How to Hibernate: Hot Tips for a Warm-as-Toast Winter
Baby it's cold outside, so break out the ugg boots, jarmies and hot chocolate
Australia is not all beaches, bikinis and endless summer. I can vouch for that, having grown up in the NSW Northern Tablelands, a place where icicles grew overnight from dripping taps and we warmed our icy-cold cotton school shirts in front of the fire before we could bear to put them on. Eighty-five per cent of Australians live within 50 kilometres of the coast and our climate dictates that many of our homes are designed around keeping cool rather than cosy, with open-plan designs, lots of glass and large openings positioned to catch breezes. And then, along comes winter. Pull on a beanie and read how to welcome your snuggest season ever.
Come on, baby, light your fire
We have an almost primeval love of flames, and open and wood-burning fires have never lost their appeal. Keep yours operational and safe with an annual service from a professional chimney sweep (they are no longer smudgy-faced 10-year-old urchins who call you ‘guv’). A well-maintained chimney causes less air pollution, has lower fire risk and burns more efficiently.
FUEL FACT: Creosote buildup, from incompletely burnt wood, coats the inside of chimneys and is highly combustible. The biggest culprit is unseasoned, or green, timber. Don’t use it in any solid fuel burners.
We have an almost primeval love of flames, and open and wood-burning fires have never lost their appeal. Keep yours operational and safe with an annual service from a professional chimney sweep (they are no longer smudgy-faced 10-year-old urchins who call you ‘guv’). A well-maintained chimney causes less air pollution, has lower fire risk and burns more efficiently.
FUEL FACT: Creosote buildup, from incompletely burnt wood, coats the inside of chimneys and is highly combustible. The biggest culprit is unseasoned, or green, timber. Don’t use it in any solid fuel burners.
Use your winter load of firewood as a decorating feature – stack it artistically in a purpose-built niche or store in rustic baskets and vintage buckets beside the fireplace.
TIP: More importantly, keeping timber in a warm, dry environment means it will light more easily and burn more efficiently.
TIP: More importantly, keeping timber in a warm, dry environment means it will light more easily and burn more efficiently.
Be heat smart
Paradoxically, despite increasing awareness of energy wastage, as a nation we love to live in roomy homes that are hungry for heating. Power costs are climbing alarmingly and are significant items in home budgets. To offset this, many homeowners are specifying energy-efficient features in new builds and renovations. Discuss your heating needs with someone who doesn’t have a vested interest in selling equipment or sending you power bills. Many local councils have free advisory services to assist with managing power consumption.
TOP TIP: One of the best tips I’ve heard is to use reverse mode on ceiling fans in conjunction with other heating. It drives warm air downwards and keeps it circulating.
Read some more thrifty tips on warming your house this winter
Paradoxically, despite increasing awareness of energy wastage, as a nation we love to live in roomy homes that are hungry for heating. Power costs are climbing alarmingly and are significant items in home budgets. To offset this, many homeowners are specifying energy-efficient features in new builds and renovations. Discuss your heating needs with someone who doesn’t have a vested interest in selling equipment or sending you power bills. Many local councils have free advisory services to assist with managing power consumption.
TOP TIP: One of the best tips I’ve heard is to use reverse mode on ceiling fans in conjunction with other heating. It drives warm air downwards and keeps it circulating.
Read some more thrifty tips on warming your house this winter
Fine tune your decor
Thank goodness for the throw, the fastest way to change the mood of a room. Put away linen and cotton and embrace woolly knits, velvets and faux fur. Mix and match soft, touchable textures and soothing colours with your sofa fabric. But wait, I think I spy a very elegant hot water bottle – still one of the best ways to comfort cold toes.
TIP: Drape or fold? I favour the casual toss – a neatly folded throw doesn’t invite cuddling up.
Thank goodness for the throw, the fastest way to change the mood of a room. Put away linen and cotton and embrace woolly knits, velvets and faux fur. Mix and match soft, touchable textures and soothing colours with your sofa fabric. But wait, I think I spy a very elegant hot water bottle – still one of the best ways to comfort cold toes.
TIP: Drape or fold? I favour the casual toss – a neatly folded throw doesn’t invite cuddling up.
