Anna from Anna Margaret Interiors says our senses are how we perceive the world around us: sight, touch, smell, taste, and hearing; they guide our experiences, enjoyment, and way of living. She tells Cityscape how we use them to guide our home design, too.

In our homes, these senses are vital to feel warmth, welcoming, calm, safe and happy. And this is never more important than during this time of the year. As the days grow shorter and the leaves fall, we can often feel the winter blues start to creep in. Creating an inviting and warm home can elevate the pleasure we get from our homes during the cooler months, starting with the lovely things we surround ourselves with, whether big or small, costly or not. We get to offset the way the outside world feels with a few changes inside; an exciting prospect when thinking about our homes. What we require from our homes during the winter months can feel very different to the summer months. For want of a better analogy, we want our homes to give us a nice warm hug at the end of the day.

We can use texture, lighting, and smells to evoke cosiness. The bedroom is a fabulous place to layer in the comfort with oversized headboards, different sized pillows and cushions, lighting, a seated dressing table, or a chaise longue. As for the living spaces, winter can be about finding that sun-drenched spot for your morning coffee or a sumptuous den or library with a lovely fire. Fill these spaces with beautiful textures and colours to suit your warm and inviting style to be achieved.

I feel that lighting is one of the most important aspects of interior architecture that can often be the least thought-about. With the right type of light and the right placement, lighting can guide the level of elegance and comfort in our homes that our senses react to. We know and love gorgeous feature pendants that can instantly feel a little luxe that when paired with well-thought-about ceiling or wall lights can add vertical light balance that immediately elevates the mood in a room. Remembering as we lose the light early during the winter, this is also a great time to pare back the level of light in our homes. Pull the curtains early and bring in another gentle layer of lighting such as lamps and candles to soften the interiors of our homes. Lighting a scented candle will help to draw us into a happy comforted state of mind.

So, the key to combating the winter blues is to plan early when thinking about a project, whether building, remodelling, renovating or redecorating. Style, and our definition of cosiness is a very personal thing, and a good designer will be able to interpret this into beautiful spaces and a home that appeals to all of our senses.

Anna Dick is the whole-house interior designer behind Anna Margaret Interiors. Check out her projects and get in touch to talk about your design needs at annamargaret.co.nz.