8 Ways to Prepare Your Home for a Cosy Autumn
As the days get crisper and leaves start falling, it’s time to turn your home into a warm haven
Autumn is a beautiful season, with its orange and yellow leaves and bright red berries. It’s the perfect time to wrap up for a walk – then come back to an inviting home. Follow these tips to get the most from your four walls this autumn.
Pep up your entrance
Cheer yourself up on colder days by creating a warm welcome to your home. Autumn is the perfect time to spruce up your front door, as it’s generally still mild enough to paint outside. Pick a cheerful colour that will make everyone smile.
When choosing it, buy an exterior paint that will protect it in all weathers. This 1920s reproduction door has been painted in a rich turquoise by CLPM. Any good decorator will probably take the hardware off beforehand, so now might be a good time to invest in a brand-new door knob or letterbox.
The rest of the front garden might need a tidy up, too. After all, you’ll probably see more of the front than the back garden during the winter. Plant some evergreen shrubs that will provide an attractive structure throughout the cold months, and add a couple of winter-flowering plants to boost interest.
Find a painter and decorator for your job in the Houzz Professionals Directory, where you can browse photos and read verified reviews from past clients.
Cheer yourself up on colder days by creating a warm welcome to your home. Autumn is the perfect time to spruce up your front door, as it’s generally still mild enough to paint outside. Pick a cheerful colour that will make everyone smile.
When choosing it, buy an exterior paint that will protect it in all weathers. This 1920s reproduction door has been painted in a rich turquoise by CLPM. Any good decorator will probably take the hardware off beforehand, so now might be a good time to invest in a brand-new door knob or letterbox.
The rest of the front garden might need a tidy up, too. After all, you’ll probably see more of the front than the back garden during the winter. Plant some evergreen shrubs that will provide an attractive structure throughout the cold months, and add a couple of winter-flowering plants to boost interest.
Find a painter and decorator for your job in the Houzz Professionals Directory, where you can browse photos and read verified reviews from past clients.
Make way for wellies
The hallway will need a seasonal overhaul, too. Let this beautifully styled example by interior designers Sims Hilditch inspire you to get yours in order.
Put away sandals and sun hats till the spring and organise space for larger outerwear. Make sure there are enough hooks for all your heavy coats, as well as a stand for umbrellas. It’s also a good idea to put a basket next to the door for gloves, hats and scarves.
Lastly, allocate enough room for everyone’s wellies to be neatly stored after a muddy walk.
The hallway will need a seasonal overhaul, too. Let this beautifully styled example by interior designers Sims Hilditch inspire you to get yours in order.
Put away sandals and sun hats till the spring and organise space for larger outerwear. Make sure there are enough hooks for all your heavy coats, as well as a stand for umbrellas. It’s also a good idea to put a basket next to the door for gloves, hats and scarves.
Lastly, allocate enough room for everyone’s wellies to be neatly stored after a muddy walk.
Prepare for wholesome dining
With autumn comes delicious food: warming soups, roast dinners and hearty breakfasts. Prepare a dining area where you can enjoy some cold-weather fuel with friends or family. The simple linen tablecloth and white crockery here looks lovely with the wooden furniture and rattan basket.
Collect some bare twigs or branches during an autumn walk and put them in a vase, as these homeowners have done. The display will last all winter, and then you can replace it with spring flowers.
With autumn comes delicious food: warming soups, roast dinners and hearty breakfasts. Prepare a dining area where you can enjoy some cold-weather fuel with friends or family. The simple linen tablecloth and white crockery here looks lovely with the wooden furniture and rattan basket.
Collect some bare twigs or branches during an autumn walk and put them in a vase, as these homeowners have done. The display will last all winter, and then you can replace it with spring flowers.
Get organised
September and October can be a great time for new resolutions, as you’re not recovering from the excesses of Christmas. Use the ‘back-to-school’ feel of these months to get your home organised and ready for winter action.
Put away your summer wardrobe and have a declutter at the same time. Organise your filing and invest in any new storage you think you might need. Now might be a good time to organise your kitchen cupboards, too. Throw away out-of-date food and store similar things together. Decant pasta, rice and pulses into attractive jars, and find some useful storage for your spices.
