Warm up with red
If you are looking for a quick, easy and affordable way to warm up your home for winter... add a splash of red.
Red, whether in it's pure shade or when mixed with yellow, is just the right colour to add warmth without turning up the heat. The psychological properties of this colour stimulate blood flow and increase heart rate, which is just what we need when our body starts to go into 'hibernation mode' for the winter.
When the temperature drops outdoors it's time to add some heat to your home. But before you triple your monthly electricity bill, let's look at how colour red can instantly add heat to a home. Even artwork can infuse a room with warm colour. Art that incorporates warmer tones such as red, orange and yellow not only brighter up a room, they also impart a feeling of warmth. And it doesn't have to be expensive. It's easy to make a frame to mount a piece of fabric.
If you are thinking about making slipcovers for a tired sofa, why not make two? Have a cover for the summer and a cover for winter. That means you can change the colour of a sofa simply by switching the covers.
A sofa covered with a red slipcover immediately becomes a feature in a neutral room, especially when teamed with neutral colours.
If you have a small budget for new furniture it always pays to see what's on offer at Mr Price Home. I love the new Downtown range of furniture they have in store, which is priced from around R3500 for a 2-seater couch finished in a delicious ribbed fabric.
Grab a can of red and update an old piece of furniture as a feature piece. If you have a tired piece of furniture that you don't know what to do with, give it a coat of two of Rust-Oleum 2X gloss apple red and you will instantly create a feature to add red hot colour to a cool room. You can use Rust-Oleum 2X on almost anything, so 'out' with plain boring furniture and 'in' with a feature piece to add some heat to a space - without even plugging it in !
Of course, you don't have to go to extremes just to warm up your home interior with red. A few bold red cushions, a gorgeous soft throw, and possibly a rug with red, and you have immediately added warm accents.
Winter or not... red definitely heats up a bedroom. You don't have to paint the walls, but adding a few accessories in red will definitely turn up the temperature in more ways than one !
And let's not forget about the kitchen. It may be the heart of the home, but some kitchens can be freezing in winter, especially when placed on the south side of a home. You don't need to go overboard to add a dash of heat - just pop in a few red accessories. Swap out curtains or blinds with ones that feature red accents.
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While adding colour doesn't actually add heat, it does make you feel warmer inside. With a power crisis in SA looming on the horizon this winter it's definitely an option to consider before plugging in a heater and using up what little resources we have.