Ahhhh fall, my absolute favorite time of year! I know people love summer and adore the heat but my joy is in crisp mornings snuggled into my favorite sweater drinking a pumpkin spice latte (or PSL which seems to be trending).
Several times this summer I have looked longingly at my sweater shelf and found myself anticipating the fall when I could wear these wonderful, warm jewel-toned knits.
As we start to feel a chill in the air, we can also experience a coolness in our homes – this is the season to warm up and winterize. Give your home a sweater! Pull out the warm blankets or make a trip to your favorite home décor store to stock up on rich colours in soft fabrics. Switch your summer short pj’s for winter flannels and waffle print onsies, but please make sure they have a flap!
At this time of year windows require and extra layer of curtains for light and heat retention. Gleaming hardwood would appreciate a cozy cap of an area carpet and your leather sofa would love to have a soft velvet blanket draped over its back.
You can actually use your fireplace again and snuggle inside when it gets too cold to sit outside around a fire pit.
Walk off mats at the front and back door help debris from being tracked into your home and can help trap some of the draft that may come in through the front door.
You may find the need to warm up your house visually instead of just turning up the furnace!
Take inventory of the rooms where you spend the most time; are the surfaces in those rooms smooth and hard or soft and wavy?
For example, a textured wooden dining table with stone inlays will feel much warmer than a glass top table with chrome legs. If your furniture is smooth (such as leather) try adding some knobby, fluffy toss cushions to increase sound absorption. If the room has hard reflective surfaces it can echo causing the room to feel much colder than it actually is; adding texture and depth will help kill the chill.
If you are renovating or building your dream space, now is the time to add electric floor heating to those cold spaces. When you rise in the morning and step onto your warm pre-heated bathroom floor your toes will thank you and you will be much less inclined to run for that tiny thermostat button to warm up your morning ritual. Often just a few minutes of heat under your tile/carpet or hardwood is enough to make the room bearable without having to heat up the entire house. Under floor heat mats are available in every shape and size, customizable to any room and run on a simple electrical thermostat. For the thrifty among you, slippers are still the least expensive and most portable option.
The seasons change so quickly before you know it you will be furiously digging in your closet looking for light mitts and your fall trench coat before you stroll into the beautiful fall palette sipping your favorite spicy pumpkin beverage. Plan to have something warm to cuddle up with at home once you are back from that walk!
Kim Meckler is an interior designer in Red Deer with Carpet Colour Centre.
