Brrrr...it's been chilly here in Los Angeles. And, while those of you in the rest of the country may laugh, when your home isn't built for cold, even a relatively balmy fifty degrees can have you spending the evening sitting by the heating grate. Here's what we do when the temperature drops to make our home feel cozier.
- Throws and blankets are a necessity for us when the temperature dips. We can tuck them around us when it's chilly; when the weather warms up again, they add color or tuck them under your head for a makeshift pillow when you're curled up on the couch.
- Bring the furniture in closer to the center of the room. Like gathering around the hearth in days of yore, circling the furniture around a central point gives the feeling of warmth.
- Piles of books. When it's cold, we like to curl up on the couch with a good book or settle in for a good video. Although we normally advocate against it, a little bit of useful clutter -- a pile of books or videos, a basketful of knitting, a cluster of bright red flowers -- can fool the mind into a feeling of warmth. Now's the perfect time to bring out the extra pillows.
- A change of lighting: A pool of light from a bedside lamp or a reading light ups the cozy factor more than the harsh glare of an overhead light. If you've been thinking that your room needs an extra bit of light (we like three sources of light in every room apart from an overhead bulb), now's the time to bring it in. A change of bulb -- try a pink one or a lower wattage -- can also bring up the illusion of cozy.
- A bit of greenery: Usually we think of flowers and plants as adding an illusion of cool to a room but, depending on the kind, they can also add warmth. Of course, evergreen branches and poinsettia plants are expected at this time of year but any plant or flower with dark foliage and warm red or orange flowers has the same effect.
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Wow. This picture really shows a room that needs cozying up...Sadz.
YOU FORGOT TO ADD HOT BATHS!!! That'll keep me warm for hours, with the right layers on, of course.
And yes, fifty IS brrrrrr! I live in the cold NE and try keeping the thermostat at 57 in winter for nighttime. If I make the mistake of turning it way down overnight (on a warmish day in November) I wake up to a frrrrrreezing 50 and can't wait to bump up the heat again.
And try moving around a lot...vacuuming, dashing around cleaning or making hot food.
Pets. Both cats and dogs that sit on or next to one's lap are exellent little (or big!) warmer-uppers!
Am I the only one that finds this post adorable?
Sorry. Being a lifelong Minnesotan will do that to a person. We roasted a turkey yesterday, and it was done somewhere between 3 and 4. Our heat was set at 65, but it was still 75 or 80 in the apartment at 10 PM when we were all getting ready for bed.
I ended up sleeping with my window open, letting the balmy 45 degree air wash over me. I can only sleep when it's brisk.
Baking is one of the ways we heated my first apartment. There's a point at which even a Minnesotan is cold... that point is when the whole apartment reaches 50. Turning the oven on or boiling stuff worked great. That, or sitting on the floor under a pile of blankets - one of them a heated one - and you're good to go.
I have an electric blanket that I keep for the couch. I like to sleep in a cool room, but get cozy on the couch!
That picture makes me sad. To add to ways to make your home more cozy: add a dog! Mine keeps my feetsies warm while I study and cuddles when I'm done while I watch tv. Plus, nothing is cuter than your little buddy curled up on the couch. I always feel like I'm "home" when I see my boy's happy face.
I was raised in Minnesota and now live in cold New England. I've also spent a lot of time living in England. So, I know cold.
The secret is to have at least one room in your living space that's warm. I find those oil-filled radiators to be really effective in a small room. Also, my tv set gives off a lot of heat, so I turn that on and mute it, if necessary. Baking bread smells wonderful and helps heat the room. Blankets, of course, and dressing properly - this is no time to put fashion over comfort.
I like sleeping in a cold bedroom, but we have an electric mattress pad which is The Best Thing Ever. Turn it on a little before you go to bed and when you climb in to bed it's all warm and snuggly.
When I was a child in Minnesota and complained about the cold my Dad would always recite this limerick:
There was a young girl from Quebec.
Who was stuck in the snow to her neck.
When asked, 'Are you friz?'
She replied, 'Yes, I is,
But we don't call this 'cold' in Quebec.'
