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Photo: Simon Upton
The older we get (as driveway-shoveling, heat-bill-paying adults), the harder it is not to sound like the Grinch around the “fall back” end of daylight savings time, when the impending winter gripes commence like holiday tradition. And who among us is above some occasional kvetching about the season? It’s dark, it’s frigid, and often throughout the average December–March stretch, at least for those of us up north, the mere suggestion of going out feels daunting. The only thing that makes longer nights and chilly temperatures bearable, if you ask us, is hunkering down inside a comfy home.
The thing about working at AD is that it’s all too easy to slip into reveries set in our featured dwellings. This happens year-round, it’s just par for the course with this type of gig. But December in particular makes us pine for a specific type of space: pads with moody atmospheres, warm natural accents, and fireplaces galore—the kinds of homes that make us feel all warm and cozy inside just from gazing at pictures of them. Essentially, we’re craving the interiors eye candy equivalent of a When Harry Met Sally or The Holiday rewatch. Beat the winter blues with us by curling up with the design inspo below—and if any of the star homeowners of these sweet sanctuaries happen to have a spare guest room or an extra seat at their holiday table… no pressure, but we’re totally available.
Emma Roberts’s “grown-up dollhouse” in LA
If you’re still taking Zoom calls with pajamas on from the waist down, the Scream Queens star has got you beat: She phones into meetings from her bathroom—in style, of course, at the custom millwork vanity she had installed with the guidance of designers Louisa Pierce and Emily Ward of the AD100 firm Pierce & Ward. Charming little Easter eggs from childhood abound in Roberts’s Los Angeles home including the tiny “time-out chair” she just couldn’t part with—which son Rhodes now loves to sit in—and a collection of dolls she hopes will come to life in the middle of the night to play. (We’re looking at you, Drunk Cowgirl Barbie!) The actor oftentimes finds herself chatting with friends in the gazebo tucked away in an outdoor corner of the property, surrounded by foliage. “It’s very storybook,” Roberts says of her quaint dwelling. “‘Cozy’ is the word I’m always looking for.”
Walton Goggins’s luxury Hudson Valley lodge
There’s nothing quite like starting your day by watching the sun rise over the Hudson Valley. “There are, what… 20 windows in this room?” Goggins muses of his living area during AD’s 2025 tour of the actor’s home. “We wake up early in the morning and have a cappuccino and sit in here… It’s very romantic.” The light-bathed space happens to be the scene stealer’s favorite spot in his and wife Nadia Conners’s redesigned 1920s Scottish hunting lodge, which was brought back to life by designer Shawn Henderson and a whole fleet of craftspeople and artisans. Located on more than 100 acres in upstate New York, Goggins’s rustic retreat has more fireplaces than one can count—but they’re all practical, he says. As temperatures drastically dip in the winter months, his TV room (complete with a comfy auburn-colored couch and a fireplace, of course) is the perfect place to stream your next binge watch. After all, it’s thousands of miles away from those deadly White Lotus resorts, and the drinks are flowing direct from the hidden Prohibition-era bar (as opposed to any foreboding blenders). Just make sure to add your signature next to the likes of Babe Ruth and Walt Disney on the wall to prove you stopped by for a cocktail.
Rita Ora’s Victorian-era home in London
Ora’s home in Primrose Hill, outside the hustle and bustle of where she grew up in West London, is every bit the romantic sanctuary you might expect from the British artist. After a busy day, imagine drawing a bath in your bedroom (which, we must note, includes two fireplaces). The room was originally designed to be an art studio for its first owner, Arthur Rackham, the illustrator behind classic children’s books like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. “The house has a lot of energy, good energy, all the creative sort of juices that I need,” says the singer-songwriter, whose garden we have deemed the perfect place to put pen to paper over a cup of tea—right next to a dramatic weeping willow tree, naturally. Ora describes the home’s exterior as her “little piece of heaven,” and we can see why: A two-person bench is hidden away by her firepit, and if you’re lucky, you can share it with someone special (a love seat, indeed). “If anyone needs to have a first kiss or anything, you know, just give me a call,” says Ora, “and I’ll set it up for you!”
