Create a cosy space
Autumn is the time to layer — and not just your wardrobe.
Ottawa designer Emma Doucet’s picks for creating a cosy space are all about adding warmth to your home as it gets blustery outside. Layers can be tactile, like a sheepskin softening a chair and wool blankets for cuddling up, or purely please the eye, like rich colours and glowing copper.
Doucet offers autumn updates for every wallet, from a can of paint to a gorgeous new pendant light that would cast a warm glow over any dinner party.
SHEEPSKIN ADDS SOFTNESS
Ikea’s sheepskins are affordable (starting at $39.99) but feel luxurious. Doucet suggests using them to add comfort along with Scandinavian style to a dining chair or couch or using the larger version ($249) as a bedside rug to make it a wee bit easier to get out of bed on chilly fall mornings. (ikea.ca)
RICH COLOUR FOR GREY DAYS
Be bold and repaint a room, or just a wall, in “gorgeous” navy like one of Doucet’s recent clients, who went with Stiffkey Blue from Farrow and Ball. Doucet also likes Hudson Bay from Benjamin Moore. The deep hue stays freshlooking when combined with a neutral sisal rug and lots of white millwork. Classic navy is a great backdrop to warm metals, art and mirrors, Doucet says. (farrow-ball. com; benjaminmoore.com)
Layered rugs feel extra plush, Doucet says. For a recent project, she used the same graphic rug in the living room and adjacent dining room then layered on a small, colourful carpet to anchor the sofa and chairs, creating a colourblocked effect. In her own home, Doucet layers Persian carpets over sisal, creating texture while camouflaging less-than-perfect floors.
MADE IN CANADA
Warm up with some beautiful Canadian-made blankets, like these from MacAusland’s Woollen Mills. They’ve been making 100 per cent virgin wool blankets on Prince Edward Island since 1932. They come in a host of colours — turquoise is an eyecatcher. Pro tip: display them on an old ladder from an antique store or flea market, Doucet says. (macauslandswoollenmills.com)
ADD A GOLDEN GLOW
As the days get shorter, add some sparkle with new lamps or ceiling lights. Brass has been on trend but Doucet is drawn to copper. Her pick is a 24-inch dome pendant ($400) from Authentik Lighting in Quebec’s Eastern Townships. It comes in matte or shiny metallics including gold, silver, brass and every colour of the rainbow. Not bold as brass? Just the inside of the pendant can be lined with a metallic finish, Doucet says. Whatever you choose, put lighting on dimmer switches — there’s nothing more cosy than turning the lights down low. (luminaireauthentik.com)