There’s no place like home — especially when it’s chilly outside.

Winter is the ideal time for snuggling up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate or spending time with friends and family by the fireplace.

If your home, more specifically your living room, isn’t as inviting as you’d like it to be, here are five ways to make it more cosy:

1. Add a plush throw blanket.

An easy way to add some warmth to your home during those chilly winter months is to pull out your softest and cosiest blankets to snuggle up with on the couch. Design experts recommend throws in soft grey shades, which complement other colours nicely and add a relaxed, lived-in feel to the room. They also recommend using fabrics such as a faux fur as they won’t easily pull apart and will continue looking lush for many seasons to come.

2. Light some candles.

If you have a fireplace, this is the perfect time of year to get out those logs. But for those who don’t, lighting candles is an easy way to bring a cosy and peaceful feeling to your living room this winter. Soft candlelight creates a beautiful calming ambience in any room. And when you add clusters of them on a coffee table or mantlepiece it can also be a great focal point.

3. Use scents.

When a visitor walks in and smells rich vanilla, spicy cinnamon and warm cocoa scents wafting through your home, don’t be surprised if they stay a while. You can make your own cosy fragrance at home by combining orange slices, a cinnamon stick, a few whole cloves and apple peels in a pot on low heat a few hours. Just make sure you keep an eye on it and add more water as needed.

4. Create something new with an old sweater.

This one is probably best left for the creative few, but there are endless things to do with an old sweater. You can use it to make a cosy pillow cover or add a rustic touch by covering vases or candle holders. The texture of those slightly worn in knits on your couch are enough to make anyone want to curl up.

5. Top your table with burlap.

There’s something warm and welcoming about natural fabrics like burlap. One designer suggests finding a tablecloth in the fabric, particularly something long enough to skim the floor. And as it’s a neutral colour, it will go with whatever festive tablescape you choose.