Not everyone’s a fan of winter, but one thing it does offer us is the opportunity to get seriously creative with the home décor!

We spend a lot more time inside during this time of year, highlighting the importance of making our spaces feel snug and stylish more than ever before. After all, nothing beats a super cosy home when it’s cold and frightful outside.

The question is – where to begin?

Fear not - we’re on hand this week to make your winter décor woes a thing of the past. We’ve compiled our top 7 tips on how to hygge up the home this season without breaking the bank or requiring a complete makeover – phew! A few key elements here and there can make all the difference.

Check out these top tips for a cosy winter to remember…

1. Lighting

If there’s one thing we crave at this time of year, it’s light. All those dark mornings and dark evenings – it’s little wonder we get depressed in the winter more than in the other seasons. As soon as the clocks go back, this feeling only gets worse.  

Fortunately, adding some warm lighting to your bedroom, kitchen and living room can make all the difference.  

Placing a few extra lamps in the corners of rooms adds cosy character to an interior, rather than opting for a main central room light that can be overpowering. Our Parrot Lamp with Shade offers up plenty of colour with a quirky twist.

Just make sure you choose a bulb that’s on the warmer side of the scale. For example, a warm white bulb with a colour temperature of between 2000K to 3000K will provide a soft, yellow light instead of a harsh cool one.

Alternatively, candlelight is another excellent option. Our wall-mounted Susila Curved Lantern is a bamboo, boho-inspired hurricane lamp that you can fill with a candle of your choice. The spaced slats allow for a gentle introduction of light into the room.

2. Textiles

Those hardwood floors may look great in the summer (and are ideal at keeping the room cool), but that’s not such a welcome feature once the temperature drops like a stone outside.

Fortunately, there’s a super simple hack that saves you from having expensive carpets fitted – rugs! Rugs are fantastic ways to accessorise your home with textiles, thanks to their versatility and unique reflection of your own style. They can also be a wonderful expression of your personality.

You can accessorise with rugs in practically any room – the lounge, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and hallway are all areas that can instantly benefit from such a simple hack. Also, unlike carpets, rugs can be replaced in a flash to reflect the changing seasons.

Think of rugs as floor artwork – you put a lot of effort into choosing wallpaper and paintings for the walls, so why should the floor be any different? Naturally, a thicker style of mat makes sense in the wintertime. Choose one with a pile of at least 2-3cm to keep the heat in and provide a luxurious experience for your feet.

Our Kiko Rug has a plush pile of 3.2cm, ideal for winter and is a great look in the living room. The black and grey diamond design makes for a striking statement piece that contrasts beautifully with lighter coloured furniture.  

3. Houseplants

Not much plant life grows outdoors in the winter, but this fact alone means it’s the houseplant’s time to shine!

Faux houseplants are a dream to display around the home. They’re dead easy to position, don’t require maintenance and can last for years. If you’re a bit hesitant to try synthetic plants, rest assured that our offerings are hyper-realistic (things have moved on a lot since the days of tacky plastic plants in the 1970s!).

Alternatively, dried plants are an ultimate compromise between real and fake (plus, they last far longer than fresh plants).

Seeing greenery in our living spaces can also help us connect better to the outside world. Some studies have suggested that houseplants can improve our mood, reduce stress and have an overall positive effect on our mental health. Now that’s a winter hack I think we can all appreciate!

For a spectacular display, choose either our Dried Flower Bouquet for heaps of colour (which doubles up as a great Christmas dining table centrepiece) or our Fan Palm Tree to remind you of the tropics throughout the winter gloom.

4. Mirrors

Mirrors are a godsend. They create the illusion of space (opening up small rooms thanks to how they reflect light) and make a great statement piece.

If you’re not a fan of traditional wall art, a mirror or two could be your answer. Depending on your niche style, there are dozens of designs to please, from industrial to bohemian, vintage and even wooden frames for the farmhouse traditionalists.

Maximising the available light is so important in winter – a room filled with mirrors and candlelight achieves a dazzlingly beautiful effect once it goes dark outside, so why not give one of ours a go? Thanks to its antique black iron frame, our Cedric Oval Mirror boasts a traditional shape with an industrial twist.

The soft curves of the oval shape also offer a nice alternative to straight lines (which can be quite harsh unless it’s a particular style you’re aiming for).

5. Scents & Fragrances

Wintertime, and Christmas time especially, heralds the return of home fragrances, spice and all things nice. After all, a sense of hygge and cosiness doesn’t just lend itself to visual elements – all the senses should be stimulated at this time of year.

Whether you’re into joss sticks/incense sticks, potpourri, diffusers or scented candles, there are plenty of creative ways to introduce cosy, wintry scents into your home. Think cloves, clementines, cinnamon spices and warm, fruity zests.

Our special scented candles, exclusive to WSG, each comes with a unique fragrance. They also come inscribed with a quote that sums up life – our ‘anything but ordinary’ edition is a firm favourite. The dark pomegranate scent is also a winner! Spread a few of these around your living room and you’ll come up smelling like heaven.

6. Textures

Furry blankets, woollen seat covers and soft throws just ooze that cosy hygge feeling. Sometimes, snuggling up with a thick blanket is the only course of action when it’s throwing down a blizzard outside.

Pillows and cushions are a tried and tested method to amp up the snugness, as well as being simple to style. Alternatively, why not add an extra level of warmth to your favourite chair or bar stool? Our Mongolian Fur Seat Pads are so easy to affix to chairs.   

For a top-tier luxury experience, try our Wishbone Dining Chairs with a fur finish (available in 3 editions). A cosy augmentation to Hans Wegner’s mid-century 1949 CH24 design, the goat’s fur seat cover adds texture, depth and tone to your dining room or kitchen. This really is the visual definition of Scandinavian hygge!

7. Wall Art

Hanging wallpaper isn’t quite as straightforward as the other hacks we’ve listed in this blog post, but it’s a sure-fire way of transforming your home in time for the festive and winter season.

A cosy home is often the polar opposite of minimalism, so choose warm, inviting colours with a busy texture to give your walls plenty of character and flair. Bare walls often indicate a feeling of coldness, as can walls painted in one solid, block colour.

Wallpapers and murals with a lot going on bring your walls to life, lifting the look of an entire room. Warm yellows, browns, reds and oranges are naturally good tones to choose from at this time of year.

Our Ottoman Pattern Wallpaper is a great wild card option – loads of colour with an exotic, Turkish design. As well as inviting texture and hue into the lounge, its Eastern pattern also gets you thinking of warmer climes – just what you need when it’s -2C outside!

In summary, it’s easy to see how a few changes here and there can cosy up your home for winter in a flash.  

Any home can benefit from creature comforts, clever hacks and innovative ideas at this time of year. All it takes is a bit of creativity to transform your interior into a magical place to spend with friends and family this festive season.

Good luck with the winter makeover, Saints!   

Feel the Love!