How fun it would be to have a home for every season; a beach house for summer, a forest lodge for autumn, a Paris apartment for spring and a cosy country manor for winter.
Celebrities and royalty might be able to manage it, but for the rest of us a bit of creative thinking is required.
As the days become shorter and cooler, the idea of a snuggling up in front of a real fire with a tartan blanket and a good book becomes increasingly attractive and with a little imagination it is possible to achieve a country manor ambience without moving home.
The real fire part is probably the trickiest because you either have one or you don’t. You could however invest in something like a log-burning stove because you don’t need a chimney for that.
Some work is required however to install a twin wall flue system instead and if there’s an existing chimney that’s a bit of work too.
A quicker and likely least expensive fix is an electric fire or stove with flame effect.
These can be really effective, some even use a vapour to create the illusion of smoke rising from the coals or logs and are almost indistinguishable from the real thing.
Now all that is required is a squishy sofa in a traditional design such as a Chesterfield, a wing-backed armchair to curl up in, some tartan, plaid and wool textiles in lamps, rugs and throws – and a good Cognac.
Our cosy country picks:
