Saturday, January 26th, 2019
The chill in the air just confirms that winter is still around. It is quite appealing to just crawl under the sheets and just hibernate. But this hibernation will only be made possible by comfortable and soft mattress and pillows.
The great news is, if your bed still isn’t on par with the standards of comfort, then you still have time to transform it. And as soon as you’re done changing a few things, you can already curl up in your comfy bed and sleep through the cold weather.
So, what should you do to achieve this level of comfort?
Change the Sheets
Altering the sheets will make a big difference. Don’t worry, it’s not too late. Sure, you could use the cotton sheets still but you might miss out on the warmth and comfort that different options could offer.
Take, for instance, some new flannel sheets. These are soft and warm but they are also durable. Do you wanna have a more luxurious sheet? Then opt for silk. This is also a naturally hypoallergenic material. It is even better than cotton when it comes to insulation, meaning, you’ll feel warmer under silk sheets.
If you’re not thinking of buying new sets of sheets for now, then you can just pile the blankets and add to the thickness of the current layer. This is definitely not the best option especially when you easily sweat under thick sheets.
Use an Electric Blanket or Heating Pad
You might have observed that even when you have already added more blankets that the temperature is still too cold; if this is the case, then you can warm up the bed by using an electric blanket. Use this before you slip under the sheets.
Use a bit of caution when using a heating pad or an electric blanket, though. Be sure to check the manufacturer’s instructions as well as other safety tips from the Electrical Safety Foundation International.
Add More Pillows and Throws
You don’t just add warmth when you put more throws and pillows inside the bedroom, you also create texture.
Scour your closets for the pillows and throws that have rich and luxurious materials. The bedroom design can be infused with materials such as fur, leather, velvet, and cable knit. You can stick to just one texture or experiment with several others. You can always layer should you consider having more than one.
A faux fur throw that’s carefully placed in an accent chair or on the foot of a bed is the best scene-stealer. It is also awesome for those chilly nights.
Flannel can also be a rich, luxurious alternative for a fluffy surface. It is also known to be an effective material that retains heat.
Ample Lighting
Since you’ll have longer nights, you need to plan how to light the bedroom. Since there’s an apparent lack of sunshine, you can scatter the lights all around the bedroom so that you’ll achieve a glow that will make it appear that you’re illuminating from within.
You may use incandescent lamps so you can have a warmer glow inside this room. Such bulbs mimic the sun’s glow. To optimize the impact, you can have multiple bulbs or sconces flanking your bed. If not, then the go-to lighting fixture is a chandelier.
Enough candles in the room (just be careful that you don’t start a fire) could help you achieve hygge.
Use Lighter Colors
The Scandi design often incorporates light colors even inside the bedroom. Where else can you better get some design tips than the Scandinavians themselves? They have the longest winter seasons so they know how to design their homes during such times.
Infuse shades of white, gray, and pale blues in the bedroom.
Tags: hygge, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, winter bedroom, winter design
Posted in Bedroom Design, Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements, Winter Season | Comments Off on Is Your Bedroom Dressed Up for Winter?
Thursday, December 13th, 2018
‘Snowed in? Then you’re probably already feeling a bit of cabin fever. Also known as the winter blues or winter depression, this is as real as it gets when it comes to crankiness, irritability, sleep loss, and altogether feeling down.
So how do you battle the winter blues?
According to Web MD, current events and grieving…have led many Americans to retreat to the perceived safety of their homes. Although you tend to be around your family and friends when at home, there are some individuals who still feel grumpy that they believe they are better off without any companions.
More than roof raking or looking for ice dams, it is better to prep and make sure that no one in the family gets cabin fever. ‘Remember The Shining? Not a good thing, right?
Here are some tips on how you can battle winter depression –
Organize Photos
You may have waited a long time to organize your old photos, well, now’s the perfect time. This is an overwhelming project, no doubt, but it is one that can help you effectively while away the time while you’re indoors.
