High/low: Cozy living room

Which is high and which is low?

Can you tell the difference?

High: $21,458

1 Ryan Studio cut velvet Gee-Oh Toss Cushion in Mink with down fill, 22" x 22", Cocoon Furnishings, $216. 2 Kevin O’Brien Studio hand-painted silk velvet Woodgrain Toss Cushion in Peacock with down insert, 22" x 22", Artifacts, $359. 3 Kevin O’Brien Studio hand-painted silk velvet Ombre Gradient Toss Cushion in Green Teal with down insert, 22" x 22", Artifacts, $359. 4 Custom Kentucky Sofa with cotton felt 4201 fabric in Cliff, 87" x 42" x 38", Barrymore Furniture, $4,890. 5 Steel and brass Fly Trap Sconce in Black, Pavilion, $450. 6 Mr. Brown medium shagreenembossed faux leather Imogen Box in Cloud, South Hill Home, $585 7 Marble and powder-coated aluminum Swag Side Table, Shelter, $500. 8 Silk and wool Modern Fresco No.1 Rug in Purple & Light Grey, 8' x 10', Modern Weave, $12,950. 9 Honed marble, walnut and steel Free Range Coffee Table, Shelter, $699. 10 Aerin brass small and medium Sphere Nesting Bowls, per set of 2, Cocoon Furnishings, $450.

Low: $3,075

1 Cotton Handcut Shapes Toss Cushion in Charcoal with feather insert, 20" x 20", Tonic Living, $58. 2 Cotton velvet Toss Cushion in Eggplant with feather insert, 20" x 20", Tonic Living, $62. 3 Dip-dyed cotton velvet Ombre Toss Cushion COVER in Blue Stone, 20" x 20", $39, feather INSERT, $12, West Elm, $51. 4 Stocksund Sofa with polyester Nolhaga fabric in Dark Gray, 37" x 35" x 78", IKEA, $699. 5 Andrew Neyer steel and walnut Mantis Sconce, CB2, $149. 6 Small resin Faux Shagreen Box in Charcoal, West Elm, $49. 7 Marble and powder-coated aluminum Tulip Side Table, Shelter, $249. 8 Polypropylene Verona Rug in Sand, Light Blue & Grey, 7' x 10', Weavers Art, $945. 9 Walnut-veneered MDF and wood Yuki Coffee Table, Structube, $499; Marble Contact Paper in Marmi Grey, DYW, $65 per roll. 10 AKMD brass Origami Bowls, Pavilion, $249 per set of 3, $249.

Paint palette: Moody winter

Just because it’s all sleet, slate and snow outside doesn’t mean we can’t have colour inside! Avoid a jarring juxtaposition with mother nature’s winter wardrobe – save the yellows for spring – and opt for smoky purples and deep teals that complement (and uplift) the dark skies and moody winter landscape. 1 Dolphin Blue P5156-41, Para Paints. 2 Gentility 30-26, Pratt & Lambert Paints. 3 Valspar Opal Slate 4001-1C, Lowe’s. 4 Tricorn Black SW 6258, Sherwin-Williams. 5 All White 2005, Farrow & Ball.

The chain gain

Unleash your inner artiste by splashing paint on a canvas (here’s a chance to reinforce your room’s palette), then channel your inner gallery owner by displaying it in a fresh new way. A handful of hardware store basics and some gold spray paint amount to a simple DIY project that feels stylish enough for a soho art studio.

Birch, please!

It took a lot of research for us to realize there’s very little information available about William Birch – the person synonymous with some of the most sophisticated sofas on the market. Ask any decorator, and they’ll list his rolled-arm, turned-leg, low sofa as a traditional favourite. Ask any furniture designer with a large volume of work, and they’ll almost certainly have a William Birch-style sofa in their collection. These sofas are some of the most renowned in the industry, so why is the man himself such a mystery? 1 Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams mohair and leather London in Steel, Elte, $4,916. 2 Camilla with polyester blend Aura fabric in Greystone, Crate and Barrel, $1,999. 3 Linen blend Ellington in Periwinkle, Elte Market, $1,895.

Marble magic

Let’s face it: As much as we love that luxe marble look, we can’t all afford it. But if we’ve learned anything here at Style at Home, it’s that there’s always a way to get what you want on a budget using three handy initials: DIY. Find out how you can make this DIY project here.

Cut a rug

Two stunning painterly rugs, only one foot different in size, but more than $12,000 different in price! What gives? While the low is made of a durable high-quality polypropylene, the high is made from some of the finest Chinese silk and Persian wool available – carded, dyed and spun by hand. The low: Created in Belgium on a machine that can make more than one rug at a time in just a few days. The high: Hand-knotted in India and finished only after four or five months of work. All in all, we discovered that when it comes to rugs, it’s much more than size that matters. 1 Silk and wool Modern Fresco No.1 in Purple & Light Grey, 8' x 10', Modern Weave, $12,950. 2 Polypropylene Verona in Sand, Light Blue & Grey, 7' x 10', Weavers Art, $945.