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THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2016. PAGE 19.
How to turn a home into a cozy, winter retreat
Curling up in the winter weather
While a roaring fire can go a long way to turning a living room into a more cozy space, there
are other tips and tricks that can be used to turn a room into a perfect place to cuddle up and
wait out the cold weather. Rugs, lighting, darker colours and indoor activities can help keep
the winter blahs at bay. (nns photo)
MS — Cool weather often drives
people to spend more hours indoors
than they do during the warmer
months. Autumn is a time to
winterize gardens, put away lawn
furniture and prepare for the holiday
season. Autumn also provides the
perfect opportunity to begin home
interior projects.
Many people decide to redecorate
their homes to reflect each season.
When temperatures change, it's time
to transition from the light colours
and breezy fabrics symbolic of
summer to thicker, darker materials
that evoke coziness.
With some inspiration and a little
know-how, any homeowner or
apartment dweller can cozy up a
space in time for fall and winter.
• Invest in area rugs: While wood
floors can look beautiful and work
well with many different design
styles, wood can feel chilly
underfoot. Thick area rugs add
warmth to a room and can help it
look more lived-in. Area rugs also
help a room appear more cohesive,
co-ordinating with other colours in a
space and providing a visual border.
• Practise layering in rooms: An
affordable and relatively easy way to
make a room seem more cozy is to
layer fabrics and other accents.
Layers can include throws and
blankets. Remove place mats from
the dining room table and use them
on accent tables or an ottoman in the
living room. Table runners also can
add a splash of colour to the top of
bedroom dressers.
• Play with texture: Look for
fabrics that boast texture and can add
a tactile feel to spaces. When used
on throw pillows or small accents,
faux fur can create that cozy cabin
feel. Draperies made from nubby
fabrics or those with grooves and
ridges can add dimension to a room
as well. Even a lampshade made of
an unusual fabric, such as a waffle -
patterned material, can add a little
depth and warmth to a space.
• Re-evaluate your lighting:
Lighting a space is more than just
flipping on a switch. Finding the
right balance of lighting fixtures can
instantly transform the feel of a
room. Create more warmth and a
cozy feel by switching out bulbs
from cooler shades to warmer ones —
those that give off yellow and pink
hues rather than cool blues. Accent
lighting helps establish a
comfortable space for curling up and
reading a good book. Spot lighting,
such as fixtures that are trained on
artwork or inside of a curio or china
cabinet, also can set a more
welcoming mood.
• Install a bookshelf and start a
book collection: Piles and stacked
books can add warmth to any space.
Books evoke the hallowed halls of
schools and quiet nooks in the
library. Fill shelves with books
interspersed with additional design
accents, and you will instantly make
a room feel more inviting.
• Choose dark paint: Do not feel
nervous about incorporating deeper
shades in rooms. Dark colours give
rooms a more enclosed feel than
lighter colours, and that can create a
warm and cozy feeling. This works
particularly well in larger spaces that
feel vast and empty. If you're scared
to paint all of your walls, try a darker
shade below a chair rail or just paint
one accent wall.
• Add architectural elements:
Think about adding rich moldings to
crown the ceilings or to frame
doorways. If you have the space for
a nook, create a window seat beneath
a picture window or add a bench and
cushions in a corner for a nice
escape spot.
Use the colder weather as an
opportunity to reinvent some of the
rooms in your home. With paint,
texture, fabric, lighting and more,
rooms can be quickly transformed
into cozy respites from the cold.
Get entertainment
information on the
Entertainment section
of our website at
www.northhuron.on.ca
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