I'm sitting in my home office in Virginia wearing a sweatshirt over a polo. Just ate a bowl of low-sugar oatmeal and am thinking about revving up the electric kettle again for a pot of tea. How I keep warm in the winter, Southeast edition.
Hot tea!
I live in Calgary. Last Tuesday we were the second coldest place on earth. The only place colder was the South Pole. It was colder here than the Arctic Circle. Now THAT is cold.
http://www.swankydigs.blogspot.com/
@Dulcibella Very cute. I live in Quebec and it does get really cold during the long winter.
Should anyone need a cozy basketfull of knitting, kindly enquire within; I am so very overstocked in every room and even to the trunk of the car. Comes complete with a very bad cat.
tara77, i live in calgary as well and that was bitterly cold! thank god for heating pads! :)
I usually travel to work in the early morning with hot tea or coffee (not burning!) in a lidded glass jar that can sit in my lap while I'm driving until my car warms up.
At home, I cozy up with wool socks and slippers.
I live in Los Angeles too, in a drafty apartment.
But I welcome winter as the best season to bake lots of bread to eat with SOUP, my favorite warmer-upper. Tonight it was whole wheat flax-seed rolls with leek and potato soup; yum!
I agree with the warm earthy colors of autumn for flowers and foliage. It really doesn't get very cold where I live, only really cool. So, lots of candles in the colors and scents of autumn works well for at least setting a warm and cozy atmosphere.
My friend's cat likes to be completely covered by blankets. I thought it was cute so I trained my cats to be covered up. They didn't like it at first but now they like it. They make nice heating pads!
It was 50 degrees today in Grand Rapids, MI and I saw people comfortably walking around campus with short sleeved shirts on! If the coldest it got in MI was 50, I would be a lot happier!
The low here was 16 on Thanksgiving and we've still got a cold front moving in.
I tend to bake tons, wear sweaters on top of sweaters, and perfect my Toddy-making skills!
I live in LA too (going on 3 years now) but grew up in NY. Early this morning I was wondering just when I became such a wimp that 50 feels cold to me! (Since I'm thinking of relocating to Philadelphia next year, I figure I better get over this, and soon!)
My get-cozy-quick strategy involves wolfing down my dinner so I can spend the rest of the night in my bedroom (the warmest room in the apartment) under a fleece blanket reading or watching movies on my laptop. Ironically enough my bedroom also has better lighting than the living room so it just feels better hanging out here.
Baking. Crank that oven right up and warm up the place.
Otherwise, yes, pets fit the bill quite nicely. And I agree about lamplight as well, but not, unfortunately, for those who use the funky swizzle green/pc energy-saver lightbulbs. There is nothing cozy about those things.
Little buckwheat pillows you can throw in the microwave are great for those days when you just really CAN'T seem to warm up.
snuggling
@babyfishmouth. I am hoarding incandescents. I care about the Earth, but I won't rest until the basement is wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling incandescents.
We have such changeable weather in Atlanta. This T'giving Day it was nearing 75F, last year it was 28F. I'm prepared for anything!!!
Hope everyone in USA had a great Turkey Day last week. I had two T Days this year. I was in Niagara-on-the-Lake when Canada had their's in October!!!
Snow and currently -11°C here, but it's been even colder already, about 5°F. Since I live in a draughty high-storey building and can't influence insulation where there's room for improvement, I start by wearing wool socks. A wool throw is also useful and nice to wrap oneself into.
These are my must haves during the cold winter months.
Microwavable buckwheat slipper inserts, my EdenPURE infrared heater, a cup of hot cocoa in my hand, a pot of spices simmering on the stove and the Christmas twinkle lights turned on and I feel warm and cozy on the outside and on the inside.
Call me a wuss... but I live (and grew up) in the Bay Area, so I feel you, Abby!
I've been turning to this ugly but super comfy/warm sweater I own. Plus piling up under blankets when I'm in the house. I also enjoy sticking my cold feet on my husband (who apparently does not enjoy it as much as I do...) And we've been turning on our electric blanket so the bed is nice and warm when we crawl into it at night.
Thick curtains, electric blanket, triple duvets, good food, red wine! Our woodburner stove is the best thing we did to our house so far.
Shots of Jameson and a cute girl do it for me..