Cosy, winter interior design ideas 5: hot chocolate

What could be nicer than snuggling up with a steaming mug of hot chocolate to bring a warm glow to your face? Well, if you love hot chocolate then why not use it as a colour inspiration for your décor. Chocolate brown is ideal for using in any room in your home.

So that it doesn't become bland and boring inject splashes of this season's on-trend colours of teal and burnt orange to bring your rooms bang up to date. Don't forget that hot chocolate now comes with a host of other flavours such as cinnamon, ginger, orange and hazelnut to name but a few, these can also inspire the use of a different shades and tones of chocolate brown.

In bedrooms stylish bed throws in luxury fabrics such as velour, velvet, silk and satin will give a great look to your bedroom. Bedroom curtains, headboards and bedding can be mixed and matched to bring a fresh new look. Look for reversible bedding and bed throws so that you can ring the changes with flashes of a contrast colour or even fabric type.

In living areas use plenty of cushions and throws in various shades of brown and add a couple or three cushions in your contrast/accent colour. Cheap rugs can also be used, particularly in high traffic areas where muddy shoes and boots walk through, cheap rugs are far easier to keep clean than a fitted carpet! If you have a wooden dining room suite then it makes logical sense to use this as your focal point and accent colour.

Take a lead from the colour of the wood and team wooden blinds to coordinate. If you have a window dressing comprising of curtains and blinds, freshen up your dining room chairs by recovering the seat part with fabric which matches your curtains or use a colour which is within the pattern of your curtains to harmonise and balance the room.

Maybe your kitchen has wooden cupboards? If it does then window blinds which coordinate will make a stylish touch. Think about hot chocolate and use wooden handled chocolate whisks and large chocolate mugs to accessorise your kitchen. Above all, when you've completed your re-vamp, don't forget to sit down with a steaming mug of hot chocolate and reflect on how you can improve the look of your rooms – it may simply be a case of re-organising your furniture so that everyone feels the warmth of the fire or moving display objects to add interest to neglected corners of a room.