Julie Felber

Add warmth to your home with touches of greenery and texture.

3 Ways to Add Warmth to Your Home

BY JULIE FELBER

Adding a touch of warmth to your home that makes an impression the instant you step into it sometimes can be a challenge.

Here are three ways to achieve the warm, cozy style you crave, while leaving the Georgia heat outside. 1. Try different lighting. This might not be your first thought when making your space feel warm and cozy, but lighting is key to constructing a room’s overall mood. Lamps give off soft ambient lighting, creating a hygge effect (a Danish and Norwegian word for a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that causes a feeling of contentment, or well-being). In stark contrast, recessed lights give the impression that a room is much bigger than it is. Even selecting light bulbs with different color temperatures strongly can influence a room’s style and feel. 2. Add a touch of texture. Natural elements, like jute, wicker and wood accents, can bring warmth to any space. Chunky wood mantels on a fireplace, oversized jute/sisal area rugs and wicker baskets overflowing with soft throw blankets or down pillows can soften an otherwise dull space. 3. Incorporate greenery. Greenery is an easy and simple way to make your room feel alive and fresh. Real or faux plants will work. Try to add at least two contrasting plants to each room, to change it up. An olive tree in a basket pot in a corner of the room and a wheat grass arrangement on a dining table, for example, would contrast nicely.

Happy decorating, and remember always to stick to what you love as you decorate your house. That way, it always will feel like home.

Julie Felber and her husband, Blake, work at Felber Home Furnishings and Decor in Woodstock, bringing their love of design (and strong coffee!) to their daily work space.