Roll up those sleeves and get to work especially when you have thousands of printed photographs to put in albums or frames. Check also those moving boxes because a few more photographs may turn up there.
Sit Down for Some Board Games
Who’s bored? Battle boredom away with board games. Take the time to read the instructions in each one, especially the ones that you have never played in the past. You can play any of the following –
Chess
Chinese checkers
Dominoes
Operation
Monopoly
Snakes and Ladders
Catan
Cluedo
Trivial Pursuit
Jenga
And never, ever forget the best board game of them all – Scrabble.
Set Up a Gallery Wall
Make sure that you are able to define your style when setting up your first gallery wall for the first time. You have to know the aesthetic style to go for. Are you a romanticist? Are you quirky?
If you’re still not certain about your style, then go for the classic look. The rule of thumb here is to set up frames five closed fingers away from each other. Set a good space for each of the pieces so that they do not look too crowded or clumped.
If you can, pace out the sculptures from the framed pieces throughout the wall. Is there are color scheme for your photos? Even if the photos have different hues, no worries, let the wall color become their anchoring element should this be the case.
Bake Some Goodies
So what is the latest craze when it comes to winter desserts?
Have you heard of the toasted coconut cupcakes? How about the Jaffa cake?
If you want the classics then go ahead and bake chocolate cake, oatmeal raisin cookies, or fudge brownies.
Teach yourself some new recipes this winter.
Turn Into a Bibliophile
Winter is also the perfect time to become a bookworm. Peruse your shelves for your reading gems. Bring out the ones that you have been meaning to read but have been too busy to get around to.
Have the kids pick some of their favorite books and, together, you can start reading hour (or hours).
Make sure that you have a cozy reading corner and you’d end up being uncomfortable. Choose an area in your home (if you haven’t already) that has ample space for a desk, chair, and shelves of books. If you’re going to share this corner, then make sure that there are floor cushions and a lot of reading options.
Create Crafts
Have you shared so many DIY videos that your email is jammed with them? Then it’s time to look through them and see what you can do this winter. Buy enough supplies for your winter hobby.
Tags: coping with cabin fever, holiday activities, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, winter activities, winter design
Posted in Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements, Winter Season | Comments Off on 6 Coping Tips for Cabin Fever
Tuesday, December 27th, 2016
Do you live in a poorly insulated home? A lot of people do and most of them spend thousands of dollars on energy bills each year. Back in the day, though, people snuggled for very little to zero cost. Theirs were effective methods no matter how basic.
The key to comprehending how warmth is kept is by knowing how you lose more heat through radiation than by convection up in the air. A house feels cold as you get back from the winter break though you have turned the heating. Air warms up quickly, though, while the walls take a bit longer to do so.
Also, poorly insulated homes have external walls that are many degrees colder compared to the internal walls. This is why you feel chilly even when the heating’s been turned on. There are ways to overcome the cold weather and also to minimize your energy bills.
Close the Curtains Please
More radiant energy is let in during the day and your windows serve as their portal into your home. Sunlight enters through the glass but at night, single-glazed windows get very cold. Even double glazing does not guarantee great insulation. This spells energy losses amounting up to a hundred watts for every square meter. This is equivalent to using an old-fashioned light bulb.
You can prevent this kind of heat loss by simply drawing your curtains and lowering your blinds during dusk. These are extra barriers that can prevent radiant heat from escaping, thus, adding insulation.
Have the Walls Covered
Stone or solid brick walls are better at insulation than glass though they can still get pretty cold. External walls made of sandstone, for instance, could get as cold as 16 to 17°C which is about 3-4°C cooler than the room’s air.
Cover the walls with mirrors or framed photographs. Even those poster ads are additional layers that will serve as insulation, thus, raising internal temperatures. You could cut your energy bills by a quarter as you bring down the room temperature by 1°C.
