The starting point of designing or redecorating ANY space is to ask yourself “HOW DO I WANT MY ROOM TO FEEL?”

Once you know how you want your space to feel, you can then choose the right colours, materials, patterns and textures to create this feeling.

When I ask my clients this question, the most common words I hear are COSY, HOMELY AND WARM.

Let’s face it, most of us want a cosy home. Right? Yet, the World is full of cold, unwelcoming living rooms. So where are we going wrong?

Image credit Secret Linen Store

Here are the DO’s and DON’TS for creating a cosy space

 

1. USE WARM PAINT COLOURS

 

The colour spectrum has colours that are warm, and colours that are cool. It’s the warm colours that make a space feel cosy. So look for colours made up of warm tones, these are yellow, orange and red.

 

Yellow – Bright or sunny yellows, soft buttery yellows, muted yellows, dirty yellows, gold, and yellow based neutrals such as beige and cream

 

Orange – Bright, zingy orange tones, yellow/oranges, stoney neutrals, ginger, brown/orange, autumnal colours.

 

Red –  Bright reds, deep burgundy, rusty-reds, terracottas, pinks, blush, coral, barely there pinks.

 

2. GET A DARKER COLOUR ON YOUR WALLS

If you want to instantly transform and cosy up a cold, or unwelcoming space, then wrap a gloriously dark paint colour around all your walls. Using darker colours will create a more intimate and cosy feel, you will feel like your walls are giving you a big hug. Dark colours advance toward us, so will make a room feel smaller, but so much more snug and cosy.

 

3. USE SOFT FABRICS LIKE VELVET, COTTON AND LINEN

Upholstered furniture in a cold room will instantly make it feel more cosy, in living rooms this is pretty straight forward as you are likely to have a sofa or armchairs within the space. But in other spaces like dining rooms, bedrooms or hallways there are still plenty of opportunity to add fabric covered items such as an accent chair, an upholstered bench, a footstool, a headboard or a gorgeous, fabric lampshade.

 

Mixing fabrics will always give you a warm layered look, so try a velvet sofa with some linen cushions, and a cotton throw, all sitting on a jute rug. The more variety of fabrics you have, the cosier your room will  feel.

 

4. AVOID SHINY, COLD MATERIALS

If your room is feeling a bit cold and unwelcoming it could be because you have the wrong palette of materials in the space. When creating a warm space you want to avoid materials that are physically and visually cold, so ease-off on finishes like polished chrome or silver, shiny leather, and lots of clear glass, or mirrors.

 

5. LAYER YOUR SOFT FURNISHINGS

As well as upholstered furniture you want to get as many layered fabrics as possible into the space. For example, on your windows try layering roman blinds and curtains, rather than just having one or the other. And a sofa with cushions and throws, will feel much cosier and inviting. Also try layering your rugs, layer a smaller patterned rug, on a larger plain rug. The more soft furnishings you can bring to the party the better.

 

6. USE TEXTURED, NATURAL FINISHES

Natural materials such as wool, cotton, rattan, jute, marble, wood and bamboo, will always have a much more tactile and cosier feel than synthetic, manmade fibres. But these kind of materials can be much more expensive than their man-made alternatives. So for the biggest impact stick to more natural materials on larger pieces, such as a rug. And use the cheaper, man-made fibres on smaller pieces, such as a cushion cover, that don’t have such a visual impact on the room.

 

7. BRING IN THE PLANTS

Plants will never go out of style. They bring so much to a space; life, colour, texture, movement, softness. So don’t hold back, the more greenery the better for creating a cosy space. And if you’re useless with plant care, or the light conditions in the room make nurturing your plants tricky, you can always go faux for a similar effect.

 

8. Add PERSONAL STUFF

Most rooms that feel cosy will have some personal touches that tell their story. Even if you don’t like ‘clutter’ or ‘stuff’ you should still try and add a few ornaments, pieces of art, or cherished photos. But no shiny chrome photo frames please!

 

9. ADD SOME MATT BLACK

Cosy interiors often use a lot of layered neutrals and warm colours, so it can be a good idea to add a dose of black to cut through the tonal colour palette and create some contrast. Some people can be scared of using black, but in the right finish it can actually be very soft. Try using black in a completely matt finish, and in softer materials like wood, rather than metal.

 

Who’s feeling cosy? I hope you are feeling inspired to create your own cosy room or nook in your own home.

And if you are local to Southampton and would like any help designing a room or choosing paint colours, please get in touch, I offer my interior design services across most of Hampshire. 

Happy designing, Sarah x