Style tips to make your home cosier this winter
<p>It's a brisk morning and the wind has an edge, a hint of what is to come.<br /> <br /> Nights will close in, heating will come on and summer's lazy indoor-outdoor flow will turn into 'shut the doors' and 'pull the blinds'.<br /> <br /> In many ways, winter is when a home really feels like home. But it needs a little help to change direction.<br /> <br /> It's warm inside the D L Lewis showroom in Main South Road where interior design consultants Jaz McConnell and Nicky Anderson are happy to talk about how your home can be tweaked.</p>
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<p align="center"><em>Exchanging summery cottons and floral chintzes for richer jewel-toned cushions takes this white sofa into winter mode with ease.</em></p>
<p>They are part of a team that visits people in their homes to discuss design options. Often it's a case of making the most of what is already in place. In the real world you don't gut out a house and put in a new room that looks like a magazine cover.<br /> <br /> Also in the real world, there'll be an ugly family heirloom side-table that has to stay no matter what and while changing the drapes would make a big difference, the family can't afford it. They have real talks with real people.<br /> <br /> So what are easy changes to help a home be more winter friendly?</p>
<p>Think about the lighting, says McConnell. "A lot of people have white light, and a softer warm light gives the room a bit more ambience and can make it feel a lot cosier."</p>
<p>Making a lounge and bedroom more cosy for winter could be as simple and cheap as changing light bulbs. We are off to a good start.</p>
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<p style="text-align: center;" align="center"><em>Indoor-outdoor access is a boon in the summer months, but it can make for unwanted winter draughts. An insulated blind does a great job of keeping the chill at bay.</em></p>
<p>"I've been in a home where the lighting made the wall colours look quite yellow. The room looked like it was dirty and it wasn't. When we changed the light bulbs, the rooms were a lot lighter," McConnell says.<br /> <br /> Another tip is to think about lighting from lamps, not just straight from the ceiling. Lamp lighting can be much cosier.</p>
<p>Lighting is important because in winter it has a much bigger role. Lights take on the job of the disappeared sun and the need for drawn curtains to keep heat in.<br /> <br /> Anderson talks about rooms having "seasons" the way the garden outside does. She has summer and winter "clothes" for her rooms. Some paintings come down to be replaced, others move to new spots. It's about changing the mood and comfort to match the season.</p>
<p>She says rooms with "a clean palette" make this so much easier. These have walls and floors with neutral tonings. "It gives you a better idea of what you can do, then you start bring in your personal stuff."</p>
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<p align="center"><em>Flannel sheets, an extra blanket and a textured throw will dress your bed for the season.</em></p>
<p>McConnell: "You can put that abstract on the wall if that is what you are into."</p>
<p>Anderson: "And then you can pull that colour out of the abstract for a throw cushion."</p>
<p>McConnell agrees. She laughingly calls herself "the cushion queen". She has plenty and says changing them is an easy and cheap way to change a room's feel.</p>
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<p align="center"><em>Bare floors suit the easy-breezy summertime. As the seasons cool, put down a rug -- or two -- for warmth underfoot.</em></p>
<p>McConnell says just as people layer up with scarves and a jacket for winter, furniture can be layered up with throws and cushions. Winter is time for more texture because texture feels cosier.</p>
<p>"Instead of everything cotton, don't be afraid to use fur and hairy things and baubles and lumpy things - it's okay," she says.</p>
<p>It doesn't mean having to buy a lot of expensive new cushions. Get a couple of really good ones, she says, then pad out the look with cheaper ones.<br /> <br /> The talk shifts to furniture.<br /> <br /> "Sometimes people have a tendency to move all the furniture out to the walls. That can be a bit of a summer thing, when we are doing more of the indoor-outdoor flow, but in winter move your couches and chairs in up around the fire. It makes it seem more intimate and cosy," McConnell says.</p>
<p>"Yes, get it off the walls," says Anderson. And she adds that wooden floors need rugs in winter.</p>
<p>Heating is important anyway, of course, but it's essential if you have leather chairs and couches.</p>
<p>McConnell says many people are put off by the idea of cold leather in winter, but says leather is wonderful if your room is warm and it warms up quickly.</p>
<p>Swapping out winter and summer curtains can also make a big difference. Or having summer and winter drapes up at the same time and just pulling back the one that doesn't apply. </p>
<p>Lighter drapes make the room seem brighter and bigger, but darker ones make a room more cosy in winter.</p>
<p>McConnell says if you are stuck with drapes, the trick to changing their big impact is to draw the eye to other things in the room.</p>
<p>It might be those standout cushions or throws, or it might be "a couple of lovely lamps brought in either side of the couch".</p>
<p>Both agree it's important to get a home feeling right in winter. It's when the home is most needed to support and lift spirits by being a warm cosy refuge. </p>
<p>"When a woman walks into a room, she just wants it pleasing to her eye. She wants to think, 'I'm home, this is where I live. This is where I am comfortable'," McConnell says.</p>
<p><em>Written by Ewan Sargent. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz.</span></strong></a> Image credit: Jane Ussher via Stuff.co.nz. </em></p>