Nobody I know has summer and winter sofas – taking the seasonal thing a bit too far, do you think? But what a difference hiding a pale summery sofa or cane chair with an invitingly warm cover makes. You could use quilts, check or tartan blankets, stripes and plains, fringed shawls, or layer several fabrics for a boho look.
A simple change to warm colours and textures in cushions, rugs and accessories makes a huge difference to the mood of a room that feels a little bleak when the temperature drops. If you enjoy padding around on cool timber or tile floors in summer, you’ll love bright rugs or sheepskins underfoot for a change. Thick, fluffy sheepskins turn lounge chairs into enticing fleecy nests.
Morph your bed from cool and summery to irresistibly snug. We spend about a third more time under the covers in cold weather than in summer. The throw comes into its own in the bedroom. Dress your bed in fabrics that cry out to be stroked – chunky cable knit, mohair, cashmere, caressable fur, supple velvet. On a recent op shop expedition, I was thrilled to find a pile of well-washed, beautifully soft flannelette sheets. Slipping between them takes me back to those peaceful childhood sleeps that are sadly rare in adulthood.
TIP: If you remove electric blankets for the summer months, roll them loosely to store, or hang them somewhere dry, with as few folds as possible. Folding electrical wires can lead to cracking over long periods.
See how to give your winter bed a designer touch
TIP: If you remove electric blankets for the summer months, roll them loosely to store, or hang them somewhere dry, with as few folds as possible. Folding electrical wires can lead to cracking over long periods.
See how to give your winter bed a designer touch
Master the mud
Entryways work hard in winter. Mudrooms are worth their weight in gold to deal with dirty boots, wet outerwear and doggy paw prints. Store summer gear away and bring out gumboots, galoshes and raincoats. Put a doormat made for heavy-duty foot wiping outside the entrance – a boot scraper too if mud is a real problem. Lay down a rug or mat that you can clean or ditch at the end of winter. A clothes rack and boot trees help dry outdoor clothing faster. Keep old towels handy for mopping the dog before he trails through the house.
TIP: This area can get quite fuggy. Run a dehumidifier if it starts to sprout mushrooms or place containers of moisture-absorbing crystals under benches and change frequently.
Entryways work hard in winter. Mudrooms are worth their weight in gold to deal with dirty boots, wet outerwear and doggy paw prints. Store summer gear away and bring out gumboots, galoshes and raincoats. Put a doormat made for heavy-duty foot wiping outside the entrance – a boot scraper too if mud is a real problem. Lay down a rug or mat that you can clean or ditch at the end of winter. A clothes rack and boot trees help dry outdoor clothing faster. Keep old towels handy for mopping the dog before he trails through the house.
TIP: This area can get quite fuggy. Run a dehumidifier if it starts to sprout mushrooms or place containers of moisture-absorbing crystals under benches and change frequently.
An entrance full of wet, muddy clothing is not a stylish introduction to your home. In lieu of a mudroom, clear an area elsewhere, like the laundry, to drip-dry the worst of it. A coat and hat rack, a tray or basket for outer shoes and boots and some cupboard storage to whisk away anything unsightly in a flash will help keep your entry guest-ready. A handsome umbrella holder is a must. See some ideas in Home and Dry: How to Stow Your Brolly and Save Your Floors.
More: Keep Mess at Bay in Your Entryway With These Do-Better Tips
More: Keep Mess at Bay in Your Entryway With These Do-Better Tips
Turn up your thermostat
A cold snap is the only excuse you need to warm yourself from the inside out with hot ‘bevvies’. What could be more welcome after a nose-freezing walk than a tray ready set with cups, cocoa, drinking chocolate and marshmallows. If you don’t fancy chocolate, pep up milky coffee with a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg. Keep a grab-bag of bracing herb teas on hand – chai, rosehip and ginger pack a spicy punch. Drink tea Russian-style – well-brewed black tea with a spoonful of strawberry jam. Many people swear by echinacea tea from health food shops, to keep winter colds away.
TOASTY TIP: For deluxe hot chocolate, chop or grate your favourite plain milk or dark chocolate and place in a mug. Pour in just-boiled milk, wait three minutes and stir until smooth. Allow about 50g chocolate to a mug of milk – or as much chocolate as you think you deserve.
