10 Ideas for a Warm and Welcoming Winter Home
The nights are drawing in, so create cocooning spaces and a cosy home that embraces the season ahead…
Main image: OKA
The Scottish word coorie means to snuggle, but it’s much more than that: it’s the joy of getting outdoors and embracing the weather, then coming back to home comforts. Key is warm, welcoming spaces to unwind or to relax with friends and family. There’s a whole host of words from around the world to describe this feeling. Cwtch (kutch) in Welsh means a warm hug or a cosy, safe space. The Swedish trygghet describes a sense of ease and security, while the German gemütlichkeit offers a word for friendliness and cosiness. Norwegian peiskos is more specific still, being the warmth you get around a crackling fire. Here’s how to embrace it at home this winter.
Main image: Baked Tiles
Create a cosy atmosphere with layered lighting
Low, layered lighting can help create a relaxing space. Use table lamps to bring a warm glow to dark corners. Candlelight – real or fake – is a must for the relaxing, flickering light it brings. Fill bell jars and vases with fairy lights. Scented candles and diffusers add seasonal fragrances.
Pictured: Lights4Fun, Emma Bridgewater
Coorie pastimes and winter hobbies
When you’ve been for your bracing walk, you’ll be looking forward to spending time curled up inside. We’re talking mindful winter hobbies that take you away from screens – knitting, reading or setting up a sociable board game.
Decorative details for a winter interior
Woodland motifs, Highland animals and folksy styles bring a fun element to a winter interior, while miniature scenes of Alpine chalets or gingerbread houses add seasonal touches without going full pelt into Christmas just yet.
Pictured: JJ Textile, Norfolk Hygge, Mountain & Molehill
Cosy fireside seating ideas
The crackle of a fire is the quintessential cosy set-up. Create convivial seating areas with fenders around the hearth, velvet sofas and leather chairs. You can fake the glow without the fire with oversized storm lanterns or foliage on the mantelpiece that integrates twinkling lights.
Pictured: Graham and Green
Social spaces for winter entertaining
A big part of embracing winter cosiness is spending time with friends in a warm, inviting space. Bring in seasonal foliage for the table and layer up table settings for a look that shows care for guests but feels informal and relaxed.
Pictured: Talking Tables, OKA
Bring warmth into your home
From thick blankets to hot water bottles and sheepskin throws, the coorie approach requires plenty of ways to offer warmth in your home.
Pictured: Cox & Cox, So Cosy, JJ Textile
Tap into the burrowcore trend
One rising seasonal trend is burrowcore – the idea of hibernating while you wait out the winter. Heavy curtains, soft rugs, and sofas and beds stacked with blankets all tap into the aesthetic, which is a wintry update on cottagecore. Whimsical storybook details add to the vibe.
Create a cocooning winter ritual
Make spaces for relaxing, gentle wind-downs and meditation. Candles, warm towels and steaming baths create a winter’s evening ritual.
Cook up a winter feast
A big part of winter cosiness is the wintry feasts you can indulge in, from porridge and maple syrup for breakfast and Cullen skink soup for lunch to afternoon tea with homemade scones and mince pies.
Winter drinks to warm you up
From marshmallow-topped hot chocolate to mulled wine with its delicious scent of gently warmed spices and orange peel, update your drinks cupboard for the season. Master the Old Fashioned cocktail with a smoky twist, or try a winter margarita served in a crystal coupe that glints in the candlelight.
Pictured: EnamelHappy Limited
