Design to Beat the Winter Blues
Now that we’re in the middle of winter, the cold days and lack of light seem to stretch on forever. Your home can sometimes feel too dark and cold, especially when the temperatures dip in the -30 range. Luckily, there are a few design tricks that you can use to brighten up your space. All of these design tips are easy to achieve, and ensure that you’ll feel cozy and content in your home for the remainder of winter.
Add Some Greenery
We’re big fans of adding greenery to a room year round, but it plays an especially important role in the winter. Adding greenery to our homes reminds us that we’ll see summer again soon. Plus, it adds a pop of colour to an otherwise dull season. One of our favourite ways to add greenery is to go BIG. Try adding a large tropical plant in your entryway so that it’s the first thing you see when you come home. We love it styled with graphic artwork, a leather bench and a rug with a subtle hint of texture. Trust us, it will immediately put a smile on your face and have you dreaming of those hot summer days. If you don’t have the room for a plant in your entryway, try adding some stems to a large vase on your kitchen island or dining room table. We tend to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, so make sure you brighten that room with some gorgeous greenery! And remember, faux plants are ok here, especially since there’s less sun for real varieties during the winter months!
Don’t be Afraid to be Cozy & Cocoon
Sometimes during the winter our homes can feel more cold and stark. An easy way to add more warmth to the design of your home is to add layers of cozy textures! In a bedroom, we love the look of a fluffy bed with layers of blankets and a feather duvet piled on top. This monochromatic bedroom plays with layering different patterns in warm grey tones for a comforting, but luxe feel. For a living room or rec room we love to include pillows and poufs with rich velvet fabrics or braided cable textures to emulate the look of knits. Plus, it never hurts to have a basket with multiple blankets nearby for a cozy movie night on the couch.
Mirror Mirror on the Wall
Chances are, we all have a number of mirrors in our homes. Most of them probably stay in a set location like the bathroom or the bedroom, but if you have one you can move around it’s time to use it to your advantage. One of our favourite ways to beat the winter blues it to use an accent mirror to bring more light into our homes. Whether you plan on buying a new mirror or moving an existing one that you have, try to position your mirror across from a window so that it will reflect the light and brighten the room. This is a great way to make the most of the limited daylight that we do get and that extra light will help your home to feel brighter and airier reminiscent of those sunny July days. We love the look of a round mirror in the entryway or a floor length mirror in the living room for maximum light reflection.
Set the Bar High
At the end of another long, cold winters day, nothing warms you up better than a cocktail. If you’ve got a bar area in your home, consider paying this area more attention and establish a nightly ritual of making a well-crafted cocktail. If you don’t have a bar area, consider buying a bar cart to use, or choose an area of your kitchen to set up as the bar. All you need are some of your favourite liquors, a couple bottles of wine, beautiful glasses to display and some mixing accessories. If you’re just setting up your bar area, this space can be super functional, but can add to the design of your home by displaying some gorgeous glassware, decanters or sculptural liquor bottles. Have fun with your bar and make sure you save a cocktail for us!
Photos by Shellard Photography