A cold snap is the only excuse you need to warm yourself from the inside out with hot ‘bevvies’. What could be more welcome after a nose-freezing walk than a tray ready set with cups, cocoa, drinking chocolate and marshmallows. If you don’t fancy chocolate, pep up milky coffee with a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg. Keep a grab-bag of bracing herb teas on hand – chai, rosehip and ginger pack a spicy punch. Drink tea Russian-style – well-brewed black tea with a spoonful of strawberry jam. Many people swear by echinacea tea from health food shops, to keep winter colds away.
TOASTY TIP: For deluxe hot chocolate, chop or grate your favourite plain milk or dark chocolate and place in a mug. Pour in just-boiled milk, wait three minutes and stir until smooth. Allow about 50g chocolate to a mug of milk – or as much chocolate as you think you deserve.
The time might be right to buy that coffee machine you’ve promised yourself. If you can’t survive without barista-crafted coffee, don’t go out in the cold for it. There are fantastic home machines available that make a brew almost as good. Although you can pay thousands for a plumbed-in model with its own grinder, the pod versions are a cheaper, super-quick compromise. Shop around for pod packs – prices vary and many pods fit different machines.
TIP: For around $15, a battery-powered milk frothing wand makes cappuccino-style bubbly milk to add to a plunger, instant coffee or hot chocolate.
More: 10 Ways to Max Space in Your Tiny Kitchen
TIP: For around $15, a battery-powered milk frothing wand makes cappuccino-style bubbly milk to add to a plunger, instant coffee or hot chocolate.
More: 10 Ways to Max Space in Your Tiny Kitchen
Cook comfort food
Winter brings on an appetite for crumbles, casseroles and cheese on toast. Celebrate seasonal produce – farmers’ markets proliferate this time of year, so take advantage of local bounty. Take country drives and load the car boot with produce that isn’t wrapped in cling wrap.
More: Why We Should All Roll Up Our Sleeves and Bring Back ‘Baking Day’
Winter brings on an appetite for crumbles, casseroles and cheese on toast. Celebrate seasonal produce – farmers’ markets proliferate this time of year, so take advantage of local bounty. Take country drives and load the car boot with produce that isn’t wrapped in cling wrap.
More: Why We Should All Roll Up Our Sleeves and Bring Back ‘Baking Day’
As the Spanish say, ‘de sopa y amor, el primero es mejor’ – ‘of soup and love, the first is best’. Simmer your way to a soupy winter. I could survive the whole season on soups, as long as there was crusty bread on the side. They are a nourishing meal-in-a-bowl, packed with winter vegies, grains and pulses, like barley, lentils, brown rice, cannelloni and Borlotti beans. On a stay-indoors day, get seriously soupy and make several batches. Freeze in two- and four-serving sizes.
HOT TIP: Hold a ‘Soup Night’. Ask guests to bring their favourite homemade soup, and serve it up in a selection of beautiful, generous bowls. Take the party outside on a fine but nippy night.
HOT TIP: Hold a ‘Soup Night’. Ask guests to bring their favourite homemade soup, and serve it up in a selection of beautiful, generous bowls. Take the party outside on a fine but nippy night.
Brave the elements
Outdoor entertaining on crisp evenings is loads of fun, provided you dress for the occasion. Start early before the temperature drops too low. Forewarn guests they’ll be sitting outside so they can layer up. Provide plenty of cushions on seating and warm wraps on the back of each chair. Fill a basket with woolly hats and gloves. Outdoor heating is a must – wood fires add atmosphere, but check out alternatives here.
TIP: Have Plan B in place if things get too bracing out there!
10 Outdoor Rooms Made for Winter
Outdoor entertaining on crisp evenings is loads of fun, provided you dress for the occasion. Start early before the temperature drops too low. Forewarn guests they’ll be sitting outside so they can layer up. Provide plenty of cushions on seating and warm wraps on the back of each chair. Fill a basket with woolly hats and gloves. Outdoor heating is a must – wood fires add atmosphere, but check out alternatives here.
