It’s the dead of winter, we’ve taken down all of our Christmas Décor and our homes are looking bare and sad and could use a little pick-me up! Cold temps will be back and on and off for the next few months so now’s the perfect time to cozy up your home with some new design details you can do in no time flat with a big bang for your buck!  There are plenty of ways you can warm up your space and create a warm feel and ambience that will have you craving the comfort of home sweet home for the cool weather to come!  

Hang Drapes

Fabric drapes give a feeling of luxury, they have a “weighty-ness” to them that creates a super cozy feeling, more than just blinds or window shades. You can find them in home décor catalogues in tons of rich, dark colors and actually any color will achieve that snuggly vibe you’re looking for…it’s all about great texture, a beautiful color or pattern or even solid with a trim on the edge!

Pillow Talk

Add warm throw pillows in fabrics like boucle’, flannel, chenille and cable knit on sofas and chairs as well as snuggly throw blankets to sit under.  This can also be a great chance to add some low commitment splashes of color that can give you a little extra zip to your space.  Use a rich red, a cool navy or a bright orange or turquoise…you’ll be shocked how much these small touches can completely update the look of your home. Along with pillows, you can soften the look of a room with some soft, textured throw rugs, they’ll feel great underfoot and add to the cozy vibe.

Lighten up your Lampshades

Look around your home and if you have dark or opaque lampshades replace them with lighter shades like a white linen or silk shade, it will add more light into your room yet still have a soft, diffused quality.  This is also a great way to update the look of any old lamps you may have!

Paint your walls

If you’re in the mood for a project, this is the best way to instantly transform your cold unfeeling room into a warm, inviting space.  Choose a warm, soft yellow (Benjamin Moore – “Hawthorne Yellow” HC-4) to add a bright cheery feeling. You can also create a more intimate feeling by using bold, rich, dark color like a chocolate brown This will also freshen up the look of all the furnishings you already have!

Go Bold with Color

Rich colors are the buzz for 2024 and Peacock blue is leading the pack, not navy and not turquoise but that rich, warm shade in between.  This is great as fabric on an occasional chair, wall color, drapery fabric or even used just as a small accent color in accessories.   Also, orange as an accent is still very chic, whatever the shade, orange adds a feeling of warmth and a great pop of color. If you’re afraid to paint an entire room just paint just one accent wall, maybe just a wall your sofa is on or your bed is on. You can also incorporate these great colors in a smaller way – get some throw pillows or add accessories in your favorite shade of a new color and wake up your space! 

Wallpaper Whimsy  

Wallpaper is back in a big way and peel and stick wallpaper is one of the easiest, low commitment way to use it, they are like big stickers! The days of steaming, scraping and peeling are over.  The patterns are as diverse as they’ve ever been and they come in every color combination and style you could possibly hope for.  You could wallpaper just one wall and paint the other three walls a soft pale hue, it will still give you that update to your space without being too overwhelming!  It’s super easy to take it down and now damage to your walls!   – wallpaper is a license to have some fun!

Beautiful Browns

Chocolate Brown is very chic right now, it became a new neutral and some thought it would phase out but it’s not going anywhere.  In general, it’s a tricky color to incorporate into your home in a big way but hits of it here and there are the perfect way to achieve an updated look.  It also looks very fresh when combined with limed washed wood, black and white pictures, white accessories and chrome lamps or tables.  If you want to use it on your walls, painting one accent wall that a bed, sofa, or fireplace is on is your best bet.