Winter is the ultimate time to bring texture and warmth to the home. Not only because of that inevitable drop in temperature, but also as indoor aesthetics, and the comfort they bring, start to take greater precedence during the shorter days and longer nights. 

While we’re accustomed to introducing velvet cushion covers, thick, fluffy throws and flickering candles to create a warm winter ambience, we often ignore our curtains, keeping them the same all year round. But given the role windows play in adding privacy, conserving energy, regulating temperature, and bringing an extra element of visual intrigue, we think it’s folly to so often overlook them.

A twice-yearly approach to dressing your windows, then, is the answer. Indeed, one of the easiest and most effective ways to decorate your home for winter while keeping it warm is to finesse your windows. With this in mind, here are 7 stylish ways to dress your windows this winter.  

More Swagger, Less Glare

If you’re squinting at the screen trying to read this, with the glare of the sun shining directly on your screen, then this point is for you. With winter comes shorter days and a lower sun, meaning its glare when you’re working is often increased. Indeed, even though winter is the darkest season, the light coming through the windows can become a bit of a nuisance. Excessive glare makes it hard to see computer screens – not great when we’re all working from home, desperately trying to avoid digital eye strain.

A stylish solution to this problem is to add a swag, valance or cornice to your window. Not only do they bring character and architectural interest to your window dressing, but they can also block the sun’s beams from entering through the top part of your window. 

While curtains and blinds are good for reducing glare, they aren’t the only solutions – you still need to enjoy the view and what little sunlight we have, after all. Moreover, constantly messing with the blinds to prevent the glare all day can be a pain. The answer? Use a glare-reducing window film. While not exactly a glamorous response to the problem, they’re certainly a simple and cost effective solution. And there’s something stylish about thrift, right?

Layered With A Luscious Fabric 

Just as layers play a defining role in our winter wardrobes, so layering your window dressings can also make a difference to how your home feels when it gets cold outside.

The first layer, closest to the windowpane, should be purely for practical purposes (just like a vest). So, a blind is most effective for blocking drafts on windy winter nights. Next, it’s time to choose an outer outfit for your window that will not only look good but also provide the requisite layering for keeping the cold out and the warm in.

Sumptuous, sensual velvet is ideal for the job. Not only does it drape beautifully, but it also lends a luxurious feel to the room. To drag the metaphor out way past its natural conclusion, we often associate velvet with evening wear and we, erm, also close our curtains in the evening. It just makes perfect sense, right?

We particularly love crushed velvet here, and Chenille curtains seem to drape particularly beautifully. Dressing your windows never felt so good.

When it comes to choosing your curtains in the most luxurious fabric available to you, make sure they are full length and heavyweight to keep the cold out. It’s a good idea to get bespoke curtains made if you have room in the budget; have the length of the ceiling to floor, as well as the proportion of the window, measured as bespoke curtains can ensure your curtains are long enough to graze the floor while at the same time being wide enough to be completely closed. 

Match Cushions & Curtains 

If you’re really looking to go the extra mile with that bespoke, tailormade aesthetic, then consider getting curtains made with matching cushions for a bold, brave look. Whether you choose pleat, eyelet or any other style of curtain is your choice. Just look for heavier drapes made from a closely woven material to help keep the blustery weather and icy temperatures at bay.

Remember that winter curtains should always be lined, or better yet, thermal, which is particularly useful during aa cost of living and energy crisis, when keeping usage down is encouraged.

When it comes to choosing the material and colours, be brave by adding a rich and sophisticated seasonal palate to your home. Deep tones like plum and midnight blue are great for winter and can create an opulent feel. Berry hues of burgundy and jewel tones of emerald green and ruby red can also bring that festive cheery touch, while earthier shades like forest green and burnt orange are equally appropriate, seasonally.

Floral patterns against a dark backdrop can look particularly striking, particularly when they’re reinforced by the synergised aesthetic of matching curtains and cushions.

