Talking of austerity, January is a time for curling up and keeping warm, and with heating bills on the increase I am mindful of ways to keep warm without turning up the heating.  The first step is to find any drafts and try to seal them up.  I read recently that the way to find out where chilly drafts are coming from, if you can’t tell immediately, is to use a candle – where the flame flickers is where your draft is coming from – obvious really.

What isn’t so obvious, though, is that drafts don’t always come from gaps, they also come from cold walls or windows where a little thermal sets up.  So at any large windows, even those that are double glazed, have curtains or blinds that are interlined.  They are more expensive to have made, but it is a one off cost and not only are they noticeably warmer, they look so much more luxurious.  It can also be worth putting up a warm interlined curtain at any doors that let in the cold.

Floorboards are another culprit.  Whilst stripped floors are lovely, unless you have new flooring, chances are that there is a chill wind whistling up through the gaps between the boards.  These gaps can usually be sealed, and rugs will help keep the cold away as well as looking decorative and feeling warmer underfoot.

Loft insulation is one of those things that I have found easy to ignore, because my attic is full of junk (yes, I know!) that would have to be moved or sorted out, and it is out of sight and therefore, thankfully, mind.  But it is supposed to be very effective if it is thick enough, so I am going to have to tackle my attic clutter and bring my insulation up to standard!

I like to have a couple of throws and rugs on the sofa, because when sitting for any length of time, you get quite cold, unless there is a fire or stove to warm your toes.  Throws and rugs are both practical and decorative, and can be used to add splashes of colour or texture to a scheme.  There is a wonderful array of leisurewear to curl up in now – cosy and comfortable trousers tops and socks made from soft, warm cashmeres, brushed cottons and wools.  That said, the easiest way to warm up if I am cold is to give the cushions on the sofa a good plumping up – it never fails!

My last – and best – bit of hibernation luxury is my electric blanket – I just couldn’t be without it.  The pleasure of getting into a warm bed is second to none and it only needs to be on for fifteen minutes – a real bargain!

If you would like some help with your home or office including interlined curtains and blinds

 – Nicky Barclay runs Shoestring Style in and around Tunbridge Wells and can be contacted on 07771 522235  www.shoestringstyle.co.uk

I’m not going to suggest ways in which you can tastefully decorate your house/mantelpiece/table, because there are so many magazines out there with gorgeous inspiring pictures and loads helpful ideas, like “use glitzy wallpaper”.  Really?  Wallpaper your house for Christmas? Not me! It’s really not necessary to buy half of a Christmas department to make your home festive, tempting though it might be for a magpie like me.

From an interiors point of view, Christmas involves more people gathered together in the house for a longer time than usual, and more stuff – by way of decorations, food and presents.  So anything you can do to keep said incumbents happy, entertained, exercised and occupied is paramount and if you can make extra space, then so much the better.

So here’s my advice.  Start tidying up now and next year start earlier!  Have a good old declutter.  Get rid of as much junk as possible, because more is on its way!  Tackle those piles that are taking up corners and surfaces. If you have friends or family coming to stay, where will they sleep, and what will they need for a comfortable stay?  Take the ironing board out of the spare room.  Get everything ready.

Then think about what you will do with the time you have together and what will make it fun.  Plan games, walks, films – whatever it is that will make you laugh together.  If you’ve space to fit a ping pong table, or the table football, or the Wii, then all the better.  If not, perhaps a trip to the ice rink, the curling rink, or bowling alley.

My super-organised friend gets as much of her Christmas lunch done in advance as is possible, and that includes allocating serving dishes and getting them out ready.  I couldn’t believe it when she told me, but neither could I believe what a difference it made when I tried it – the fact is it’s only once a year that I use that many dishes, and it helps not to be dragging them out from the depths and washing cobwebs off them as you’re serving up!  The point is that thinking through the detail and preparing in advance saves time and energy when you need it most.

Now you can turn your attention to decorations.  My advice here is that, in my opinion, you can never have too many fairy lights on your tree, spend a little time to make your table look good, and don’t be too precious about it, after all, it’s Christmas!

