When the leaves start to fall and the weather gets colder I immediately crave a warm cozy spot cocooned with a good book and a cup of tea, even better if there’s a fire. Just a quick scroll through Pinterest will tell you I’m not alone and it’s time to get comfortable for a long winter indoors. With that in mind, I’ve assembled some of our best décor solutions for making your home more comfy and cozy this winter. In three words I can sum it up by saying it’s ‘all about texture’.

Texture, texture, texture!

Texture means not only soft furs and warm and wool-y blankets, but layers on top of layers to create even more texture in your room, simply by adding in some fabulous décor items or comfortable lounge-y furniture.

The soft fur pillows add warmth to this modern living room. If you have one of grandma’s old furs in a closet and you know it will never make it outside, why not it give it new life on the sofa as a cozy reminder of her?

The volume of pillows here is what creates texture and definitely has me wanting to dive in and get cozy. Change out your pillow cushion covers seasonally to add colour, change up textures, and create some extra cozy-ness in the winter.

The warm and textured beautiful blue pouf is the perfect place to pop your feet and get cozy reading a book. Poufs are a great addition because not only are they comfy for feet in the winter, but they are year-round spare seating for a living room full of friends.

A warm fire and this simple cozy corner of the room may just be your favourite all winter long.

Blankets draped over furniture help to add texture and warmth through both the look and the feel.

We love the idea of having a basket of blankets for guests to choose from, that way everyone can snuggle.

This chaise with a cozy blanket and extra pillows had me at hello.

This living room has a trio of awesome texture, a pouf, a pillow, and a blanket all placed perfectly on a chaise for cozy winter afternoons.

I hope you’ve been inspired to add a little more texture to your living spaces this winter. What do you have your eyes on? More pillows? More blankets? Or like me, just more of everything!? (wink!)

Rebecca, Your Furniture Expert

You know that little black dress in your closet that you pull out time after time and never get tired of hearing how great you look in it? What’s the one thing you change up each time you wear it (besides your underwear!)? The one thing you change up and makes your LBD (little black dress) feel like something special and new is your accessories! And girlfriends, when it comes to dressing up your living room and doing it on a budget the best way to do it is with accessories.

Just think of your living room as the classic little black dress, dress it up or dress it down with accessories and change it up for the seasons, it will always look good. And it’s easy to it on a budget. Here are our top four ways to liven up your living room on a budget.

1) Art & Décor

A funky vase, a bold canvas, and seasonal décor help change up the look of your living room with blowing the bank. This one wall with a large art mural really makes this room incredible, but it can be easily changed and was relatively inexpensive compared to the high-quality couch in a neutral colour that will last for years and years.

2) Pillows & Throws

Pillows and throws are one of the easiest and most economical ways to add both fashion and function to your living room. Not only can you change up the pillows seasonally with colours or other fun designs, but adding in throws at winter also helps keep you and guests warm and cozy. Throws and pillows come in literally hundreds of patterns, colours, and variety of textures you can only imagine the possibilities for ‘accessorizing’ your living room for any occasion or season.

The bold art, the throw, the colourful end table: this room has it all accessorized and it’s awesome.

3) Rugs & Lamps

A bold new lamp or a luxurious rug underfoot can be relatively inexpensive ways to boost your living room’s wow-factor. Not only do lamps and rugs make great accessories for your living room, but they can be easily moved around the house for use in other places depending on the season or the need.

Easy enough to change up and move based on your mood, these living room accessories have really become a lot more interesting and colourful over the past few years and we’re glad to see it! Rugs and lamps offer so much opportunity to personalize your living spaces without spending a fortune.

This room would be boring and beige without the awesome rug and great colour pop of the pillows.

4) Accent Tables

A good hostess knows the best living room parties are ones where people have enough room to place their drinks down while they nibble. Accent tables are the earrings for your living room LBD. A good set of accent tables, while not expensive, can make a room. Adding both bling and function, cocktail tables and nesting tables spread around help make living rooms the ultimate entertaining zone.

These three accent tables make for a great everyday coffee table but can be separated for entertaining and don’t take up too much space.

Looking to liven up your living room? Your local BrandSource store has a wide selection of all accent tables, décor, wall art, pillows, and more.

Rebecca, Your Furniture Expert

Who doesn’t like to have friends over? You set a date, make the official invitations and carefully plan a menu that will delight your guests. For some, it is also a chance to showcase their new passion: mixology. What better way to please your guests than to prepare a cocktail that they’ve selected themselves?