All The Glitz & Glam

When it comes to winter, we all need a little sparkle in our life. Hey, that’s what all the tinsel’s for at Christmas, right? Enter trimmings, tassels and tiebacks, fringes and more, all in shiny, shimmering fabric. Let’s face it, though we’ve been extolling the virtues of investing in new curtains, accessorising your drapes is a far more budget friendly option, and can have just the same effect on the aesthetic of the room. The quickest, most affordable way to livening up a room which feels cold? It’s this.

Dramatic Double-Height Drama

For those blessed with double-height windows or particularly tall ceilings, winter is the perfect time to make a statement with floor-to-ceiling drapes. The vertical lines created by full-length curtains draw the eye upward, making your space feel even grander while providing excellent insulation during those chilly months. Opt for heavier fabrics like damask or thick linen in winter-appropriate tones – think charcoal, deep navy, or rich chocolate.

The key here is to ensure your curtains are professionally installed with proper hardware that can support their weight. When drawn, these magnificent drapes create an almost theatrical effect, transforming your windows into striking architectural features while keeping the winter chill firmly at bay.

A Winter Window Seat

Many of us have taken to gazing out of the window, wondering if this is all that post-pandemic life has to offer; yep, we are all Edward Hopper paintings now.

While you’re staring out there into the abyss, musing on how much the world has changed yet everything stays the same, you may as well make the most out of that strange, fleeting connection with the outside. As a rule of thumb, you usually want to avoid putting things in front of windows, however, creating a DIY window seat for winter (or any season) is the exception; you might be inside for a while, so you might as well get comfy!

Permanent features such as built-in benches under bay windows are ideal if you have the space, creating a natural gathering spot. If not, installing a small chair with the best view in the house offers a warm winter sunspot, where you can bask in any sunlight streaming through the windows.

Cosy up by pilling up the cushions and dressing them in the same fabric as your curtains, add a snuggly blanket and perhaps strategically place some candles close to hand and you’ve created a wonderful window space to cocoon yourself in. We’ll see you on the other side of the season!   

Embrace Natural Textures

While velvet and heavy fabrics are winter classics, there’s something incredibly appealing about incorporating natural textures into your window dressing scheme during the colder months. Consider installing woven wood shades or bamboo blinds as a base layer, topped with wool or linen curtains in neutral tones.

This combination brings an organic, Scandinavian-inspired feel to your space while providing excellent insulation. The natural materials add warmth and character to your room, creating a cosy yet sophisticated atmosphere that feels particularly appropriate during winter. For added interest, look for curtains with subtle woven patterns or textural elements that catch the light differently throughout the shorter winter days. This approach works particularly well in modern homes where you want to maintain a minimalist aesthetic while still adding seasonal warmth.

Should you be considering updates and amendments to your home on a more practical level, then check out these 12 home maintenance tasks you should tackle this winter. You won’t regret it!

We’ve always known that a lack of space and storage is the scourge of urban living, but this was exemplified strongly during the pandemic years. We had to ask more of our homes than ever before, needing them to become multifunctional spaces able to house an office, a school, a gym and more, all within those familiar four walls.

The nation proved nimble and dexterous in creating home offices, home gyms and mini-indoor gardens, make no mistake, but in turn, our actual living spaces became smaller and smaller. Many found themselves storing stuff in the most obscure of places, skirting around furniture just to get out of the living room door and constantly tripping over items they’d put in the hall to find a space for later.

With the rise of hybrid working and the continued evolution of how we use our homes, it’s time to get serious about storage. Luckily there’s plenty of retractable, foldable and multifunctional furnishings and storage solutions out there to consider. With that in mind, here are some compact, flexible furniture ideas to make the most of small spaces.

Hideaway Desks

The massive increase in home working during the pandemic has led to lasting changes in how we work, and many have found that wall mounted fold down tables are a brilliantly flexible solution when you don’t have many square metres to work with.

When working from home, we’ve spoken about the benefits of ceremoniously closing down your laptop, putting it in its case and keeping it out of sight until the next day to help draw a distinction between deadline meeting and downtime. Alongside saving space, folding wall mounted desks are ideal for this symbolic act, offering a practical workspace during the day that simply folds away once you’re done, seamlessly blending in with the rest of your decor until you need it again tomorrow.