And if you’re revamping a kitchen, consider a bespoke pantry cabinet like this beauty by Higham Furniture.
September and October can be a great time for new resolutions, as you’re not recovering from the excesses of Christmas. Use the ‘back-to-school’ feel of these months to get your home organised and ready for winter action.
Put away your summer wardrobe and have a declutter at the same time. Organise your filing and invest in any new storage you think you might need. Now might be a good time to organise your kitchen cupboards, too. Throw away out-of-date food and store similar things together. Decant pasta, rice and pulses into attractive jars, and find some useful storage for your spices.
And if you’re revamping a kitchen, consider a bespoke pantry cabinet like this beauty by Higham Furniture.
Locate a window seat
Even if you’re not planning to venture outside often, it’s still nice to capture daylight from the comfort of an armchair. Rearrange furniture so some of your seating is facing a window. On a cold, crisp day, you can cosy up with a blanket and a book while watching the leaves fall from the trees.
Even if you’re not planning to venture outside often, it’s still nice to capture daylight from the comfort of an armchair. Rearrange furniture so some of your seating is facing a window. On a cold, crisp day, you can cosy up with a blanket and a book while watching the leaves fall from the trees.
Organise outside lighting
On a dark evening, arriving home or visiting the shed or dustbins will be difficult if you can’t see where you’re going. So it’s important to ensure any outside lighting is in good working order.
It’s also nice to have some lighting in the back garden to illuminate winter plants – though bear in mind that too much artificial light after dark can have a detrimental impact on nocturnal wildlife. Garden experts advise illuminating sparingly, timer- or motion- activated systems and swapping uplights for downlights and low-level solutions.
More: How to Design Garden Lighting That’s Good for You and Wildlife
On a dark evening, arriving home or visiting the shed or dustbins will be difficult if you can’t see where you’re going. So it’s important to ensure any outside lighting is in good working order.
It’s also nice to have some lighting in the back garden to illuminate winter plants – though bear in mind that too much artificial light after dark can have a detrimental impact on nocturnal wildlife. Garden experts advise illuminating sparingly, timer- or motion- activated systems and swapping uplights for downlights and low-level solutions.
More: How to Design Garden Lighting That’s Good for You and Wildlife
Create a spa bathroom
Quick summer showers make way for indulgent baths and pampering in the autumn. No matter how small your bathroom is, it’s possible to give it a luxurious spa feel.
Invest in some scented candles and reed diffusers, as well as a few good-quality soaps and oils. Place rolled-up towels in a basket to give the room a hotel look, then close the door and escape for an hour or two of rest and relaxation.
Tell us…
Do you enjoy autumn, or are you more keen on warmer weather? How do you prepare your home for the new season? Share your thoughts and ideas in the Comments.
Quick summer showers make way for indulgent baths and pampering in the autumn. No matter how small your bathroom is, it’s possible to give it a luxurious spa feel.
Invest in some scented candles and reed diffusers, as well as a few good-quality soaps and oils. Place rolled-up towels in a basket to give the room a hotel look, then close the door and escape for an hour or two of rest and relaxation.
Tell us…
Do you enjoy autumn, or are you more keen on warmer weather? How do you prepare your home for the new season? Share your thoughts and ideas in the Comments.
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As the days and evenings become colder, you’ll need to think about keeping warm. First things first – be inspired by this inviting Sigmar-designed room and get yourself some soft throws and blankets. Then attend to the bigger stuff, such as making sure your radiators are all bled and your boiler has been checked.
If you have a working fireplace or wood-burning stove you plan to use, now’s the time to prepare it. It’s important to have your chimney swept and tested once a year. Look for a chimney sweep who’s registered with the National Association of Chimney Sweeps or the Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps.
As open fires and wood burners are a source of both internal and exterior pollution, get up-to-date with Government guidance and regulation for their use, especially if you’re in a city. If you’re buying a new burner, bioethanol models are worth looking into; otherwise, it must be Ecodesign-compliant and you will ideally use a Defra-approved solid fuel.
If you’re keen on logs, look for the ‘Ready to Burn’ logo to boost safety. Most importantly, make sure your smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are all working.