How to make your bedroom cosy for winter

Introduce texture

With the winter chill upon us, there’s no better way to beat the cold than to snuggle up at home with a cosy personalized blanket. Your bedroom should reflect the time of year and create an inviting space that you’ll want to unwind up in at the end of the day. Start with the main feature of any bedroom—the bed itself—and begin to add layers that will be both pretty and practical. 

Throws are an easy and affordable way to add texture and interest to your bedroom styling or, if the budget allows, splash out a little more on a chunky bedspread for a thicker and more insulating layer.

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You might want to consider changing your duvet as we come into winter and opt for one with a higher tog rating. Depending on how you sleep, ratings between 10.5 to 15 tog is best suited to this time of year. You can also help create a sense of warmth and cosiness by layering up your bedroom floor, particularly if you have hard flooring or exposed floorboards. 

Older boards often have gaps between them and so a lot of heat is lost if left uncovered. A simple rug or runner will help block any draughts, as well as providing a soft landing underfoot when you get out of bed on cold winter mornings. If you have carpeted floors, don’t be afraid of adding a rug on top too—a sheepskin, for example, offers an alternative texture and will instantly give the room a warm, hygge vibe.

Dress the windows

Adding warmth to the bedroom extends beyond the way you dress your bed. A lot of heat is lost and gained through your windows, so it’s important to choose the right finishes for this part of the room. 

Original rustic solid oak king-size bed, £488.20; St Ives natural oak and grey painted chest of drawers, £369.72; St Ives natural oak and grey painted bedside table, £148.08, all Oak Furniture Land. Sisal rug in mocha with marsala border, from £79, The Rug Seller. Topiary pillowcases, from £20, Secret Linen Store. Tarvin twist throw, £220, Dunnknit Designs

Heavy fabric curtains are a great way to insulate the room in winter as they help to block draughts and heat loss but be sure to remember to open them during the day to allow heat from the sunlight to filter through and warm the room. Short curtains are the best choice for windows with a radiator beneath, as floor-length designs will cover the heat source and trap the warm air behind the curtain.

Fabric blinds generally fit more snugly into window frames than curtains do and, like curtains, can be lined with a thermally-insulating layer if needed to provide extra protection from the cold. If you have hard shutters or blinds in the bedroom, consider hanging a curtain rail above and adding a set of curtains for the winter months. Choose a heavy fabric and remember this can always be switched out for something lighter, like a voile, during the summer.

Relax with fragrance

Embrace the spirit of hygge living and make your bedroom a cocoon of cosiness by using scent to help you unwind. Test out different fragrances to find one, or several, that make you feel calm and then introduce them into this part of your home. 

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Scented candles are a popular choice, not only because they emit your chosen fragrance but the flickering glow of candlelight also contributes to that feeling of snugness we seek at this time of year. 

Alternatively, a reed diffuser or plug-in diffuser will disperse the scent more evenly around the room and throughout the day for a more consistent fragrance.

Enhance the lighting

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Switching up your lighting is one of the quickest and easiest ways to update the look and feel of your bedroom. Start by changing your bulbs to warm-white rather than regular white—look for a low Kelvin rating, indicating the bulbs that produce a yellow, rich glow. 

Focus on mood and accent lighting at this time of year to create smaller pockets of light, rather than purely overhead lights that can feel harsh and unsuitable in a bedroom environment. Bedside lamps will help draw the focus of the room to the cosy bed area or, for a more decorative touch, use fairy lights to create an inviting atmosphere.