interior Design Specialist, and the Founder of Herbie Home Interiors [launching soon]. She creates stylish and functional homes that are cohesive with her clients' rural lifestyles.
As the cool winter months approach, it’s time to transition your home into a warm and cosy sanctuary. Preparing for winter isn't just about turning up the heat; it’s about small, thoughtful changes in your decor that make a big impact on both comfort and ambiance. Here's how to get your home winter-ready, starting with a simple switch in colour palette and seasonal accessories.
1. Swap light colours for dark colours
During the warmer months, light and airy colours keep spaces feeling fresh, bright and airy. But winter calls for rich, deep hues that create a sense of warmth and intimacy. We recommend replacing your cushions, throw rugs, or bed linens with darker tones like navy, forest green, charcoal, burgundy, or warm, earthy tones. These colours absorb light and make rooms feel snug and inviting. Don’t feel like you have to buy up big; it may just be a couple of cushion covers and a throw rug to start.
2. Layer with textures
Add layers to your furniture and bedding to enhance warmth and visual comfort. Think chunky knit throws, velvet or wool cushions and flannel sheets. These textures not only look cosy but also help retain the heat! You may already have plenty of texture in your home, and if this is the case, have a play with rotating where they are in the home to give a different feel.
3. Update decorative pieces
Switch out some of your decorative pieces for deep-toned colours, such as copper candlesticks, ceramic vases in deep hues, or artwork with moody, wintery scenes. You can use cost-effective additions like green or burgundy foliage added to a vase you already own. The deep colours of the foliage can bring a moodier feel to the space.
4. Warm up the home floors
Bare floors can feel cold and uninviting. Consider adding rugs or layering smaller rugs over existing ones in high-traffic areas. Opt for darker, textured rugs that feel plush underfoot and contribute to the overall cosy vibe.
5. Add warm lighting
This could be as simple as adding a lamp in your bedroom or living area, or swapping a white light globe for a yellow globe to create a warm glow for your evening. Lighting creates a cosy and relaxing ambiance for those wintery nights.
Preparing your home for winter doesn’t require a major overhaul. A few strategic swaps and thoughtful layers can turn your space into a warm, stylish haven perfect for enjoying the colder months. A trick I love is to have a few spare cushion covers in the linen press so I can change them each season without having bulky cushions taking up space! Simple hacks like that make for an easy transition between seasons.
Read more from Aspen Quick
Aspen Quick, Entrepreneur & Rural Interior Design Specialist
Aspen Lou is a country girl, having grown up on a farm in rural Victoria, Australia. Interior Design has always been her passion, and she believes in creating homes that are not only stylish but also functional and cohesive to the rural lifestyle. Living remotely, she has developed an understanding of the challenges of accessing interior design services rurally and has a passion and drive to make interior design accessible to all rural corners of Australia.
