Make Your Living Room Cosy When the Clocks Go Back

October 16, 2026 2 min read

The clocks go back on Sunday 25 October. Three simple changes to lighting, texture and layout will make your living room feel warm and inviting all winter.

The clocks go back on Sunday 25 October, and suddenly it's dark by teatime. Three simple changes will make your living room feel warm and inviting instead of gloomy, and none of them means redecorating.

1. Turn off the big light

A single ceiling light flattens a room and makes it feel colder. The fix is to light the room in layers, at different heights, so pools of warm light replace one harsh glow.

Layer	Height	What to use
Low	Floor to table height	Table lamps on side tables, a lamp on a sideboard
Middle	Eye level	A floor lamp beside the sofa or reading chair
Accent	Anywhere	Candles, a lamp inside a bookcase, a picture light

Aim for at least three light sources in the room, spread across different corners. Choose warm white bulbs (look for around 2700K on the box) rather than cool or daylight bulbs, which feel clinical in the evening. If your ceiling light has a dimmer, keep it low or off once the lamps are on.

2. Add texture you can feel

In summer a room can get away with smooth, cool surfaces. In winter, texture does a lot of the work of making a space feel warm.

A throw over the sofa arm. Wool, bouclé or chunky knit, in a colour that picks up something already in the room.
More cushions, in mixed materials. Velvet, linen and knit side by side look richer than a matching set.
A rug underfoot. Even a medium rug under the front legs of the sofa makes a hard floor feel warmer and pulls the seating together.
Warmer colours. Rust, ochre, deep green and warm brown feel right for the season. Our Hartpury sofa in Rust is a good example of a colour that looks at its best by lamplight.

You don't need to change everything. One throw, two cushions and a rug can shift the whole feel of a room.

3. Turn the seating in

In summer, furniture often faces the window or the garden. In winter, bring it in closer. Angle the sofa and chairs towards each other, or towards the fireplace, rather than lining everything up against the walls.

A smaller, closer seating area feels more intimate and makes conversation easier. If you have an armchair by the window, try moving it next to the sofa with a lamp and a side table between them. It becomes the natural spot for a cup of tea and a book.

Finish with scent. A candle or diffuser in a warm, calming fragrance is the last layer. Light it when you draw the curtains and it quickly becomes a signal that the day is done. We stock Neom candles and diffusers in our showrooms if you'd like to try one.