How to keep house warm in winter: the perfect winter doona and beyond

As mattress and furniture aficionados, we can’t answer the question “why have electricity prices increased in Australia?”. But what we can do; dear reader, is divulge our top tips on how to keep your house warm in winter without using a heater.

How to keep your house warm in the winter

There’s a reason our parents told us to put a pair of socks on rather than cranking the thermostat; and if you’re anything like the person writing this article, you learnt that lesson the hard way. An unfortunate, but very common, part of becoming an adult is being whacked with an out-of-this-world electricity bill after running the heater for the whole winter. The key to keeping your house warm in the winter without sending yourself broke is to maximise the amount of natural heat being created and ‘trapped’ inside. There are a couple of no-brainers to follow: 🔥 Make best friends with your hot water bottle and treat it to a snazzy new jacket. Covering your hot water bottle keeps it hotter for longer (and makes it look cute of course). 🔥 Reacquaint yourself with your sock drawer. Our feet are purpose-built to regulate our body temperature, with a large surface area and super special blood vessels which pass large volumes of blood, meaning they offload heat quickly. That’s a very sciency way of saying that your feet are trying to keep you cool, so popping a pair of socks on should always be step one when keeping your house warm in the winter. 🔥 On sunny days, throw the curtains wide open to let that glorious sunshine in, then close them nice and tight of an evening to keep the day’s warmth inside 🔥 If it's safe to do so (meaning no curious kids or pets around!), leave the oven door open once your cooking is complete. The hot air will flow out into the kitchen and beyond, keeping your tootsies toasty at no extra cost to you! 🔥 Same goes for the shower - if possible, leave your bathroom door open when showering to allow the warm steam to travel throughout your home and ‘soften’ the dry, cold winter air 🔥 Consider investing in reverse-cycle fans. Sounds counterintuitive, we know, but reverse-cycle fans rotate in a clockwise direction, moving hot air downward; exactly where you want it to stay during the winter months. However, one of the most simple! Effective! And fun! Ways to warm your house without a heater is to swap out your summer furnishings for chunkier, cosy winter options to ‘trap’ heat inside, exactly where you want it. And for that, friends - you’ve come to the exact right place.

The best things to buy for your home in winter

Winter sheets

There was a time when ‘winter’ was synonymous with ‘flannelette sheet set’ - and for good reason. Flannelette sheets are fuzzy, cosy and great at trapping heat to keep you warm whilst clocking up your zzz’s. All good things. However - they’re not the most… stylish option, and we reckon you shouldn’t have to forgo stylish, high-quality bedding to stay warm during winter. Stop googling “Kmart winter sheets” (you deserve better than those, doll) and feast your eyes on our Le Linen range. Made from French flax, ​​which is naturally thermo-regulating, our French linen Sheet Set and Duvet Sets will work to keep you cool in summer and warm in winter. The heavier feel of these linen sheets is perfect for cooler months, and the fabric continues to become softer and softer with each wash - truly getting better with age. Just like you! French linen has oodles of benefits, but we've got Organic Cotton and Tencel offerings up for grabs, too. Have a read to figure out which is the best fit for you.

Warmest winter blanket

Winter doona and winter sheets are sorted - but bed ain’t the only place you want to snuggle up under a blanket in. Your lounge room deserves the warmest winter blanket, and by golly are we going to give it to you! You’ll want to pop your lighter throw rugs away during the cooler months, making way for heavier weaves and firmer textures. Our Le Linen Coverlet is a great option here, a similar design to a traditional quilt with all the yummy benefits French linen brings to the table. If you’re looking for a little more colour in your warmest winter blanket, our quilted throw rug options are your best bet. Our Long Weekend Throw and Pebble Beach Throw insert a little personality while keeping you nice and toasty, whilst our Beach Bum and Stitch Up Throws add a new level of embroidered, master-crafted style.

Winter doona

Like loving avocado and giving everyone a nickname, part of being an Aussie is understanding that song “Four Seasons in One Day” is a legit statement. Our seasons flip around like an acrobat, and we wanted all Aussie homes to be prepared for the switch: because it’ll happen time and time again. So, we couldn’t just design the best winter doona. Or the best summer doona. We went ahead and designed the best doona for summer and winter: the All Seasons Duvet. There’s a lot of tech stuffed into this doona, but the TL;DR: of it is: it works to keep warmth in when you need it, and out when you don’t; keeping you at the optimum temperature for sleep. The Baffle Box finish features squishy pockets of fluffy warmth that are evenly distributed - meaning no clumped or lumpy sections. If you’ve followed all of our steps to keep house warm in winter and are still feeling the chill - we’ve got you covered. Our All Seasons Duvet features holes in the corners, allowing you to tie it to our Balmy Nights Duvet (the very best summer quilt!), creating an even thicker, heavier winter doona. Dreamy.

A cosy fabric sofa

Winter is no time for chilly textures and your sofa and sofa beds are no exception! During the colder months, you’ll want to retire any leather furniture and opt for a cosy fabric sofa or sofa bed to retain the heat you’ve built with your large warm rug, warmest winter blanket… and maybe whoever is sitting next to you on the fabric sofa! Our Cushy Sofa Bed Luxe Edition features a Koala-exclusive fabric: our take on boucle. This thick, woven fabric is designed with the planet in mind, using 30% recycled yarn made from plastic bottles and finished with a high contrast weave which is pleasing on the eye and easy on housework; subtly hiding stains and dirt within the fabric. The Getaway Sofa uses the same stain-resistant fabric finish as the Cushy, ensuring your sofa is spill-proof and life-proof. Not to mention the inbuilt storage drawers! Oh, the drawers… Upgrade to the Getaway Luxe Edition for solid ash drawer fronts and another Koala-exclusive linen made from recycled fibres that are soft to the touch and downright snuggable. When you think cosy fabric sofa, think Getaway Sofa.

Large warm rug

A hot tip this winter: cover any bare floorboards, tiles or concrete with a large, warm rug to instantly make the space cosier. Skip the lighter weight rugs for something with some weight to it - ideally a woollen option for the warmest offering. Our ethically sourced wool rug range is made from 100% New Zealand wool, offering the bounciest, most lush surface for your socked tootsies to snuggle into. We love them all, but the Shear Beauty and Shear Joy Rugs take the crown here with their heavyweight braided weave: like a hand-made scarf, for your feet and floor.