If you too have always dreamed of setting up a small bar at home and demonstrating your bartender skills, here are some of the essential elements you will need to think about to impress the gallery.

1) Choose Your Home Bar Style

First of all, you need a place to store everything you need. Space permitting, you can choose to go all out and build a bar with stools, stainless steel counters, beer kegs, etc. (often in the basement). You can also choose to be more discreet and use your kitchen cabinets or an extra piece of furniture like the ones below for storage.

But why hide your talent? I found a low-cost home bar solution that can be used in several rooms in your home. Both decorative and functional, it can go with you when you move. And what is this solution? The portable mini bar. This industrial one here is a great example.

And how about this contemporary one?

2) Buy The Right Tools

Just as a mechanic needs to have the basic tools in his trunk, a good amateur mixologist needs to have some essential tools to help create wonderful cocktails. Here’s what I think you need for your new passion.

• 2 shakers (a small one and a larger one)
• Mixing glass
• Stir spoon and bar muddler
• Ice strainer
• Julep strainer and Y-shaped peeler
• 2 jiggers
• Bottle opener
• Ice bucket and tongs

3) Fill Your Home Bar With Basic Alcohols

Now that you have all the right tools to start your career as a home mixologist, you are probably wondering what alcohols you should stock for your home bar? Here are the essential ones to have:

• 3 classics (your choice – vodka, gin, rum, tequila) – I have a soft spot for vodka and rum because they allow me to create two of my favourite cocktails, Cosmopolitan and Mojito.
• 1 liqueur – Citrus liqueur is the most popular because it will allow you to make cocktails such as Margarita and Kamikaze.
• 1 cream – I believe the most popular are Irish cream and Amarula.
• 1 fine spirit (your choice – scotch, whisky, brandy, cognac) – For the connoisseurs.

4) Think About A Few Extras

If you want to take your passion a step further, you can add a few extras to your home bar area such as a counter height table with stools that can easily be placed against your sofa.

And if you need to keep beverages cool, you can go for a mini fridge or a beautiful refreshment tub like the one below.

That’s it! You now have everything you need to become the most popular mixologist for your group of friends and family. Go ahead, have tasting evenings and let your creativity run wild.

Have fun!

Rebecca, Your Furniture Expert

The smallest apartment I ever lived in was a little 425 square feet nest above a flower market. That tiny little home was lovely and my most amazing feat was serving a sit down for 22 people in it! Yes, 22 people in a shoebox. It was a memorable night that’s for sure!

This small space entertaining experience taught me a few key life lessons about how to entertain (in general), but especially in small spaces so I thought I would share them with you here.

1) Multi-functional Furniture

The best pieces of furniture are those that can perform double or even triple duty. Small space saving furniture items like nesting tables are a great way to add extra cocktail trays or snack platters around your space without cluttering things up on the day-to-day.

We’ve already talked about how awesome accent chairs can be, and small space entertaining is no different. While you might not have a full dining room table and chairs, a few accent chairs pulled from around your space will help you offer up extra seating.

⇒ Want to learn more about accent chairs, read this: How to Add Style and Function to Any room With Accent Chairs

If your small space does have room for a small table, having one with the ability to add extra leaves and extend it is super helpful. Going from everyday seating for four to having 10 just by pulling out handy extensions makes entertaining easy and gives you the best of both worlds; small and functional.

The best part about all the above options for making small space entertaining easy is that each of them is also an investment for your future largest spaces. A great accent chair, set of nesting tables, or dining table with extensions will help you entertain in spaces both big and small. Now that’s multifunctional!

2) Quality Over Quantity

With only so much space, going bananas with the number of dishes, platters, pots, pans, and everything else required can only add to the clutter. Focus on having a really great cheese platter rather than bowls and bowls of chips and flimsy plastic veggie containers.

3) Advance Preparation

Advance preparation is key to success. Make as much food as you can in advance, lay out the tables and chairs, set everything up so the day of you are calm as a cucumber and can entertain without stress.

4) Focus on What’s Important

Spending time with family and friends is really why you are hosting is the first place. If a soufflé falls flat, or your roast is overcooked matters very little. What matters is opening your home (no matter how small) to those you love and making memories together.

Do you entertain in small spaces? What are some of your best tips for making it magical?

Rebecca, Your Furniture Expert