Which Carpets, Curtains & Blinds are best for keeping your home cosy?
When the nights grow longer and the days get colder, it can be easy to abuse your boiler as a heat source and decimate your heating bill. What if we told you there was an easier way to keep your home warm during the colder months, without skyrocketing your bills? We have listed our best options for carpets, curtains and blinds for maximum insulation and heat retention during winter. We also have a few tips and tricks on how to get the most out of our products.
Carpets
In winter, carpets are favoured over hard-wood flooring for their heat retention properties. They are thick, warm and comfortable. The fibres make great insulators and trap heat due to their complex surface area. Wool in particular is an excellent insulator because of its dense and textured fibres. However, it can be expensive if you’re on a budget. Another option is polyester, which features wool in its composition, but is synthetic and more affordable.
As for colour, carpets follow the same logic as physics. Dark colours attract heat wavelengths and absorb them, whereas lighter colours reflect heat instead of retaining it. So, what does this witchcraft mean? The darker your carpet, the warmer your home will be.
For colour options, navy or dark grey are strong insulators and neutral enough not to disrupt existing colour schemes. Black retains the most heat, but it can be an intense colour for flooring. Consider adorning your current flooring with a dark, woollen rug. These colours are also much easier to maintain.
Curtains
Curtains may seem counter-intuitive to the agenda, but only if you’re using them incorrectly. Sunlight is an organic heat source, so keep your curtains open during the day. It’ll warm (and brighten) your home. It’s important to close them as soon as it gets dark, otherwise you’ll start to feel a bitter chill. Closed curtains prevent draughts from seeping through your windows and menacing your household.
Similar to carpets, your choice of material and colour will influence how your curtains retain warmth. Materials like velvet, cotton and polyester are dense, heat-retaining fabrics that provide excellent insulation. They also come in a variety of styles and patterns, so you can add a personalised touch to your dark palette. Deep reds, blues and greens are rich, beautiful and absorb plenty of heat wavelengths.
Blinds
Blinds do an admirable job of blocking up your windows and they adhere to the same rules as curtains. Keep them open during the day and close them when it’s dark. Consider installing a roller or venetian blind, which are adjustable and can filter light based on your specifications. This means you can influence how much warmth will escape through gaps in the blinds. Another (perhaps unsurprising) option are blackout blinds, for similar reasons.
Generally, the more heat you can physically retain, the warmer your home will be. Blinds with gaps or light coverage are not designed with insulation in mind.
Insulate your home for winter with carpets, curtains and blinds at Direct Carpets
If you’re in the market for carpets, curtains or blinds to keep your home warm this winter, then come to Direct Carpets. We offer a broad range of materials and styles to suit any household aesthetic. Contact our friendly, expert team on 01803 615 655 for more advice on our range. Or, you can visit our expansive showroom in Torquay. We hope to see you soon.