Gwyneth Paltrow’s serene SoCal sanctuary
The fall and winter months are the perfect time to cuddle up by the fire with a warm bowl of turkey ragù, which is what Paltrow usually has on the stove in the cozy kitchen of her Montecito home. AD toured the actor’s manse—designed in collaboration with Romanek Design Studio as well as architects from Roman and Williams—back in 2022, and we haven’t stopped dreaming of it since. A wood-burning fireplace warms the entryway of the Goop founder’s home, setting that warm and welcoming vibe upon guests’ arrival. And after the actor puts dinner on the dining room table (which, btw, came from France, and sits beside yet another stately hearth), she can retreat to the ultimate relaxation station: an elegant in-home spa that includes a hot tub, a cold plunge, and a sauna. “I use it all the time,” she admits. “And whenever I’m in here, I’m like: Pinch me; I cannot believe that this is our house.”
Aaron Paul’s riverside Idaho retreat
The Emmy winner’s mountain getaway, situated on five wooded acres between the banks of an icy river, might be the epitome of a cozy winter oasis. The lighting? “Moody, beautiful, sexy,” per Paul. The amenities? A movie theater, a sultry bar and pool table area, and a spa-like primary bath. The surrounding wildlife? “They’re friendly neighbors!” Paul, a Gem State native, says of the bears and deer that frequent the property. The Breaking Bad star has dubbed the residence Camp Pretty Bird after his pet name for his wife, Lauren, which of course just makes the whole place all the more romantic—but with that classic log-clad exterior and the surrounding natural beauty, it was love at first sight for us anyway.
Taylor Hill’s rustic Nashville paradise
The fashion model drew inspiration from Ralph Lauren’s Telluride dwelling in crafting the interiors of her stately Tennessee cabin. She aimed for a look that nodded to traditional Western aesthetics but also included plenty of soft textures, like her shearling armchairs, furry throw pillows, and tons of colorful antique rugs. The living area is anchored by “the world’s biggest couch”—which Hill says she sought out to comfortably suit both her own five-foot-ten stature as well as the scores of friends and family that like to gather ’round for movie nights. Upstairs, lower ceilings and log walls set a “cozy and homey” scene.
Liv Tyler’s historic West Village brownstone
Fantasizing about spending winter in the Big Apple inevitably takes you down one of two avenues: If it’s not at the Plaza, it’s got to be a brownstone. Liv Tyler’s West Village residence, originally built in 1861, is the quintessential NYC brownstone, complete with all the textures you’d want to be swaddled in for a December in the northeast. A statement shearling lounge and an abundance of fuzzy white rugs and throws lend the space plenty of warmth.
Sienna Miller’s sweet country cottage
Imagine spending a cool December evening in the English countryside, curled up beside the fireplace with a book in the living room of a 16th-century thatched-roof cottage. We can envision it perfectly, thanks to the Horizon star’s 2022 home tour. Miller paints a yuletide picture for us while standing beside her admittedly “enormous” fireplace: “At Christmastime, we put the tree here… and decorate [the mantel] with foliage and lights and a roaring fire, and some tipsy person will get on the piano and bash out a tune.” We’d be happy to join that chorus.
Tan France’s Salt Lake City Tudor mansion
When AD visited the Queer Eye star and his husband at their 3,000-square-foot Utah estate, there was a foot of snow on the ground outside, so we can certainly count on the weather there to set a cozy winter atmosphere. A custom-painted immersive wallpaper transports guests into a woodland wonderland upon entry, and the foyer’s “wow” moments keep coming with a grand curving stairway and a luxe burl console that serves, among other things, as a casual pedestal for France’s Emmy. A mini “mouse house” diorama carved right into the wall captures the exact vibe of Goodnight Moon—if only it were human-size.
Kirsten Dunst’s charming LA ranch house
“I like old things,” the actor announces at the top of AD’s design deep dive into her Hollywood dwelling. (Us too!) The antique feeling of the house she shares with her husband, actor Jesse Plemons, is balanced out tastefully by moodier features that add some dimension, like the kitchen’s glossy beet red tiles. Moments of dark drama plus the lived-in timbre of her furnishings make Dunst’s abode the ideal retreat for winter vacation—despite the endless California summer in which it’s situated. “There is something a little more haunting about certain things that aren’t new,” she ruminates. That dark, vintage vibe is striking just the right tone for us as temperatures drop.
Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
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