We’ve read hundreds of articles and discussed it a thousand times – the many, many ways that the global pandemic has impacted our lives. From the way we holiday (or not!), to meeting friends and family, socialising, working, exercising (the list is endless), this invisible virus has shaped how we live. And it has also impacted on our homes and the way we decorate and furnish them. Over the past year or so there have been many features written about whether open-plan living has had its moment, but one topic that we don’t recall hearing much about before now is the impact of covid on interior design. So when we came across the article The new cosy, by Katrina Burroughs in Sunday Times Style, we were keen to read on. She says: The last things we want right now are stark white walls and minimalism. Opt instead for a moody palette, touchy-feely fabrics and full-fat furniture that gives you a hug.
It’s time to give pale and pared-back the boot…. and while we are at it let’s press pause on minimalism. Our… lives feel simplified enough at this point, thank you very much. The times we live in call for cocooning, darker, moodier décor. We need to reinvent cosy for the Covid era (even if life is starting to get back to some sort of normality, its legacy will remain for some time!).
The first requirement for contemporary cosiness is full-fat furniture, squishy chairs in lavish fabrics. Rule number two: the new cosy must be supremely tactile. The nation is in the grip of a touch famine. In these socially distanced times we can’t hug friends and family. Brushing hands with the checkout boy at Tesco sends us scurrying for the antibac. So we want the touchy-feely interiors that designers can deliver – collections that rejoice in teddy fabrics like boucle wool, velvet, merino, cashmere and sheepskins.
These soft and fuzzy surfaces appear at best advantage bathed in gentle lighting. The central pendant can stand down, the new cosy features (rule number three) lamps and candles that create little pockets of warmth in our interiors. So until it’s time for a much longed-for hug with friends and family, your sofa can give you a cuddle instead.
Futon Company says: What with spring here, the vaccine roll-out shaping up nicely to (hopefully) pull us out of this pandemic, longer and warmer days and shoots of life growing we’ve got everything crossed that the deepest, darkest days of covid are behind us. And while things are definitely more encouraging than they were a couple of months ago, life is not yet like it was before, so this article has given us plenty of food for thought about how we dress our interiors. There’s nothing we like more than a tactile and cosy home (and now that the nights are lighter and warmer what’s to stop us from bringing some of the easily transportable things into the garden or park with us). From a cosy cushion, to a warming blanket or a squishy full-fat futon (love Katrina’s use of full-fat) there’s plenty of modern mood cosy in our collection.
