HOW TO MAKE THE HOUSE COSY FOR AUTUMN
With the end of summer and the arrival of autumn, the house too is preparing to change its look. That's right, because the autumn season not only brings with it a change of climate, but also new colours and a newfound desire to experience the home and its warmth. So, how to make your home cosy for autumn?
Of course, you can't expect to overhaul your home decor every time the seasons change! That's why colours and decorations come to our aid.
Autumn colours are undoubtedly the most evocative of the whole year and it is enough to play with these two elements, without forgetting the latest trends in home decor, to give the house a warm, cosy autumn mood.
To make the house cosy for autumn you can start by choosing colours, to be inserted here and there in each room. The new protagonists of the palette will be all earth tones, from brown to beige, passing through their declinations (brick, orange, hazelnut, cream) and daring with some more eccentric warm shades, for example yellow ochre or burgundy red.
In autumn, fresh flowers give way to dried ones, tropical succulents give way to dried leaves fallen from the trees, the light of the sharp, dazzling summer sun gives way to the soft light of scented candles, the pumpkin becomes the key ingredient not only in the kitchen on steaming dishes, but also in decorations, as do pomegranates and chestnuts.
It is these elements that, from objects and sensations, are transformed into decorations and patterns for all the textiles in the home. Carpets, cushions, throws, kitchen towels, tablecloths, towels, sheets and bedspreads take on autumnal colours and patterns. Even if you're not into knick-knacks and decorations, but prefer minimalist home decor, you certainly can't do without essential home textiles! You can therefore play on those listed above to make your home cosy for autumn, without ever betraying your personal taste. On the other hand, your home must first and foremost be cosy for you!
How to make the house cosy for autumn: the living room
After spending so much time outdoors, enjoying the sun and nature during the summer, the desire to stay indoors returns every year with autumn. The living room (or living room) reigns undisputed as the room in the house in which to spend one's free time or relax.
Everyone gives the word relaxation their own connotation: some people like to curl up on sofas or armchairs to read, others lie down and let themselves be carried away by a film or TV series while munching on more or less healthy snacks, others sit and do handicrafts, write or draw, and others enjoy a tea party in perfect British style, and much more. In all these cases, what counts is the atmosphere.
To give this room a warm and cosy aura all it takes is just a few details, always to be chosen according to personal taste. A nice, soft furnishing rug, perhaps with medium-long pile (allergies permitting) in warm shades from dark brown to light beige, patterned or tone-on-tone. A warm, enveloping plaid and matching soft cushions. Some candles, simple or in compositions, to give a touch of warm light to the room and delicately perfume it.
For the more romantic, some extra lights, the wire kind that can be hung. Maybe a little light music, as the multi-talented song.
How to make the house cosy for autumn: the kitchen
In the kitchen in autumn, cosiness has a whole other... flavour. If in the warmer months it is somewhat neglected, preferring cold, raw food or simple, quick cooking, in autumn the body and mind demand something warmer and tastier. The season helps because it offers seasonal delicacies: pumpkin, chestnuts, persimmons, walnuts, mushrooms, truffles, pomegranates, to name but a few.
Try thinking not only about the image of these ingredients but also their colours. Well, now imagine your kitchen furnished with textiles bearing these designs of nature and/or their colours...et voila! As for the living room, it only takes a few elements to make your kitchen cosy in perfect autumnal style. A practical and functional kitchen carpet, either plain in the colours mentioned above or in a pattern (a great trick to get rid of stains and food splashes), tablecloths, centrepiece runners, tea towels, as well as mugs, jars, crockery and kitchen utensils in typical seasonal patterns.
For this room, unlike in the living room, light takes on a different task. Soft light is not needed here, except for a few hours, in case you want to host a candlelit dinner with your better half or close friends. In autumn, you can no longer count on so many hours of sunshine and light, but for cooking and living in the kitchen, light is an essential element.
Always choose lamps and bulbs with warm light but high wattage (if you want to save on consumption, opt for LED lighting) and create additional lighting points with floor lamps or easy-to-apply LED lights. For the table you can create or look for an arrangement made of dried flowers, leaves, branches or berries or, why not, nuts and chestnuts. As a container, you can use a dried empty gourd if you like DIY. When decorating the kitchen, we increasingly appreciate what is edible, sustainable and recyclable.
How to make the house cosy for autumn: the bedroom
In autumn we can finally say goodbye to the remote control of the air conditioner, the only appliance that can, unfortunately, really affect the sleep of many. Without the grip of the heat, we begin to sleep peacefully again and wake up more rested.
The hibernation period slowly begins for animals, but, in a way, for us too. Sleeping wrapped in blankets, in that irresistible warmth, almost makes us not want to get out of bed in the morning. The bedroom, in autumn, must warm all the senses: touch and sight first. As we said at the beginning, you can't change all the colours and materials in a room as soon as the season changes, but you can tweak details to make the house cosier for autumn.
As for the room, call in sheets, blankets, bedspreads, pillows and carpets! You have learnt the colours by now, but patterns and materials change from the other rooms. You don't want to put a pumpkin in the bed, do you?! Choose bed textiles in plain colours or autumnal floral patterns, warm and fluffy bedside rugs (sheep's wool-inspired ones are very popular) to put your feet on in the morning and extra cushions to match. Thick cotton, velvet and chenille are the most 'cuddly' materials of the season. Also in this room: soft lighting and various candles in free movement.
How to make the house cosy for autumn: the bathroom
While for some the alcove par excellence is the bedroom, for others it is the bathroom. In this room, unless you live alone, you can enjoy maximum relaxation. Especially if you have a crowded house, if you have a large family with children or children of different ages, but also if you share your home with housemates, the bathroom is the only room in which you can enjoy your privacy in all intimacy.
If this is also the case for you, especially in autumn and winter, give free rein to endless showers and hot tubs and a few tens of minutes of post-bath mummification in a warm bathrobe. At your feet the perfect red carpet for the moment: the bath mat. In summer thin and flat-haired, used to avoid slipping when getting out of the shower, in autumn ... a whole different story. The perfect bath mat to make the house cosy for autumn will be: soft and warm (hence thicker and longer pile) and super-absorbent and quick-drying, because it will have to absorb water droplets, resist steam from hot showers and dry quickly after washing.
Materials best cotton and microfibre, and this also applies to sponges, which will also have to match the carpet, at least in shade. Soft light? Yes, but also no. In the bathroom, it is advisable to combine two different types of light: a warmer, broad-spectrum light to be placed on the ceiling in the centre of the room, and one near the mirror, which is cooler and more focused, to be switched on as required. Candles? Yes! Perhaps to be placed in the sink cabinet, space permitting, or in the surrounds of the bathtub, ready to be lit before a warm bath.
It may be water or nudity, but the bathroom is the room in the home that most evokes a sense of nature. This is why, when choosing the colours of the accessories, it is a winning idea to refer to the tones of the current season and to decorate with materials reminiscent of wood or bamboo.