Bespoke Fitted Furniture

We’ve extolled the virtues of fitted wardrobes before, which are especially handy if you’ve got awkward shaped rooms with slopes and angles, as they can be designed to fit in a nook, cranny or alcove and double up as storage.

Indeed, fitted wardrobes are, in essence, bespoke designs that can maximise every inch of space. Because fitted wardrobes are 100% customisable and can accommodate your specific storage needs via a clever combination of drawers, shelves and different sized compartments, they can fit snugly into even the smallest of spaces. Installing fitted wardrobes can help you organise your clothes and accessories efficiently, freeing up the floor and making your bedroom feel more open.

It’s not just fitted wardrobes that save space. Floor to ceiling bespoke shelving, and neat, vertical cupboards are both additional great ways to maximise space in a compact room. More streamlined than freestanding storage, built-in furniture designed specifically for its room helps to put every single centimetre of space to use.

Wall Mounted Dining Tables

The importance of flexible dining space has become increasingly apparent in recent years. If you want to be able to host all your friends around a dinner table but you’re living in a place which even the most generous of estate agents would term ‘cosy’, then consider a wall mounted design, ideal for when space is limited. You can get designs that double as mirrors, picture frames or even pool tables, which blend effortlessly into your living space when not in use.

If you’re not big on dinner parties, but want enough room for two, we’re also huge fans of the Izzy fold-down dining table from Made.com. This handy table acts as concealed storage and, come dinnertime, folds to seat two people. Intimate, romantic dinners await!

Double Duty Furniture

There are some really clever ways you can create space in your apartment involving practical but stylish furniture which boasts hidden storage potential.

We love the Tiny Home Bed featured in Dezeen recently, where “graduate Yesul Jang has designed a bed with storage capacity for millennials with limited space in urban dwellings. The furniture piece features a raised bed with a storage space under the mattress covered by a fabric curtain.”

Go further. A simple footstool or poof which allows for storage does a great job of fusing the functional with a foolproof storage option, too. In fact, the options are endless here, with Elle Decor detailing some fantastic storage benches, pointing out that this ‘double-duty furniture’ not only looks stylish but gives you great storage options, and we couldn’t agree more with them.

Modular Seating Systems

The concept of modular furniture has evolved dramatically in recent years, with innovative seating solutions leading the charge. Modern modular sofas and armchairs can be completely reconfigured based on your needs, transforming from a traditional three-seater sofa to individual chairs, or even forming an L-shaped arrangement for entertaining. 

Many of these pieces come with hidden storage compartments beneath the seats, and some even convert into guest beds. The beauty lies in their adaptability—you can separate the pieces to create intimate seating areas when working alone, then reconnect them for social gatherings, making them perfect for those who need their living space to serve multiple purposes.

Vertical Garden Solutions

As urban dwellers increasingly seek to incorporate greenery into their homes, vertical garden systems have become a clever space-saving solution. These can range from wall-mounted herb gardens perfect for compact kitchens to modular plant shelving systems that double as room dividers. 

The most innovative designs incorporate self-watering systems and even built-in LED grow lights, making them practical for spaces with limited natural light. Some systems cleverly combine plant storage with other functions—imagine a vertical garden that includes a fold-down desk, or one that incorporates a magnetic board for home office use. These solutions not only save precious floor space but also bring a touch of nature indoors without compromising on functionality.

Smart Room Dividers

A new essential for modern living is the ability to create distinct zones within a single space. Moveable room dividers that incorporate storage, such as wheeled bookcases or folding screens with integrated shelving, offer the perfect solution. These pieces can act as both practical storage solutions and flexible space separators, allowing you to instantly transform a home office into a living room, or create a cosy bedroom nook within a studio apartment. Some innovative designs even feature fold-out desks or display shelves, maximising their functionality in compact spaces.

Furniture retailers, it seems, are catching on to this increasing interest, realising that there is a huge rising demand for maximising space in properties. Accordingly, they are tailoring their offering to suit this. Long may it continue!

Looking for more space saving tips? Here’s how to create more space in a small apartment in 7 simple steps and while we’re on the subject, check our our article on design ideas for small bedrooms.