Natural fibers can really warm up a space: A jute rug, warm toned baskets for storage, a warm-toned cotton or wool throw. Leather and wood accents can also help bring warmth to the space, and if the wood is on top of a rug it shouldn't clash with the gray floors. Also lamps! Soft lighting + warm toned shades will help.
The golden ratio rule essentially says that your living room furniture arrangement should follow a 2:3 ratio. This means that between your couches, chairs, area rugs, and coffee tables, proportions should generally be a two-thirds proportion.
Using Warmer Tones in Accessories and Decor
These elements can add pops of color, texture, and personality to your space, making it feel more inviting and lived-in. Start by introducing warmer tones through items like rugs, curtains, dish towels, and dishes. Opt for colors like beige, cream, taupe, or soft white.
Bring in mood-boosting accent colors
'Use warm-toned colors such as blush pink, mustard yellow, maroon, or caramel to add some warmth and contrast to the cool gray. '
And that's where the “3-5-7 Rule” comes into play, which essentially means styling with odd numbers to create an asymmetric but still visually pleasing arrangement of things.
Using the golden ratio in a living space means thinking in thirds as opposed to quarters or halves. The goal is to select furniture that feels balanced in scale and proportionate to the other pieces in the room. Start with an element of the room and relate all other objects to it.
It's generally agreed by designers that sofas should not actually touch the wall. Even if they come close, you should leave at least a small gap between the couch and the wall. Whether you should arrange your furniture in the middle of the room or push it back closer to the walls can boil down to personal preference.
However, you probably only need to run it for 90 seconds because the air and heat output on maximum power is enormous. You can use any hairdryer to heat your bedroom, but these offer good value: Envie hairdryer (£24.15, Amazon)
Vibrant oranges, cozy reds, and sunny yellows infuse spaces with energy and warmth, two things that are always good to have in a room, no matter the season. For an instant and impactful transformation, pick warm paint colors or go the subtle route with warm-hue curtains, pillows, and upholstery.
'Bright colors like white help reflect the heat away, which will work best for keeping your bedroom cool,' says James. If you don't want anything too dazzling, go for slightly off-white with undertones of other colors from the colder side of the wheel, this will create the perfect cool color scheme.
Rich, warm hues such as beige, taupe, khaki, olive, moss and rust not only create a natural-looking palette, but elevate grey without feeling out of place. Consider accenting a lighter grey wall with neutral paint colours such as our Military Operation paint.
The “60/40 rule” here comes down to furniture and floor space. Instead of overstuffing a room with pieces or going way too minimal, you should aim for about 60% of the room to be filled with furniture and 40% of it to be clear to give your eye a visual break from stuff.
Creating a balanced Room Layout
The golden ratio helps achieve a balanced room layout by assessing the floor space covered by furniture. Striking the right balance means that nearly 60% of your room will have furniture on it, with 40% being clear.
What is the 70/30 split in interior design? Simply divide the room into a ratio of 70:30 and decorate 70% of the space with your anchor scheme and the other 30% in a different style (or styles), so you have a room that's visually interesting.
“The 2:3 design rule suggests your sofa should be the equivalent of ⅔ the size of your room,” she says. However, if your living room is also your dining room or home office, that may not be possible, explains the designer.
Use the rule of three with accents/decor
It keeps things interesting. You could have three vases or three objects grouped together to create a small vignette. It looks put together and is easy on the eyes.
'To add warmth to a space with cooler tones, focus on bringing in richer wood tones such as walnut and warmer metals such as bronze or brass. Layer in accent pillows in taupe, caramel, and other warm neutrals,' explains Jennifer Jones founder of Niche Interiors.
Try complementary colors in spaces that have a cool color scheme. A blue space can be warmed up with orange. A cool green can use a red-orange accent. A violet shade is complemented with yellow.