Style advice from the experts: how to style your home for winter.
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Winter Home Styling Q&A: How to Make Your Home Warm, Cosy & Stylish
Our experts answer your most-Googled winter home styling questions. As the temperatures drop, it’s the perfect time to cosy-up your interior space and make it the ultimate space to retreat to this winter.
Q: How do I style my living room for winter?
Introduce a plush area rug to add warmth underfoot. Choose a colour that adds warmth and brings your whole aesthetic together. Our stylists recommend picking up colours from other home accents like wall art, scatter cushions and upholstered pieces to inform your choice of carpet.
To soften the entire look and feel, especially if you have leather furniture, adding textured throws to your sofas is a nice warm touch. Make a space to store them folded while out of use like an ottoman, chair or bench, or draped over a sofa arm.
Swap out summer cushions for ones in rich, warm tones and textures. This season, burnt velvets and suedes in dark tones will give your space a contemporary but cosy feel.
Layer your lighting: think table lamps, floor lamps, and LED candles to create a winter glow rather than overhead lighting. Opt for warm white lightbulbs rather than cool white.
Choose a lamp
Choose lamps with warm-toned bulbs and soft, diffused shades to create a gentle, restful glow. Look for designs that suit your space and invite calm.
Choose an area rug
Add softness underfoot and warmth to the room. Go for a size that anchors your space, ideally large enough to frame the bed or sitting area without feeling cramped.
Choose scatter cushions
Layer scatter cushions in a mix of textures to add depth and cosiness to your bed or sofa. Stick to a warm, cohesive colour palette to tie the room together and evoke a sense of calm.
Q: How do I make my house cosier for winter?
Make use of extra and super soft layers through out your home like blankets and throws
Add warm lighting using fairy lights, lanterns, or soft white bulbs.
Scent matters... bring in seasonal fragrances like cinnamon, vanilla, or clove using candles or diffusers.
Layer your windows with thermal or heavier curtains to keep the warmth in.
Choose earthy tones and warm colours to create a comforting atmosphere.
Q: What are some winter ideas for decorating my bedroom?
Flannel or brushed cotton bedding is the best choice for cold season, pure cotton is super breathable but has a warm comforting texture.
Add soft lighting with bedside lamps or string lights.
Place a thick area carpet or a smaller carpet on each side of the bed for added warmth and comfort.
Add a plush faux fur, sherpa or quilt to your bed.
Use scent diffusers with winter scents like cedarwood or vetiver.
An electric / heated blanket over your mattress is the ultimate spoil, to switch on 30 minutes before bed.
Treat yourself to a full-body hot water bottle to snuggle up to.
Q: What is Hygge style?
Hygge (pronounced hoo-gah) is a Danish lifestyle concept that can inform home styling - by choosing items that create warmth, but still leaning into simplicity, and designing spaces that promote togetherness.
How to make your home more hygge:
Super soft and warm lighting - create this using lamp shades and warmer bulbs, even string lights. Side light is softer than overhead light, so standing and table lamps are key features for your space.
Fill your space with soft textures, curved lines and soothing patterns.
Keep your space clutter-free with simple, intentional décor, all the little bits and pieces contained in their own well-organised storage solutions.
Bring in calming neutral tones,warm wood accents, and create cosy corners to promote calm and comfort.
Q: How do I make a cold room cosier?
Our perception of warmth is influenced by more than just heat; it’s shaped by visual cues, textures, scents, and colours.
You can feel warm in a cool room because your brain processes cues like:
Warm colors
Soft textures
Cozy lighting
Nostalgic scents
Familiar sounds
Lived-in, layered visuals
Physical items you can add to a cold room:
Rugs and carpets with a thick backing instantly warm up a space by blocking the cold floor beneath them.
Heavy textured or lined curtains trap any warmth generated in the room inside. Double up by layering a blind and curtain combo for even more insulation.
Add layers of throws, cushions, and soft textures to furniture.
Use warm accent colours like mustard, deep red, shades of orange and brown, even warm off whites and subtle pinks, these all create visual warmth.
Consider adding an gas or electric to really take the chill off.
More than just things, warmth is a feeling:
A room that feels lived-in, with books, layers of fabric, personal touches, and soft furniture, feels more inviting and psychologically “warmer.”
Background sounds like crackling fire, gentle music, or a quiet hum can create psychological warmth.
Smells like cinnamon, vanilla, clove, woody notes, trigger emotional memories tied to warmth and home.
Warm tones like deep reds, oranges, browns, and golds are associated with fire, sunlight, and autumn—all of which signal warmth to the brain.
Soft, heavy textures like wool, velvet, faux fur, and knitwear create a sense of comfort and physical security.