With several months of shorter, colder and darker days ahead it's the perfect time to warm things up with a few simple decor tweaks. Plush accents, greenery and brighter lighting can help turn your home into a warm and cozy space for the cold winter months.
1. Boost Your Mood with Fresh Plants
Research has shown that plants can improve your health both psychologically and physically and can really shift your mood. In one experiment cited by The Washington Post, participants who spent even five to 10 minutes in a room with a few houseplants felt happier and more satisfied than those in a room without plants.
Add more plants throughout your home and in dark corners as a sure way to boost your mood and try adding uplights to potted plants and trees to bring in extra warmth.
2. Make Your Lighting Brighter and Cozier
Consider replacing duller bulbs with LED bulbs that can give off brighter light or switch to bulbs with a warmer color temperature. Outfit lamps with semi-opaque shades to allow the light to diffuse. Rearrange floor lamps to brighten darker corners of the room.
3. Use Warm Textures and Colors
Replace your light and airy materials with heavier fabrics in the winter to create texture and warmth. Materials like velvet and fur add texture and depth and inspire a cozy, chic sense of space. Consider adding warmer tones and pops of color such as vibrant saffrons, rich blues or deep emerald-green accents. If you plan on using saturated colors be sure to balance them with plenty of warm whites to avoid a heavy look.
4. Choose Artwork that Conjures Images of Warmth
New artwork is a great marker of a transition, especially a seasonal transition. Hang bold artwork to brighten your space and add artwork that evokes a happy place to inspire progressive change.
5. Decorate with Natural Elements
Incorporating natural elements such as wood will help to bring in the relaxing feeling of being outdoors...think of being in a cozy wood-cabin. Using warmer-toned metals and woods can help to increase the visual temperature of a room. Accessorize with materials like rattan, leather, aged metals, and linen fabrics for added layers of natural texture.
6. Mirrors
Mirrors reflect light and can add major warmth to the room if they are reflecting light created by warm winter fires, flickering candles and holiday lights. Add mirrors to reflect more sunlight and bring in more light during the shorter days.
7. Fire
A crackling fire naturally creates warmth and draws people towards it. Make the fireplace a centerpiece of your room. Position furniture around it and make your mantle a winter centerpiece. Also, incorporate candles. Candles help a space feel warm, inviting, and the complement of scent also can spark our sense of memory, which alone can be comforting.
8. Keep the Garland
Having greenery throughout the house is a natural mood booster so why not keep the wreaths and garlands out a little longer? Bring the garland to the staircase and to bathrooms to add more greenery in unexpected places.
9. Use Gold Accents
Gold accents have a warming effect. Use gold frames, mirrors, gold light fixtures, and gold in your artwork on a wall that needs a little lift. If you can't find the perfect gold accessories, head to the crafts store to pick up some gold spray paint and add a gilded touch to candlesticks, figurines, and more.
10. Bring the Outdoors In
Winter is cold but can also be beautiful. Find the beauty in your surroundings, whether you live amidst snow covered trees or with views of palm trees on the beach. When you are unable to spend as much time outside it helps to include elements that reflect the view beyond your window so that you can still feel as if you are enjoying the outdoors.
Wishing you a cozy, warm winter! If you are looking to find your place in the Napa Valley I'd love to help. Check out this collection of cozy Napa homes that would make a perfect place to hibernate for the winter. For a personalized collection curated to fit your specific home search criteria don't hesitate to reach out.
