As temperatures drop, the days get shorter and the chai lattes make a seasonal return, Canadians naturally look for ways to cozy up our homes for maximum comfort. Because a cozy haven does not just keep us physically warm, it is soothing for the soul.
Future-Proofed Home Comforts
This is the time of year where we realize how much our home truly means to us. Spending extra hours indoors baking, snuggling on the sofa and enjoying warming, family meals are all precious times spent together.
Ahead of winter gatherings, future proofing certain elements around your home can increase the comfort factor. WIFI thermostats can help you stay warm at the most efficient cost and extra insulation keeps that warmth in. Home elevators make your home instantly multi-generational, offering all ages a comfortable alternative to the stairs. Underfloor heating creates toasty winters and investing in long-lasting, durable furniture and fabrics will guarantee a cozy home for many winters to come.
Upgrade Your Lighting
As the hours of daylight reduce, the lighting quality in our home becomes more important. A bright 100-watt halogen bulb will eat into your energy budget and create a colder, cooler environment. Replacing bulbs with warm-white LED bulbs, produce a warmer, yellow alternative, use 90 per cent less energy and last 23,000 hours longer than their incandescent counterparts.
Create cozy corners with LED strip lights around built-in bookcases or light the way in the evening with strips under the kitchen cabinets or along a staircase. If you already have a Stiltz home lift installed, the LED lights at the top and bottom of the car make it beautiful and functional – allowing you and your guests to use it comfortably during the day and after night falls.
Warm the Colours up and Bring in the textures
Winter is a time for fooling ourselves that it is warmer than it really is, and colour plays a large part in this. Warm colours like deep reds and browns make rooms immediately feel warmer, but you don’t have to redecorate to achieve it – changes to your soft furnishings can make all the difference.
Give your main living room a winter ‘outfit’, with fresh layers of varying textures from heavy knit blankets on the back of the couch to some velvet covers on the throw cushions. With energy prices on the rise, keep a basket or trunk handy with some soft wool and fleece throws to hand and keep warm and fabulously cozy right through to Spring.