Winter v Summer

With winter upon us (at least for some of us) – it’s a cold frosty sunny day here in London we look to our homes to evoke comfort and warmth. Its time for rugs to skim floors, for slubby knitted cushions to hang out on sofa’s and if you happen to have a fireplace a fire burning in the hearth. I use oodles of candles from scented to lots of little t lights at this time of year. They set a flickering, flattering glow and light up nooks beautifully. I string fairly lights over mantles and paintings to create another softer layer of lighting and as odd as it sounds am beginning to prefer winter over summer. The light is so soft and low that with my house painted out in various dark hues my walls almost look and feel like velvet.  With the days becoming shorter its important not to over light rooms – shadows are a good thing as they create atmosphere and intrigue lots of low wattage lamps will create the most beautiful atmosphere. Couple that with a hearty stew on the stove a good glass of wine and winter’s suddenly not looking so bad. How cosy is this - red walls require all out bravery (not that brave yet I hate to say) and cast a soft beautiful note particularly in winter.