Bleuc! Who would want to go outdoors in such appalling weather? The wind is howling like a ravenous wolf, the snow is falling in flakes the size of your fist and the Met Office has been sending out warnings as though Godzilla and Mothra were duking it out on the city streets.
This is the time of year for cosying up in your living room and cranking the telly up full blast. So, what can you do to make your lounge extra appealing?
Recline and relax
If you’ve got a cheap and cheerless chair or sofa, chances are your back is suffering; your lower spine is getting miniscule support while your bum is numb. Investing in something supportive and comfortable, then, is the first place to start.
The cheapest option is buying a set of good quality cushions for your existing chair or sofa. Include bolster cushions which are great for the lower back, arm rests and head rests. The next option is getting your sofa or chair cushions restuffed. Other simple and cheap solutions that drastically increase your comfort are foot rests and side tables for resting cups, books and remotes on.
If you have more cash to splash then you can replace your seating. The Lazyboy recliner (made famous by Chandler and Joey in Friends) is the ultimate in lounge comfort. Another option is a sofa with reclining foot rests and backs. You can pick one of these up from IKEA for a couple of hundred pounds or spend big on a better quality version.
Focus with a feature
Every room should have a focal point. In the lounge this is usually provided by the TV however decorating the wall it sits on or in front of can add more interest. To create a subtle feature wall for your TV to sit on or against, consider painting that single wall a different colour or papering it to introduce a pattern. Even a single vertical strip of wallpaper behind your TV will work well. Buy an end of line roll from a bargain bin and it will cost virtually nothing.
Keep Warm
There are lots of ways to increase the amount of heat you are supplying to a room as well as keeping that heat there. For ideas just walk up through a DIY superstore and do a bit of internet research. There are often grants available for things like insulation so make sure you research this before you incur any significant expenditure. The Good Energy website is a useful place to start.
Fix any annoying drafts first. Draft excluders work wonders at the bottom of doors. Fill any gaps around your window frames and consider buying plastic film kits to provide some DIY double glazing. Invest in heavy curtains to cover any draughty doorways or large windows, they make a huge difference the temperature of a room. If you want some ideas about how to heat your room refer to our articles New Ways To Heat and Heating.
If you can’t heat your room sufficiently to sit comfortably for long periods, buy blankets, woolly slippers hats and gloves.
That’s entertainment
It’s no good snuggling up on your new cushions or Lazyboy if you’ve got nothing to do in your living room. A decent TV with a linked sound system is essential and getting cheaper all the time.
Start with a reasonably priced high definition television, ensuring it’s 1080p and contains a Freeview box and enough SCART and HDMI sockets to accommodate your Blu-ray and DVD player.
Next, comes the gaming system of choice. Your options, for newer consoles, are the WII U, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, and all are ace and provide on demand films and TV.
From a design perspective it’s important to avoid clutter in your entertainment area. Contain that portion of your room and spend some time tidying up or preferable hiding the cables. Another great tip is replacing all your remotes with a phone app like Harmony.
Then you can pour yourself a drink, snuggle down and enjoy some quality sofa time.