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!

Exposed brick walls are most commonly found in apartments formed inside abandoned warehouses and lofts, which has influenced our perception of look and feel created by this design element. With rare honesty, it raises associations with industrial past and therefore brings the luxury of authenticity to the space. However, having been so highly favoured by many people, it gives a very broad scope for creative new palettes and style variation that it plays part to. This short article will particularly focus on the range of spatial character that brick wall suggests as well as design strategies to achieve each one of those characters.

5 distinct interior atmospheres that love a brick wall:

Industrial: exposed and raw - unfinished but refined.

Here, structural and mechanical building elements that sustain function and intended use of the building are kept exposed. Large open space, minimal intervention, honest materiality are all true features of the industrial interior. Bold and unique interior objects (furniture, art, other fittings) are key to bringing freshness into this interior style. Utilitarian elements are celebrated by leaving pipes, ducts and other service elements exposed. Vintage objects can really contribute to the unfinished look of the space too, emphasizing the juxtaposing eras of both.

Bohemian with rustic elements: The feel that this style is celebrating is rather nostalgic and carefree with hints to romance. It is a bold collection of texture, colour and pattern. It is very proud of its seemingly random collection of objects on display, sustaining a very artistic yet liberal atmosphere. There is no one defined vision of a bohemian style, as more than any other style it is very unique and faithful to the personality and culture of its creator. Well-preserved existing architectural features saturate interiors with sensational moments and add more layers to our perception of that space.

Contemporary sleek: There are many streams to the modern style but they all share one common quality - a very well-found balance between neutral and bold. Minimalism is key. Contemporary is a more relaxed attempt to a modern style, where simplicity is not as enforced. Here, the exposed raw material may sometimes appear as a passive feature to the space, not in any case accentuated by any surrounding clutter. Often it might be painted over to match with the rest, blending it into the minimal context even more.

Barn / Country: This is less typical for an urban environment property; however, its raw absence of luxury and bare authenticity is often an inspiration. In case of a barn conversion, it is worth keeping existing structural elements, such as beams and walls, exposed. This way we accentuate the natural fabric of the original use. The space then can be complimented with either very minimal modern pieces or quite vintage and rustic - both will work really well with the honest background.

Tacky and kitschy IN A BAD CASE: In short, this starts to happen when it is falsely overused, and replications as opposed to honest features start being used. This is a no-go zone, just mentioned here as a reminder to look out for spurious excess.

3 worthwhile aspects that this raw material adds to the value of the space:

1. Experiential: Adds character. There is a vast number of types and range of colours of brick as well as a wide variety of bonds, that all give a brick wall its particular look and story. It is fascinating how wide is the range of appearances that can be achieved with treating exposed brick in a certain way and then completing the ensemble with considerate detail.

2. Time-related: not fashion but classy, so a long-lasting design. Wall paper, paints, porcelain tiles are all in a way superficial finishes, the range of which is unceasingly growing to reflect new interior movements. Raw structural materials, on the contrary, is the essential basis that is always present. Even though interior trends are ever-changing, such elements as brick, concrete, steel and glass do not respond to such fashions.

3. Monetary: value can be added by keeping original elements. Finally, the point which is in no way less important is money. Real features highlight the authenticity of a property, which has always been worth something more. Random collection of words here: History, craftsmanship, quality, longevity, character, meaning, tactility, layers and manifestation, but altogether that is what gives value, unites the concept and coincidently is a list of things the majority of us is attracted to.

Pulling together interior ideas for your own home is mesmerising, yet not easy. More often than not you will need professional advice to help you define the right path, consolidate your thoughts and preferences, or even specify the right materials to achieve the vision in a practical way. Having existing features, such as brick walls, can give your journey a steer and hopefully this article has shown you how.