Brits spend an average of 18 hours a day inside their homes, so it’s only right that yours feels cosy and is somewhere you actually want to be. Yet all too often, people put up with rooms that feel cold or a bit stark without really knowing why this is. The good news is this problem can be quick, easy and even fairly cheap to fix. Layer your lighting, sort out your heating, and throw in some soft furnishings, and you’ll be surprised how much more comfortable and inviting your home can feel.
This is a collaborative post.
Layer your lighting
Try to use a few different light sources in every room and not just rely on one single overhead light. Just using an overhead light alone gives a room that horrible, stark and clinical feel where it’s impossible to relax and feel comfortable. At the same time, switch out all your cool bulbs for warmer ones. Unlike cool bulbs, warm bulbs are calming and will actually help you wind down at night for sleep.
So layer up your lighting to make each room feel cosy and functional. This is especially important in your living room, which you mainly use to relax and unwind. Yes, you will need a big ceiling light, but that’s not all. Want a reading nook? Put a reading or standing lamp next to your favourite armchair, and you now have one. You can also get a lovely warm glow from wall sconces and strip lighting on your shelves. But somewhere like your kitchen, you will need a lot of bright task lighting to help you see what you’re doing. Lights under your cabinets will illuminate your worktops. Then, pendant lights over your kitchen island or table work as a great focal point and keep the space functional. You can also use a small table lamp in your breakfast bar or any corner to create a nice, soft mood.
Keep your home warm
Cold rooms can also stop your home from feeling truly comfortable, so check for any draughts. It’s easy for warm air to escape from small gaps around your windows and doors or even under your skirting boards. Sealing them is cheap and easy to do. Self-adhesive foam strips or putty work well for windows and door frames, and hinged flaps or draught excluders can make a surprising difference under doors. It’s definitely worth the effort as homes can lose up to 20% of their heat through windows and external doors alone.
You should also check your radiators aren’t blocked as it’s normal for sludge and debris to naturally build up inside the pipes over time. If your radiators feel cold or have uneven cold patches even when the heating’s on, this is often why. Blocked pipes stop heat from circulating properly throughout your home, and skipping maintenance on your radiators in general can add between £400-£600 to your annual energy bills. But a professional powerflush can solve this problem. Professional plumbers cost around £41 per hour on average, so get a few different quotes before you decide who to go with. During the powerflushing treatment, the plumber will flush water through your pipes to clear out sludge and debris to give your radiators a deep clean. Heat is then free to circulate easily through your home, and every room will feel as warm and cosy as it should.
Use soft furnishings
Also, use a nice mix of throws, cushions, and rugs to create that sense of depth that makes a room easy to sink into and relax in. Who can resist a chunky knitted oversized throw draped over the sofa? Or the comforting feel of a thick natural-fibre rug under your feet? Then, velvet and linen cushions in a variety of matching colours will add another amazing layer to your room. You want to aim for a variety of different textures overall, like something fluffy next to something woven or something smooth next to something chunky. This is because different materials altogether create a luxurious tactile richness (aka they’ll turn the space into somewhere you want to curl up and never leave).
But don’t go overboard. Sometimes less really is more, as too much clutter will always make your space feel stressful. So first get rid of anything you don’t really need before you add anything new to a room. A simpler space with just a few nice soft furnishings will feel much more like a sanctuary than one that’s too busy with accessories.
Creating a home that’s truly cosy and comfortable doesn’t have to be complicated or even that expensive. Choose nice lighting, get the temperature right, and add some soft furnishings, and you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it all sooner.