17 Easy Ways to Cozy Up Your Home for the Colder Months

Beat the chill outside with an interior palette rooted in warm, cozy colors. Textiles, accessories, and art featuring hues like rusty red, burnt orange, mustard yellow, and olive green make gorgeous additions to most neutral color schemes. If you plan on using saturated shades, be sure to balance them with plenty of warm white to avoid a heavy look.

As the days get shorter, utilize your home's lighting to make up for a lack of sunlight. Create a cozy ambience with light fixtures that emit a warm, soft glow. Rearrange floor lamps and table fixtures to brighten up dark corners or provide extra light for your favorite reading spot. For a subtle glow, outfit lamps with semi-opaque shades that will diffuse the light or switch to bulbs with a warmer color temperature.

If colder weather is keeping you inside, bring some of the outdoors in with decorating ideas pulled straight from nature. Incorporate wood accents and furniture or plants into your decor to recreate the relaxing feeling of being outside. Accessorize with other materials like rattan, leather, aged metals, and linen fabrics for added layers of natural texture.

Nubby knits are an ideal companion for chilly nights at home with a movie. Layer throws over sofas, chairs, benches, and beds to help you snuggle in and get comfy. Choose blankets in seasonal patterns and colors for an accent that's easy to swap out throughout the year.

A crackling fire naturally draws people toward it, so accommodate that with extra seating around your hearth. For the fall and winter months, rearrange your furniture to shift your conversation area to the fireplace. Consider adding in smaller stools or chairs that can easily be pulled up closer to the warm hearth.

Grab those family-heirloom quilts out of storage to add a comforting layer of nostalgia to your home. Pile a few across your bed for extra warmth, or consider using them as decor. Frame pieced squares and hang in a grid or mount an entire quilt on the wall. If you have an out-of-the-way table, try placing a small quilt on it as a tablecloth.

Faux sheepskin has an irresistibly soft texture that's especially inviting in the colder months. Drape small sheepskin throws over chairs, benches, and sofas for instant comfort. Larger sheepskin rugs add a plush step underfoot.

Switch out summer sheers for patterned drapes in a thicker fabric. Heavy drapes keep out drafts and lend an elegance to the room, especially if they reach all the way from the ceiling to the floor. Remember that curtains should hover slightly above the floor to ward off dust and avoid tripping hazards.

Paired with a warm blanket, throw pillows make sofas and chairs even more inviting. Look for fluffy pillows with a lot of texture to pile on the furniture. Then think about investing in or making larger pillows or poufs for the floor.

Bare tables, while perfect for breezy summers, can feel too stark for fall and winter. Tablecloths are expected, but a runner is an even easier way to dress up a table. Get creative and use a long scarf, a fabric remnant, or a thin blanket for a seasonally appropriate runner.

A cold floor on bare feet is an unwelcome surprise in chilly weather. Fend off icy toes by placing area rugs in well-traveled spots in the home, including hallways, bedrooms, entryways, and living areas. In rooms that already feature an area rug, consider layering another one on top for even more coziness.

Introduce extra layers to your bed for the fall and winter months. Start by switching out your lightweight summertime sheets for some made with a warmer fabric such as flannel or fleece. Then pile on additional pillow pairs and place a decorative throw in a seasonal color or pattern across the foot of the bed.

Although not soft and fuzzy, gold accents still have a warming effect. Hang a series of gold-framed mirrors in a hallway, foyer, or on any bare space of wall that needs a little lift. If you can't find the perfect gold accessories, head to the crafts store and pick up some gold spray paint and add a gilded touch to candlesticks, figurines, and more. (Be sure to buy the right spray paint for the material you'll be updating.)

Cold weather is a prime opportunity to pull out your favorite tomes or find a new favorite and lose yourself for hours in a good book. Pick a well-lit corner of your home, illuminated either by natural light or a lamp, and arrange a comfy armchair in it. Place a table nearby to stack with your favorite books and reading lists. If you read on a tablet, consider a spot near an outlet for easy charging.

Employ cozy patterns, such as buffalo check plaid, tartan, herringbone, and tweed, in small doses throughout your home. Look for patterned throws, pillows, rugs, and other accessories in colors that work with your existing scheme. For example, if you have navy blue accents in your living room, add a plaid throw that incorporates navy in the design.

Cover bare table legs and create an entirely new shape in your room by draping cloth over a table. Make sure the table skirt reaches all the way to the floor for a polished look. Bonus: You can stash boxes of paperwork or miscellaneous items beneath the skirt for quick decluttering.

It's not realistic to switch out larger pieces of furniture each time the seasons change, but you can easily do so with smaller accents that are less expensive to swap. Trade in brightly colored area rugs, towels, and other affordable accessories for muted tones and seasonal textures. These inexpensive changes can be made even more affordable if you shop end-of-season sales.