If you want more than just framed photos and mirrors, then go Medieval by having tapestries and carpets on your walls. These prove to be even more effective in keeping warmth inside your home.
Now what could be better than bookshelves or cabinets in covering your walls and keeping the cold air right where it belongs which is outside? If you’re an avid book collector, then those books could also serve as the best insulators. So start loving your printed books all over again.
Install Screens
Even when you’re done reducing the heat loss coming from the outer walls, you can up the shield some more by drawing up wooden screens. This is how people of old huddled up as they formed a circle around a fire.
Screens are effective in keeping people’s backs warm during the olden days. You could mimic this by protecting your back and your face from the damaging effects of the fireplace as you use fire screens.
Position Furniture for Warmth
How warm you feel in your home depends hugely on where you are standing. The farther you are from the external walls, remember, the warmer you would feel. Since there’s science behind this, it is best to position your furniture sets right next to internal walls, this way, you would feel a lot warmer.
So say no to stiff neck brought about by your bed’s headboard placed against a cold external wall or cold legs brought about by a desk sitting against one of the external walls. Beds with solid headboard and a four-poster bed are the best solutions if you wish to have warmer nights.
Tags: McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, preparing for winter, winter design, winter interiors
Posted in Interior Design 101, Interior Design Elements | Comments Off on Warming Up On Winter
Tuesday, November 29th, 2016
The Christmas season is just around the corner so it’s no surprise that fairy lights and trees evoke warm, fuzzy feelings once again. As early as now, decide on the theme that you would like to have for your home. You can go traditional with the red and white decorative theme or you can go distinctive and allow your home to stand out.
Everyone loves to bring out the decorative items for Christmas so why not ask the help of your family in setting up your home? Get ready with your wreaths and garlands, prep the mantel and the front door, clean the mailbox, prepare the card holders, ribbons and Christmas balls. It’s surely that wonderful time of the year once more.
So, go ahead, grab a mug of hot chocolate and start being inspired by these decorating ideas for Christmas –
Lustrous Table Toppers
Decorating your home for the holidays needn’t be stressful, what it should be is beautiful. Why not give your holiday table a little glimmer by buying metallic toppers or table runners? The more colorful and shimmery, the better.
Christmas Card Spectacular
Create a Christmas display by using wintry branches. On their own, they are actually beautiful but when you arrange them in a vessel or large vase, they become even more charming and festive. Scour through the Christmas cards that your loved ones gave you and find the ones that you will use as display during this merry season.
Let the Garden Inspire
Display ornaments right under the garden cloche. Find a bell-shaped glass cover which will serve as the mini greenhouse for the outdoor plants. These can be bought in many garden supply shops. You can also fill these with sparkling trimmings which can add radiance atop the dining table.
To fill, have the cloche turned upside down then balance then balance in a teacup. Put in the ornaments, invert the plate right on the open end. Turn the cloche carefully with the plate, right side up, then display.
Christmas and Mistletoes
What is Christmas without the traditional mistletoe? This is referred to as the kissing ball and it should be one of your decorative items this season. These will encourage your visitors to show a bit of love.
You can also turn the walkway to your home into a winter wonderland by lining up embellished urns that overflow with greenery and Christmas ornaments.
Pinecone Still Life
Another simple arrangement that you can use is to fill your home with the aroma of having that walk in the woods. Find a branch with unique, sculptural lines, fresh needles then find some pinecones which you can use as frog to keep the branch from tipping over.
Woody plants look good as ornaments just make sure to cut the end parts which will be dipped with pruning shears. This should allow the water to seep through more easily. Find a wide-mouthed glass vase to show the pinecones inside, fill it up with water then put the branch right among the cones.
Some Wreath Ideas
Tags: Christmas decor, Christmas interior design, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, preparing for winter, winter decor, winter decoration, winter design, winter interior design, winter interiors
Posted in Interior Design 101, Interior Design Themes, Winter Season | No Comments »
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