If you would like some help with your home or office– Nicky Barclay runs Shoestring Style in and around Tunbridge Wells and can be contacted on 07771 522235  www.shoestringstyle.co.uk

This redefinition has freed me from my idea of what a living room should be, and allowed me to see the room in a new light and interestingly, it has made me rethink my opinions of what I consider to be acceptable activities when it comes to down time – why, for example, should reading be somehow better than watching TV? Anyway, in the interest of functionality, I am going to have to give some thought as to how I can facilitate this multi-functional media room of ours.

One end of our room is given over to shelves for books, magazines and DVDs, and has a desk on which my laptop and the printer sit.  I use this area as my office during the day and it is sometimes used for homework in the evenings.  Replacing my office chairs with more comfortable executive chairs – and perhaps adding a table/foot rest would definitely make that section of the room more usable.

A couple of sets of headphones, with long leads, wouldn’t go amiss – they would certainly prevent the TV from always dominating.  Also a multi-way extension lead positioned behind the sofa would enable devices to be plugged in when batteries are running low.

Trays, or better still, laptop trays that sit on bean bags, are useful little portable work stations when we are all spread out on our sofa.  A couple more large cushions to lean on when not in ‘poll position’ as we call the corner chaise part of the sofa, or the other corner, would add to the comfort factor, as would another throw – it can get cold when you’re sitting.

The lighting scheme already works well.   There are reading lamps, desk lights, bookshelf lights and floor and table lamps, although I so rarely light the candles that I would like some sort of fairy lights to twinkle in the background instead.

As for sound, I must make it easier for us to plug in our various iPods, phones, laptops and tablets, and perhaps the TV too, for when we are all watching a movie together – at the moment it is all too much of a faff.  It would be lovely to have speakers built in to the wall or ceiling…but another time, perhaps.  A rug would help with the acoustics of the room, which has a little too much echo, as well as making the room cosier for winter.

I think that just about does it for my media room.  What about yours?

Aesthetically, curtains will give weight to a wall, and afford at the very least, texture and at most, texture colour and pattern.  They can be used to frame and show off attractive period windows, or a beautiful view, as well as to disguise ugly windows and views.

A substantial pair of interlined curtains will make a noticeable difference to the temperature of a room, particularly in an old house with original windows, usually single glazed and drafty, but as an essential part of the architectural features, hard to replace.   Curtains will even help to keep the cold out and the heat in, in a more modern double glazed environment but in any case, interlining gives a luxuriant look to curtains and needn’t be just for warmth.

Often, though, radiators have been placed inconveniently under the windowsill and so full-length curtains can actually prevent a room from warming up, instead of keeping it cosy.  Where the aesthetic calls for long curtains, but they are not practical, then a happy solution might be to have roman blinds, interlined for warmth if necessary, with long curtains either for display only, or that can be part closed, leaving the radiator exposed.

Where a window is overlooked, and privacy is important, there are now quite a few more alternative options to nets.  Aside from the traditional voiles and venetian blinds, roller blinds are now designed to pull up, rather than down (bottom up blinds), so that light can be let in at the top of the window, whilst keeping the lower level covered.  Much improved stick-on window films give the look of etched glass and come in a variety of patterns too – they can even be designed specifically – or there are films that give the glass a reflective, mirrored surface, thereby preserving privacy.

Most obviously perhaps, curtains are useful as a way of keeping the light out and where this is a consideration, blackout lining will prevent any light seeping through even the lightest of fabrics.  A dark bedroom is recommended as an aid for insomnia sufferers, and it certainly helps to keep young children from rising with the larks. Roman blinds are often really effective for keeping out the light because they often lie closer to the window than curtains where light might show where the curtain pole sits away from the wall.

When the budget is tight, then roman blinds are a good way of saving money, as they use a lot less fabric than curtains.  They are also quite modern in their simplicity.  Even where there is no particular reason to have curtains, fabric will absorb sound, and take away that echoey feel that can a room can have when furnishings are at a minimum.  On the other hand, sometimes just pelmet or valence, or indeed a strings of lights, bunting or beads, ribbons or trimmings, strung around a window is all that is needed to add the necessary flourish or finishing touch.

If you would like some help with your home or office – Nicky Barclay runs Shoestring Style in and around Tunbridge Wells and can be contacted on 07771 522235  www.shoestringstyle.co.uk