This late autumn, I would like to discuss how to achieve cosiness without clutter. Grey weather, cold wind and rainy days make us buy candles, cushions, blankets etc. Decorating your house with lovely little things is a usual pre-Christmas shopping mania. This short article aims to brainstorm how to make sure we don’t cover ourselves with layers of unnecessary stuff.

First, I think we should understand what cosy means to us and how we perceive it. What is cosy? Comfort, relaxation, warmth, rest, shelter, snug are all words that define this feeling. There are many more too. The key is that it is a tranquil setting that gives us a sense of security and stillness. It can be achieved by rightly organising light, colours, materials and textures.

Natural materials and colours, for instance, chestnut or walnut, create a warm welcoming atmosphere. Tactile experience can be added through textured upholsteries and mood can be controlled by freestanding lamps – both floor and table. A well-chosen rug can be a winning solution, giving warmth to a large area yet not filling the space in an obvious way.

Next, let’s understand how do we perceive clutter. What is clutter? An untidy collection of many different things that communicates a messy disorganised state of being. Some might find being surrounded by clutter stressful, but for others the experience can feel quite comfortable. However, often it is the lack of focused organised action that lets clutter grow. Once all small things start piling up, they create physical and psychological barriers, that make it harder to see the difference between cosy and chaos.

Eventually, having discussed cosy clutter concepts above, here are some conclusions. I propose 4 steps to achieve an organised peaceful setting.

1. Imagine

A helpful thing to start with is to imagine what your perfect space looks like. Can be as easy as closing your eyes and trying to see as much detail as you can, whilst walking through your dream home. Pay attention to colours, textures, objects, both large furniture and smaller accessories.

2. Focus

Once you have had a tour through your ideal cosy space, focus on particular details which gave you most satisfaction and caught your longest attention. What was the light like? What were the colours and how bright was the space? Was there any particular object that you really liked? This will help you identify your first steps and really pinpoint priorities of where to start. It will also be useful when later you will be shopping for new items, or selecting from the existing ones.

3. Filter

Now it is time to look at the real room that you are in and divide your things into 3 groups: starting to choose from what really makes you feel good and brings lots of joy and comfort; second group is things that gave you slight hesitation; and lastly everything that is left behind in this prioritising exercise. However, you don’t have to throw things from the last group away, you can either put them into another room, sell online or gift them away to charity. This will not only clear up your space and give you pleasant restful space to enjoy, it will also do some good by sharing your goods that you don’t need with somebody who does.

4. Apply

Sometimes it is a matter of moving things around and rearranging your existing possessions. Sometimes, it requires more critical action, which you can train yourself to enjoy. Once you are used to having only what really matters around you, it will be natural to appreciate the less crowded space.

With all this in mind, I’m off to have a seasonal clear out and, hopefully, you feel encouraged too. Good luck!

Deciding on colours in which to paint your home is not easy, regardless of whether you are or are not a designer. Colour triggers emotions which makes the selection very personal. Not only we rarely agree amongst ourselves what a particular colour actually is – blue, green or turquoise, we also experience very different reactions to that same colour. It communicates strong messages, setting the feel of space as well as becoming background to everything else. Not to mention, every day - is a new day, and many other unrelated factors impact our experience of that same room.

The solution has to be smart. Our palette has to respond to the ever-changing mood, opinion, season, lifestyle, fashion, likes & dislikes and so and so on.

To start with, WHITE WALLS are not boring, and, white walls cannot fail. There are three reasons why: light, focus and maintenance. White walls reflect the light and make the room feel bigger and lighter. Ceilings feel higher, rooms feel wider, windows feel bigger. It is beautiful when a wall captures one ray of sun and brings the whole space to life. It also highlights the inherent architectural character of the space. Being such a basic colour, white yet brings all details out. Imagine you put a white shirt on, it starts to highlight all other items you are wearing with it. Same applies to all objects in the room: plants stand out, art stands out, furniture is framed with the white background behind. But, finally, it is also very easy to maintain. Even though walls can get dirty in a more obvious way, touching up paint is stress-free.

However, white is not the only clever solution. While white walls is a safe choice, it does not necessarily fulfil the potential that each room might offer. There are many colours that are NEUTRAL enough and yet versatile to adapt well to many different interior features. Take grey for instance. It is a very elegant and sophisticated colour that has many secrets of its own. It can be modern and classy, obvious or not, feature or base. It can also work together with the majority of other colours as a calm but confident backdrop. Interestingly, this colour is amongst very few that are timeless, making it a very attractive choice.

Finally, some more out-there options can be some very natural colours of a DARKER TONE. This is dark blue, forest green, terracotta. These, being natural pigments, are very soothing as our mind subconsciously makes connections to nature which we as humans are intimately linked to. We experience a sense of piece and relaxation, which gives natural tones a lot of confidence in interiors. As far as our reaction to colour goes, studies show that some colours are more calming then others, some inspire creativity and some even make you feel hungry. So, picking the colour can either be theoretical and researched, or based on an instinct. Either way, it will not leave you indifferent.

Once you feel comfortable with colours, you can start experimenting and using more than one colour or even painting asymmetrical shapes, similar to COLOUR BLOCKING. These two later options have to work with the rest of the room more than a single colour application. However, it can bring much interest and uniqueness to the space of any size and proportions.

All in all, whether you choose one, two or three colours, paint is a fun and easy way to creatively re-fresh your home. But, most importantly, it is also an easy one to play with. If something goes wrong and the colour is not working, you can change it in a matter of a brush stroke. It is absolutely worth trying and hopefully you are now inspired to find your hues at your next renovation.