Great news just in. Shorter days and cooler nights mean it’s the season to rediscover the joys of carbs and cosying up. Let’s hear it for starchy comfort foods — mounds of mash all round! — and cocooning in front of the screen. But before you start tucking into KPop Demon Hunters or House of Guinness, do conduct a cosiness audit on the living room. Longer hours of loafing demand specialist kit.
For starters? A generous coffee table. Those meagre, one-mug-only metal side tables that totter next to the sofa are unfit for autumnal purpose. Aim for a design that will support a stack of magazines, a grog tray and a few hands of cards. Curvy timber tables are the latest look and John Lewis’s Burl is a star of the season but see also Soho Home’s more luxurious take on the trend, called Ted.
If there’s a golden rule for the darker evenings it is this: ban brutal lighting. Autumn illumination is about glow, not glare. Think standard lamps with shades made from translucent fabric, or woven rattan, that emit a diffused light. Underfoot cosiness is, of course, key: border rugs (plain, edged with a coloured frame) and geometric flatweaves are the easiest designs to layer in with your existing decor, so cast an eye over the collections at Habitat and Dunelm, where there are some real bargains among the new rugs, and Nordic Knots and Layered, a purchase from which stylish Swedish brands will never cause a moment’s rugret.
The only rational reaction to the chill in the air is to pursue comfort: comfort food, TV and decor. But there’s no need to pay over the odds for cosiness. Straining the finances will not make for peaceful evenings streaming Only Murders in the Building. While you may aspire to an Anders light by Russell Pinch — I know I do — it may be that an Ellis from Made.com is closer to budget. Which is why we’ve supplied a designer selection of 11 cosy living room buys for deeper pockets alongside a more affordable shopping list, offering a similar look for a fraction of the cost. So break out the woven throws, pile up the velvet pillows, get comfy and consider whether to save or splurge this season.
Save (total cost: £3,242)
Pendant
Novogratz Ellis shade in cream, £90, made.com
Coffee table
John Lewis burl round coffee table, £399, johnlewis.com
Floor lamp
John Lewis rattan floor lamp, £295, johnlewis.com
Easy chair
Habitat Archive velvet chair, £200, argos.co.uk
Cushions
Made Desi geo check cushion in green, £18, made.com
Loaf Bordy edge velvet cushion (not pictured), £39, loaf.com
Rugs
Habitat herringbone khaki border jute rug, £35, habitat.co.uk
Sophie Robinson Zig Zag wool rug (not pictured), from £109, dunelm.com
Sofa
Urban Outfitters Riley modular sofa (not pictured), £2,000, urbanoutfitters.com
Throw
Habitat mid-century-style knitted throw (not pictured), £22, habitat.co.uk
Art
Studiopepe Clayworks 02 print, from £35, heals.com
Splurge (total cost: £29,177.65)
Pendant
Pinch Anders light (medium), £2,430, pinchdesign.com
Coffee table
Soho Home Ted table, £3,295, sohohome.com
Floor lamp
Ferm Living Dou wicker floor lamp, £655, anthropologie.com
Easy chair
Togo Fireside chair by Ligne Roset, £1,985, heals.com
Cushions
Begg x Co Kintail cubist cashmere cushion (not pictured), £595, beggxco.com
Christina Lundsteen Addison velvet patchwork cushion, £169, heals.com
Birdie Fortescue Shisho velvet cushion (not pictured), £94, birdiefortescue.co.uk
Rugs
Nordic Knots Ryya 02 shaggy wool rug (not pictured), from £895, nordicknots.com
Jute rug by Evelina Kroon for Layered, from £495, layeredinterior.com
Sofa
Camaleonda modular sofa by Mario Bellini for B&B Italia (not pictured), from £17,959.65, aram.co.uk
Throw
Dash cashmere and lambswool blanket (not pictured), £495, theroost.com
Art
Cedar & Sage Ruby abstract framed canvas, £110, dunelm.com
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