Comfort Throughout the Year

6. Take Another Look at Where You Sit

Your favorite chair may have been in exactly the same place for fifteen years. But is it still the most comfortable place for it?

Maybe it's beside a window that gets chilly in January. Perhaps the afternoon sun shines directly on it in July. Or maybe a heating or cooling vent blows right toward you.

Try moving the chair — even just a foot or two — and live with it for a few days. You can always move it back.

Sometimes the easiest way to make a room more comfortable isn't changing the room at all. It's changing where you enjoy it from.

7. Think About Comfort While You're Sleeping

Bedrooms can be especially interesting because the temperature that feels comfortable during the day may not feel the same when you're trying to sleep.

Notice what you do during the night. Do you kick the covers off and pull them back on later? Turn a fan on? Add another blanket? Wake up because the room feels stuffy?

Instead of assuming that's simply how you sleep, try one small experiment.

A lighter blanket, different bedding, a little air movement, or a small temperature adjustment might make more difference than you'd expect.

8. Notice Whether the Air Feels Dry, Damp, or Just Right

Temperature isn't the only thing that affects comfort.

Winter air can sometimes feel very dry. Summer air can feel heavy or damp. And some rooms may feel different from the rest of the house.

You don't need to measure anything at first. Just notice how the air feels to you.

If something doesn't feel quite right, you can experiment. Maybe opening a door improves airflow. Perhaps running a bathroom fan a little longer helps after a shower. Maybe a humidifier or dehumidifier is worth trying.

The question isn't what the number should be. It's whether the room feels better to you.

9. Pay Attention When the Seasons Change

There's always that funny time of year when it's cold in the morning, warm in the afternoon, and cold again by bedtime.

That's when our usual routines don't always work very well.

Instead of constantly chasing the temperature with the thermostat, see what else helps.

Open the blinds when the morning sun comes in. Close them when the afternoon gets warm. Open a window for a little while when the weather is pleasant. Keep a light throw nearby during those cooler evenings.

Sometimes comfort comes from working with the day rather than trying to keep your home exactly the same all the time.

10. Find One Little Discomfort You've Simply Gotten Used To

This is the fun one.

Think about something you've been putting up with for so long that you hardly notice it anymore. Maybe your feet are always cold at the kitchen table. The bedroom gets stuffy at night. The sun makes your favorite chair too warm every afternoon. There's a draft by the front door. Or one room is so chilly in winter that you simply don't spend much time there.

Don't start by asking, "How do I fix this?"

Start with a much simpler question: "I wonder if this could be a little more comfortable?"

Then try something small.

Move something. Open something. Close something. Add something. Take something away. Try it for a week or two.

You may decide everything was fine just the way it was.

Or you may discover that one tiny change makes a part of your home much nicer to live in.

And that's really what Comfort Throughout the Year is about.

Not making your home comfortable according to somebody else's idea of comfortable — but discovering what comfortable means to you.

Every home has its own personality when it comes to comfort.

There may be a room that always seems a little cooler in the winter. A favorite chair that gets wonderfully warm when the afternoon sun comes through the window. A bedroom that feels just right most of the year — except for those really hot summer nights.

And chances are, you've already found ways to adjust.

Maybe you keep a sweater on the back of a chair. Pull the curtains when the afternoon sun gets too warm. Put an extra blanket on the bed in January. Run a fan in one particular room. Or turn the thermostat up or down for a while and then change it back later.

We all do little things like this.

But every once in a while, it can be interesting to stop and ask: Could this be a little more comfortable?

Not necessarily warmer. Not necessarily cooler. Just more comfortable for you.

Over the next few days, pay attention to the little adjustments you already make without thinking about them. Notice which rooms feel especially comfortable — and which ones have you reaching for a sweater, moving a fan, adjusting the blinds, or changing where you sit.

Then get curious.

Could moving a chair make a difference? Would opening or closing a curtain at a different time help? Is there a small draft you've simply gotten used to? Would a fan help the air feel better without changing the temperature of the whole house?

You don't have to change anything. But if something makes you curious, try one small experiment for a week or two and see what happens.

Does that room feel a little nicer? Are you more comfortable spending time there? Does something you used to work around simply disappear from your day?

If so, keep the change. If not, change it back.

Because sometimes being more comfortable at home isn't about finding the "right" temperature.

It's about discovering what feels right to you.

Start Noticing What Feels Comfortable to You
For the next week or so, don't worry about changing anything. Just pay attention to the little things you already do to make yourself comfortable.

Do you move to a different chair when the sun comes through the window? Keep a sweater in one particular room? Turn on a fan even though the air conditioner is running? Add another blanket to the bed halfway through the night?

Those little habits can tell you quite a bit.

Here are ten things to start noticing. If one catches your attention, experiment with it for a while and see whether a small change makes your home feel just a little better.

1. Notice the Rooms That Always Feel a Little Different

Most homes have them.

One bedroom is always cooler. The kitchen warms up when you're cooking. The basement feels completely different from upstairs. One side of the living room may even feel warmer than the other.

Instead of immediately adjusting the thermostat, start noticing where you feel most comfortable and where you don't.

You may discover that the temperature throughout your home isn't as even as you thought — and sometimes a very small adjustment can make the space you actually use much more comfortable.

2. Pay Attention to Where You Reach for a Sweater or Blanket

Do you have a sweater hanging over the back of one particular chair? A blanket that's always within reach on the couch?

There's nothing wrong with that — a favorite blanket can be pretty wonderful.

But it's also a clue.

The next time you automatically reach for it, stop for just a second and ask yourself why. Is there a little draft? Is the chair near a window? Does that room simply feel cooler than the rest of the house?

You don't necessarily need to do anything about it. But now you've noticed it.

3. Notice What Happens When the Sun Moves Through Your Home

Sunlight can completely change the comfort of a room.

A sunny window can feel wonderful on a cold winter morning and make the same room surprisingly warm on a summer afternoon.

For a few days, notice how sunlight moves through the rooms you use most.

Maybe opening the curtains earlier would warm a favorite room in winter. Perhaps closing a shade for a couple of afternoon hours would make another room more comfortable in summer.

Sometimes the sun can do some of the work for you.

4. See If You Can Find Those Little Drafts

You've probably experienced this one. The room seems warm enough, but there's one particular place where you can feel cool air around your feet or legs.

Instead of simply turning up the heat, get curious about where that cooler air is coming from.

Maybe it's near a window, an exterior door, the garage entrance, or somewhere else you hadn't really noticed.

You might find that something as simple as adjusting a curtain, closing a door, or taking care of a small draft makes that part of the room much more comfortable.

5. Experiment With Moving the Air

Sometimes a room isn't particularly hot or cold — the air just feels a little still.

Try running a ceiling fan or small fan for a while and notice whether the room feels different.

Fans aren't only for hot summer days. Moving air around a room can sometimes help distribute the warmer or cooler air that's already there.

Experiment with it.

You might find that a gentle breeze feels great. Or you may decide you don't like it at all. Either way, you've learned something about what feels comfortable to you.