Is your living room ready to fight the good fight against winter chills? Autumn is coming to an end for some of our readers. And with that comes wind, rain and, most of all, the cold. It’s time to batten down the hatches, put on the woolly protective gear and prepare for a battle against winter.

Being living room ready means beating the winter blues and having a wonderfully warm and cozy time. Your living room is going to be your headquarters throughout the gloom, so here’s how you get it in fighting condition.

Being Living Room Ready #1: Reinforce those windows

Weak windows are the enemy from within and we must do what we can to turn them back to our side. Effective windows are all about making sure that you’re checking it for air leaks, first and foremost.

Caulk what you can or think about buying new windows if they’re leaking and drafty. Changing window treatments for thicker curtains and insulating those curtains with a thermal layer can help them keep as much heat in the home as possible.

Just make sure that you have ties to hold the curtains back when you want them open, so your windows can still let in as much light to the home as possible.

Being Living Room Ready #2: Warmer colours make a huge difference

Not all the changes you want to make are going to be entirely practical. The emotional sensation of warmth and cosiness matters as well, after all. For that reason, it’s time to look at updating to a warmer colour palette.

Deep reds and oranges are very common in the colder months, but if you don’t want to go too predictable, check out the “essential” scheme by clicking here. A nice, warm grey with the lightest tints of hot colours can work just as well, but don’t have to be repainted over when the winter’s finished.

Being Living Room Ready #3: Real warmth is even better

There’s nothing quite like a roaring fire in the winter. They offer that look and feel of a cosy, warm place while being one of the most effective ways of heating the room. If you have an unused fireplace, it might be time to look at installing a real fire.

You can even click here to see how easy it is to install a freestanding, slow combustion fire. Modern fires don’t consume fuel anywhere near as quickly, so you won’t be paying over the nose to keep it loaded up.

Being Living Room Ready #4: Soft furnishings are your friend

Curtains are just one example of soft furnishings to make your home more suitable for the winter. Modern homes often use a lot of flat, hard surfaces, like wooden and laminate floors or more contemporary furniture with wood or metal arms.

Soft furnishings such as rugs, pillows, and throws allow you to give your living room the softness it needs. What’s more, choosing warm coloured soft furnishings is a really easy way to update the colour scheme of the home without having to repaint it.

It’s worth making sure you give any central heating systems in the home a thorough check and schedule their routine maintenance and check the home for air leaks. Any weaknesses in the home and your living room is going to lose the war against winter.