Five Ways to Make a Room Feel Warmer This Season

Warmth in a room has less to do with the thermostat than with what you can see and touch. A few small changes go a long way once the evenings start early.

1. Lower the light

Swap one overhead light for two or three smaller ones. A table lamp in a corner and a pair of candles on the mantel will do more for a room than any ceiling fixture.

2. Add one more texture than feels necessary

A wool throw over the arm of a sofa, a linen cushion, a woven basket by the hearth. Layering materials is what keeps a neutral room from reading as cold.

3. Give the coffee table a job

A tray, a stack of books, a bowl of something seasonal. A surface with a small arrangement on it looks lived in rather than staged.

4. Bring in something green

Branches in a tall vase last for weeks and cost almost nothing. Cedar, eucalyptus and pine all hold their shape well indoors.

5. Keep one thing out of season

A room that is entirely themed feels like a shop window. Leave one favourite piece in place all year so the space still feels like yours.