Winter warmup
As the days shorten and mornings become chillier, indoor activities take precedence over the pool and park and our homes become a haven. Warmth is everything! Check out our simple tips to make your place cosier this winter.
Don’t discount the feel-good aspect of a pot of soup simmering away on the stove or a stew slowly roasting in the oven, filling the kitchen with inviting aromas.
There’s nothing quite like snuggling up on the sofa under a wooly rug. Lightweight fleece or wool blankets are inexpensive and add layers of warming colour and texture to any room in the house.
Channel your inner nana and get creating. Traditional handicrafts like knitting and needlework have undergone a revival in recent years and are newly hip. Stitch a quilt, crochet a peggy-square rug or sew a funky snake to place by the door and keep out the draughts.
A flickering fire in the lounge will warm you inside and out. Producing real flames from solid fuel may not be the most efficient or eco-friendly option, but you can improve performance with a wood-burning stove. Or get your flame fix from a gas fire.
Warm bedding and flooring are a must for comfortable bedrooms. If feather duvets and carpets aren’t viable because of allergies, explore hypoallergenic products.
Cover hardwood flooring with a room-sized rug and hang thermal-backed curtains during the coldest months. They really make a difference.
When heating children’s rooms, leave the door open for healthy air circulation and check the temperature regularly. A quality thermostat is useful to maintain an even temperature through the coldest hours of the night.
Check for draughts on a windy day and use a sealing product or compression seals to draught-proof your house.
Upgrade the insulation in your ceiling and consider using a specialty insulating product under the house if you have wooden floors.
Close your curtains just before sundown in winter, especially in bedrooms, to trap daytime heat.
Use timers on radiators and heaters to warm a room before you get up in the morning.
Investigate installing a wall-mounted reverse-cycle heat pump – it’s a cost-efficient way to heat your home and reduce condensation.
Finally, consider outdoor fires, from the basic iron brazier to a plastered Mediterranean pizza oven, to extend the life of those roof-free spaces we love so much in summer.
