Homestyle: warming and wonderful ideas

Turn up the heat

These clever homestyle ideas from House Beautiful magazine are all so very, very, warming... 

An open fire loses up to 80 per cent of the heat up the chimney, but a woodburning stove releases most of the heat into the room yet still has the wonderful smell and crackling flames. And with a clean heat system, you can even burn logs and solid fuel in smoke controlled areas.

Badger 3110 Cleanheat stove, £1020, Morso

Images by PR Shots

Add candlelight

Supplement overhead lighting and tabletop lamps with soft, flickering candlelight to create a relaxed, soothing atmosphere. Group candles and hurricane lamps together on a mantelpiece or side table and choose richly coloured glass containers to add an even warmer glow.

Glass jar scented candles from a selection at The White Company. Similar hurricane lamp, £12, Marks and Spencer

Use rich colour

Deep aubergine on the walls turns a \'cold\' bedroom into a warm and welcoming place. Good lighting is essential with a rich palette. Try a mixture of lamps and overhead lighting to alter the mood easily. Other good shades for warming up a bedroom include Ashes of Roses and Heat, both by The Little Greene Paint Company.

Walls painted in Adventurer matt emulsion, £24 for 2.5L, The Little Greene Paint Company

Release soothing scents

Create a warm welcome with orange and geranium scented candles. Burning the candle for just half an hour will fill your room with a wonderful fragrance, while the flickering light makes a room feel snug. Try cinnamon and cedar too, for warming winter scents.

Mini mug candles, £30 for three, Emma Bridgewater

Lay feel-good flooring

A quality carpet can transform a living room from cold and drab to wonderfully light and also snug. Pale carpet is great if you want to make a room feel bigger and will tone with almost any colour scheme. Choose a design that is Scotchgarded so it stays looking good for longer.

Hilton in Polar White, £24.99 a square metre, Carpetright

Warm up your kitchen

Adding a bold splash of colour to a kitchen is the easiest way to make it beautiful rather than just functional. A run of richly coloured handmade tiles behind the work surface creates a stunning and practical feature. Aubergine looks great with a wood or cream Shaker style kitchen, but if you have white units you could try a rich red or orange for a more contemporary look.

Chantilly Vivid Aubergine tiles, £3.24 each, Fired Earth

Buy colourful upholstery

Neutral schemes can feel cold in winter so add an injection of hot colour. A brightly coloured upholstered armchair makes a great focal point or simply add a few new cushions in fiery shades.

For similar sequined cushions try The London Cushion Company

Keep out the draughts

Thermal lined or interlined curtains will keep out cold winter air as well as helping to retain heat inside. The Natural Curtain Company can add either a thermal lining or thick interlining to its made-to-measure curtains. Choose from sumptuous velvets and thick linens.

Interlined curtains in French Stripe Pruneau, from £352, The Natural Curtain Company

Add natural warmth

Keep a basket of cosy wool throws close to hand to snuggle up under on chillier evenings. It\'s much more economical than turning up the central heating.

Similar throws available from £95, Johnstons of Elgin

Snuggle up in bed

Transform your bedroom with a luxurious buttoned headboard covered in a plush velvet. Add new bedlinen in a butter soft Jacquard design to complete the look, and you\'ll never want to get out of bed again.

Juliette headboard, from £319; Madeline bedlinen, from £25 for an Oxford pillowcase; double duvet, £95; all Feather and Black