13/01/2013
Does Your Room Feel Cold & Uninviting.....
Large or tall rooms can have a tendency to feel cold and stark...
…....but small rooms, and dark rooms too, where you have perhaps decorated with cool and pale colours to help with the feeling of space, can sometimes do their job a little too well......
………………and leave a cold and unwelcoming feel...
Minimalist schemes, or decorating colour schemes in all white, can sometimes also feel stark and cold to be in too.
A lot does depend on your own personality and tastes.
You might love that neat, clean and spacious feel - or, like me, you might be more comfortable with a cozy and more comfortable feel, with all your 'home comforts' around you.
Some of these free decorating ideas to warm up cold rooms are great for giving a more homely, lived-in feel to minimalist or bland rooms too...
Colours
Cozy colours are essential to a warmer feeling room.
• Even in small spaces, try not to rely exclusively on white and cool colors (although these do help the space to feel larger).
• Warm, mid-toned colors will make your room more warm and welcoming, but without making it feels too dark.
• You can change your whole colour scheme, or just add accents of warmer colors to an existing scheme to 'cozy' it up.
• Choose tones of: Reds, Oranges, Yellows, and Russets.
•For paler tones, use rich, warm creams, beiges, taupes, apricots and pinks - rather than a stark, bright white.
This can work well in smaller spaces, and where you are not over-fond of using strong colours, for any reason.
•If you have a chair-rail, or picture rail, then paint the area of wall above it in the warm colour, in a darker shade than the area below.
•Try to avoid contrasts between light and dark shades, as this can feel very hard and stark.
Introduce some warm, mid-tones (russet or orange tones) to cosy it all up.
Lighting
One of the easiest free decorating ideas is to think of your lighting to warm your rooms up...
• Try to avoid 'up lighters'
• Choose several sources of light - task lighting and accent lighting - scattered around the room, to provide several warm pools of light.
Consider:
- Table lighting
- Floor lighting
- Wall lighting
• Tungsten bulbs give a lovely, warm glow, so choose these, rather than the harsh light of fluorescent or halogen bulbs.
• You can also give a lovely warm glow to rooms if you choose a warm colored lampshade for bulbs.
• Add candles for warmth and atmosphere in the evening
Fixtures & Fittings
What you do with your furniture is more important than the style of furniture itself
• Remember to try to avoid stark contrasts between light and dark shades - this is 'harsh' not warm and cozy
• Think about textures in your home - make sofas, chairs, beds etc in your home look warm, soft and welcoming.
Add extra:
- Pillows
- Cushions
- Throws (especially faux furs)
- Warm colours
Warm wood tones in furniture and accessories can really warm up your whole look (mid-tones with red and orange hints would work better than dark brown woods).
• Carpets are far more warm and welcoming than hard flooring...
If you have flooring in your home, don't worry too much, as thick, soft, tufted rugs are wonderfully cosy to dig your toes into.
• Soft, luxurious fabrics such as velvets and chenilles, and even, more rustic 'rough' fabrics with texture - such as wools and hessians, can also give a 'warmer' feel.
• Add personal touches in warm colours - artwork, accessories, photos, vases etc. for a welcoming and homely feel that will really turn your house into a home.
• Curves and 'softness' will give a warmer feel than 'hard' and glossy surfaces and textures
• This (above) is an idea that works particularly well where you have a minimalist scheme, or for small rooms decorated in very pale colours, and you just need to warm up the scheme a little.
So long as you get the physical temperature sufficiently warm, interior design can do a lot to warm up cool and unwelcoming rooms, and to make your home feel cosy and friendly.
These free decorating ideas can really help - and give you lots to consider in your own room makeovers.
Aakar Creative Creation is a design consultancy firm, started by young creative minds to cater the needs of Modern Society.
