Achieving this environment and ambiance is not just about turning the AGA on or the central heating up. Whether your home is a formal residence, a sprawling country farmhouse or cosy cottage, here are some ideas from Country home interior designer, Lisa Burdus, for creating warmth and cosiness this autumn and winter, whatever your interior style.

Layer up“The most wonderful way to create an inviting sense of warmth is with layers. We naturally dress ourselves in warm layers for the cold months and the same should be said for our homes.  The technique of layering creates a deeply satisfying, subtle effect, bringing subconscious comfort to every room.

To achieve this, we look at the choice and placement of lighting, furnishings, as well as art and accessories. These are elements that can be adjusted to create a different effect throughout the changing seasons of the year.

In the British autumn and winter, we are naturally drawn to embrace warm fibres like wool and tweed, fleece, linen, and flax for their warm, tactile and comforting qualities. We choose them for our clothing and they make an excellent choice for furnishing and dressing our home as well.

A talent I’ve always had and use in all my projects is for blending, contrasting, coordinating and even carefully clashing furnishings to create a rich environment, one that you simply want to sink into and relax.

I use lamps, cushions, rugs, throws, window coverings, art and wall coverings to create these layers of colour, light and interest.  When executed well, this creates a completely enveloping sensation.

The very best interiors are practical, versatile spaces that flex with our changing demands and the comings and goings of our modern lives. Those beautiful sheer blinds that diffuse spring and summer light now need an extra layer to keep out the dark.

The rooms we are in and out of most often in the evenings, need the gentle glow of a lamp to welcome and comfort us, especially those rooms with hard surfaces: kitchens and bathrooms in particular benefit from the soft glow of considered ambient lighting.

Plan great storageAnother tip is to carefully plan storage. Again, at different times of the year we require access to different things, in the winter we want our hats, coats, gloves and boots all easily to hand. We’re in and out the door with them and good bespoke storage with a place for everything makes this a breeze. Great storage solutions can be achieved in the smallest of spaces as well as highly efficient utility rooms, well designed for multiple dogs, boots and guns. An ideal hallway will invite you and your guests with a welcome embrace and space to de-robe, it will not be cluttered with coats, boots and dog leads

Bring some outdoors inMy final tip is to decorate entry and living spaces with seasonal foliage, not just for Christmas but for every day. Foliage is underrated, bringing something of the outdoors in brings a welcome freshness to a room.  Evergreens are inviting and comforting to live alongside in the winter, reminding us of longer, brighter days.”Successful interiors make life easy and enjoyable, executed well they add value to your life and to your home. Lisa is known for classic and relaxed interiors, for her it not just about how a place looks, but how it feels to live there.

Lisa is taking on consultations for projects in 2024. If you’d like to talk to her about enhancing your country home, please do call 07754 892789 or email lisa@lisaburdus.com