Autumn has arrived in my part of the world and I feel my spirits lift on my walks, when I take in the beautiful scenery of leaves that are turning into every shade of red and yellow. The mornings are becoming crisp and even though the weather is mild at the moment, one has the feeling that in no time at all it’s time for wooly mittens, scarves and coats and summer is a mere memory.

How do I approach the change of the seasons? As I’ve mentioned earlier I became inspired by Wabi Sabi, when I visited the home of Elissa in New York, on my travels to explore what a home means to people*. Wabi Sabi is a Japanese philosophy that embraces the transience of life, whether nature’s changes, the different phases of human existence or the imperfections found in objects. The keyword that has worked for me is the word embrace. I do so love that word!

I found that in actively changing my thoughts about a change I don’t particularly like or look forward to, has actually helped to transform it into a quite different experience. Winter for me is a season I find especially challenging, but this previous winter actually went quite well. Why? Because I embraced it and tried to highlight it’s advantages. Winter is the perfect time to be cosy, light the candles and snuggle down in the sofa and read more books, eat hearty meals after long walks in the cold, enjoy being warm and cosy whilst looking out of the window and seeing the snow building soft mountains outside. You get the picture.

As it’s presently autumn in Sweden I have begun to make changes. Here are my best tips on how to create a cosy home in the autumn.

Bring in those earthy hues. Rust is a favourite at the moment. Pillowcases preferably in linen. The more creasy they are the better! It makes a very homely feel. New pillowcases is a great way to get an instant change at a low cost.

The best way to create that cosy feeling is to layer. The more the merrier. Pile them up! Here I have a mixture of linen, cotton and velvet.

Bring out the plaids and blankets. Change the colour depending on the season. Think about adding different textures to the room. The earthy beige of this new soft pom pom plaid made the room super cosy!

When the leaves start to fall I fill my home with pot plants to compensate the loss of greenery outside. I crave greenery around me! Plants are also a great way to improve the air indoor that tend to get very dry in the winter.

I hope this will inspire you to get really cosy at home!

* You can find the chapter about Elissa’s home and about Wabi Sabi in the book Home Life Around the World.