We’ve put together some simple interior design guidelines for layering up interiors during winter so you can easily and quickly achieve cosy, nurturing spaces.   

1. Using floor rugs to layer up your interior décor

We often enjoy a more minimal, neutral look during summer but when the cooler months arrive it’s time to layer up with colour, texture and interest and the floor is a great place to start. We like to store our heavier rugs away after each winter and bring them out again when the chill arrives, or perhaps it’s time to introduce a new look all together. 

If the right rug can complete a room, the choice of rug makes or breaks a scheme. When thinking about what type of rug will work best for your home, apply the fundamental design question we always ask before making any purchase: what will it be used for? In terms of rugs, will yours be for comfort and practicality, e.g. placing the rug on a timber floor, or more for a sense of luxury by layering on top of carpet; and do you want the rug to blend in or make a statement?

Either way, make sure your new rug is large enough for the space because buying rugs that are too small is the most common mistake people make. When choosing rugs for seating areas, ideally the corners of the rug’s long length should tuck under the sofa or chair legs, keeping the rug neatly in place.  

Layering up with rugs on carpet is a good option too and works best when the carpet beneath has a short pile, as this helps minimise rippling. If you are layering, it’s important that carpet and rug colours work well together and mixing patterns successfully can be tricky so perhaps seek a second opinion on this. 

2. Dining at home during winter nourishes in so many ways

There’s something special about dining at home during winter. It must be because we’re bringing our two favourite things together, people and food! There’s a lot to celebrate too in the Southern Hemisphere with Winter Solstice, Matariki and Mid-Winter Christmas all happening around June and July. Why not treat friends and family to a special feast – decorate the table with colour and candlelight and watch a beautiful event unfold.  

If your dining suite is underwhelming perhaps it’s time to consider a change. Dining tables styles are softening, so much so they’ve gone round! Think cosy winter dinner parties with everyone sitting at a welcoming round table with not one hard corner. It’s easier to squeeze more people at a round table too and that’s perfect for making things feel even warmer!    

3. How to choose the right headboard

At Amazing Interiors we recommend headboards a lot and that’s because they really do make such a difference to a bedroom. In the interior design world, headboards give any bedroom more substance and sophistication. They signal ‘this is a luxurious space’. Like rugs, they complete a room and considering their cost relative to other elements in the room, they make a big impression for a reasonably small outlay.  

To choose the right headboard, firstly decide whether you want it to make a statement or blend in. Headboards can be made in cane, timber, upholstered in fabric, leather, faux leather or a myriad of other options. You could also consider upcycled features such as antique doors and retro screens, to make a room look really individual and there’s plenty of choice available in our showroom, and custom-made options too.  

4. Choosing the best winter bedlinens and fabrics

Bringing together a collection of beautiful fabrics and different textures is what successful layering is all about for homes and for home staging. When dressing the bed, interior designers like to go for a sense of sophistication, luxury and escape. By choosing alluring, comforting, quality bedlinens and accessories, this will help to elevate our mood throughout winter.

A neutral foundation such as white works best when dressing the bed because white gives any bed that ultimate elegant touch. Think crisp Egyptian cotton sheets or soft chambray linens, then layer up with a selection of either deliciously soft, feather-filled duvets, woven matelassé bedspreads, comforters, pillows, euros and cushions. And you can’t go wrong adding alluring, plush velvet to your bed décor scheme, it’s one of the ultimate luxury fabrics.    

You might already have a colour scheme that you’re happy with and it’s simply a matter of enhancing that with a fresh new bedspread or comforter in one of the season’s new shades. Whatever you do, you can add some comfort and warmth to your bed this winter.    

5. Bring in new cushions and throws for pops of cosiness

Adding a new set of seasonal cushions and draping several couch throws throughout our living spaces are easy, affordable ways to layer schemes. When our summer cotton and linen cushions and throws make way for winter, bring in luscious, luxe looks in velvets, chunky knits and other beautiful textures. Luxurious and affordable, it’s hard to go past velvet. It’s everyone’s winter friend and works beautifully with quality wools too, such as cashmere and mohair.

Traditionally velvet is made from silk, but now comes in cotton as well as microfibre, which feels as soft and authentic as the original velvets. It’s much easier looking after velvet these days too. There are fantastic cleaning products available designed specifically for it, so it handles the rough and tumble of family life beautifully.     

6. Walls for winter warmth and inspiration

Whether it’s acquiring large wall art, covering one wall, or more, in stunning wallpaper or giving rooms a fresh coat of paint, the way we decorate our vertical surfaces has a big impact on how we feel in our homes during winter. As it’s the season for cocooning, think about what really pleases you when planning to enhance a scheme. A stunning wallpaper for a feature wall or several walls makes an exciting statement whether you go for geometrics, botanicals, shimmering luxe effects, Art Deco or Chinoiserie themes – to name just a few.      

7. Light up your winter world

Achieving a sense of welcome during winter depends on having the right lighting. Lighting determines mood and ambience, so it’s really important to get it right. In winter the focus is more on mood lighting, so hunt out soft, yellow-glow bulbs, not harsh white, and dimmers are like winter magicians, helping you set the perfect mood at the turn of a dial.   

Having a variety of light sources on different levels makes a room look and feel intriguing and is just another form of layering. We like a combination of ceiling lights, but not too many and definitely have these on dimmers. Make sure to choose the right transformer too, to avoid flickering. Walls lights might suit your scheme and standard and table lamps will work every time. For the finishing flourish, add candlelight – the more the better.      

8. Layer up your outdoor spaces for winter

It’s easy to forget about our outdoors areas as the weather turns cooler but ironically, focusing on making our outdoor rooms as inviting as we can adds an extra dimension to our lifestyles and enhances our experience of winter.

Celebrating winter solstice and Matariki outdoors seems so much more authentic and with all the extra outdoor comforts such as heaters, throws, even heated outdoor seating, there’s even less excuse to avoid heading outdoors on a crisp, invigorating evening. We say layer up, light up and dress every surface to glow, nurture and inspire.    

9. Treat yourself to a fantastic statement piece

Whether it be a stunning vase, sculpture for indoors or out, finishing touches for the dining table, a gorgeous lamp, or stunning lighting feature or the latest look furniture in sustainable, recyclable materials – seek out something that gives you and your home a lift now and that you’ll cherish for years. 

10. Sometimes it’s ok to break the rules

Sleep hygienists tell us to keep screens and technology out of the bedroom but isn’t it lovely, snuggling up in winter, and watching your favourite series when wind and rain is lashing at the windows? So why not sneak a flat screen into the boudoir, especially the kind showing an artwork of your choice when it’s not in use. We love it when guilty pleasures become more acceptable! 

Need help transforming your ideas into reality? Give us a call.