Winter Warmers
Creating a winter
wonderland
How to make your home cosy With winter fast approaching, it’s not just your wardrobe which needs a seasonal shake up. Your home too needs a bit of WLC (winter loving care), but that doesn’t have to mean blowing the budget. While it’s easy to reach for the thermostat, there are ways of warming up your home without blowing up your energy bill. Build & Renovate Magazine talks to interior designer Karen Candy from KCandy&Co. about her top tips for keeping warm this winter as the temperature starts to drop. Winter woolies With winter just around the corner, investing in some decorative soft furnishings is always a good idea to prepare for the cooler months ahead. But what is the best material to go for on those frostier nights? 14 | B&R
Karen recommends opting for wool or wool blends and feathers rather than polyester to really reap the thermal benefits. “The nice thing about coming into autumn is there is a great selection of big, chunky throws and blankets available that are both warm and decorative. They sit nicely across the back of a sofa, and it’s just what you need for a Sunday afternoon nap or staying up late for a Netflix binge.
at 3000K, will make a difference to the perceived warmth factor of a room. The psychology of colour temperature “Colour psychology plays a bigger role when it comes to the perceived warmth of a space than most people realise,” Karen says.
KCandyandCo.
Prior to running her own interior design studio, Karen spent 10 years working in the residential energy efficiency industry.
“Bring your interior vision to reality. Tap into my experience, creativity, resources and knowhow to create the home you truly deserve!”
Take for example two identical rooms at exactly the same ambient temperature, the only difference being one is lit with a warm light bulb (3000K), and the other lit with a cool white daylight bulb (5000K).
Windows and drapes
Change out your light bulbs for a warmer colour
The person in the daylight lit room would insist their room was cooler because subconsciously their brain has registered the cooler light and interpreted it as a cool room.
If budget is front of mind and double glazing isn’t an option for every room in the home, there are other more cost-effective ways of retaining heat in your home which don’t break the bank.
While changing out your lightbulbs before the winter, maybe something you haven’t given much thought to, Karen says opting for a warm white lightbulb
Warmly lit rooms create an illusion of a higher more comfortable temperature. “It’s a handy trick to know as a designer when creating a desired atmosphere for a space.”
For single glazed windows, Karen recommends a curtain with a thermal backing or a three-pass lining that offers some thermal protection.
“With cushions I always make sure that I choose the one’s with a feather inner, feathers are just so warm, squishy and cuddly and when choosing rugs, those made with natural wool or wool blends are so much warmer underfoot.”
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