TIP: Have Plan B in place if things get too bracing out there!
10 Outdoor Rooms Made for Winter
Turn Christmas upside down
It must hark back to our English origins, but there is something in the psyche of many Australians that yearns for a cold-weather Christmas. To satisfy this strange craving, ‘Christmas in July’ is definitely gaining traction. Pull out the stops and go for it with Christmas tree, candles, crackers and pudding. Decorate the feast table with a traditional ‘white Christmas’ theme, and let it snow!
It must hark back to our English origins, but there is something in the psyche of many Australians that yearns for a cold-weather Christmas. To satisfy this strange craving, ‘Christmas in July’ is definitely gaining traction. Pull out the stops and go for it with Christmas tree, candles, crackers and pudding. Decorate the feast table with a traditional ‘white Christmas’ theme, and let it snow!
Kids can get a bit obsessed with tele and solitary screen games, especially when the weather discourages outdoor activity. Stock up on challenging board games, books and art gear, and have ‘turn off the tech’ interludes when they can play with each other – and you.
Become a bookworm. Write yourself a list of the books you have been meaning to read and start working your way through them.
See 20 of the Most Novel Reading Spots
See 20 of the Most Novel Reading Spots
Resolve to teach yourself one crafty skill this winter. This will be my year for some therapeutic calligraphy.
Fight the fat
With more sedentary time, it’s almost a given that a few kilos pile on. Blame the change in diet, lack of outdoor pursuits like walking, games and gardening and the fact we can cover up extra curves with roomy clothes. If you don’t have a home exercise area, set up a spot for indoor exercise – treadmills, trampolines and hula hoops don’t take up much room. Get a selection of exercise DVDs, push back the sofa and feel the burn!
FIT TIP: Dancing is great winter exercise – amp up some inspiring music and boogie until you glow. It also has the psychological benefit of chasing blue moods that creep in after long, dismal winter days.
With more sedentary time, it’s almost a given that a few kilos pile on. Blame the change in diet, lack of outdoor pursuits like walking, games and gardening and the fact we can cover up extra curves with roomy clothes. If you don’t have a home exercise area, set up a spot for indoor exercise – treadmills, trampolines and hula hoops don’t take up much room. Get a selection of exercise DVDs, push back the sofa and feel the burn!
FIT TIP: Dancing is great winter exercise – amp up some inspiring music and boogie until you glow. It also has the psychological benefit of chasing blue moods that creep in after long, dismal winter days.
Don’t forget the pet
Dogs can develop respiratory conditions and kennel cough in cold weather and short-coated low fat dogs like whippets and greyhounds are particularly vulnerable to the cold. If you have an outside-only dog, make sure it has dry shelter and warm, elevated bedding. Consider relaxing the rules in really bad weather – would you like to be outside in the cold looking at a nice warm room?
TIP: Take special care to keep old and arthritic pets inside.
More: 12 Character-Filled Spaces for Pets in the Home
Dogs can develop respiratory conditions and kennel cough in cold weather and short-coated low fat dogs like whippets and greyhounds are particularly vulnerable to the cold. If you have an outside-only dog, make sure it has dry shelter and warm, elevated bedding. Consider relaxing the rules in really bad weather – would you like to be outside in the cold looking at a nice warm room?
TIP: Take special care to keep old and arthritic pets inside.
More: 12 Character-Filled Spaces for Pets in the Home
Have you ever wondered where the expression – and the name of the rock group – Three Dog Night came from? A recent informal survey showed that 70 per cent of dog owners allowed their dog on the bed. That means that 70 per cent of you know the joy of going to sleep with a dog snuggling up to your feet.
TELL US
Do you love or hate winter? What do you do to make it comfortable and enjoyable?
MORE
13 Tricks to Stay Warm for Less This Winter
How to Keep Your Pool in Tiptop Condition All Winter
10 Ways to Beat the Winter Blues at Home
TELL US
Do you love or hate winter? What do you do to make it comfortable and enjoyable?
MORE
13 Tricks to Stay Warm for Less This Winter
How to Keep Your Pool in Tiptop Condition All Winter
10 Ways to Beat the Winter Blues at Home
See this snow country house