Relaxing Sleep Sanctuary: How to Make a Bedroom Cosy This Winter

If you’re looking for cosy bedroom ideas this winter, you can transform your bedroom into a dreamy sleep sanctuary with our range of luxury home decor at DUSK.

From choosing the best bedding for optimal comfort and warmth to embracing serene colour palettes that will make your sleep space a place of true tranquillity, you'll slumber in style before you know it with these winter decorating ideas.

In this blog, our experts share the perfect accessories for your blissful bedroom, from cushions and throws to cosy candles. We have also provided extra tips on the perfect temperature for your winter bedroom, ensuring your room is as peaceful as possible for the perfect night’s slumber.

Let’s jump right into our ideas for a cosy bedroom this winter, below.

1. Select the right sheets for warmth and comfort

When choosing bed sheets for your winter bedroom idea, harness the natural insulating power of cotton or linen. Linen is wonderful for retaining body heat, while cotton traps warm air.

To increase these cosy thermal properties further, opt for waffle-textured bedding. This design isn’t only a chic way to add dimension to a winter bedroom, but the stylish pockets also trap a thin layer of warm air between you and your duvet for ultimate toastiness. A sure fire way to make a bedroom cosy this winter!

2. Choose warmth without overheating

Popping a warmer duvet on the bed marks the start of many winter bedroom ideas. But how do you choose a duvet that’s wonderfully warm for you to fall asleep under but won’t have you waking up in the night overheating?

Well, in our humble opinion, a down duvet is utterly dreamy.

The structure of a duck or goose down duvet contains pockets of air, making it both insulating and breathable. Plus, it’s moisture-wicking too, ensuring you can make your bedroom cosy this winter!

If you prefer synthetic bedding, though, fear not. Our Feels Like Down duvets are a gorgeous alternative for many warm bedroom ideas.

We also recommend indulging in a higher tog duvet for your winter bedroom. This means thermal overall grade. For winter, we recommend one of our sumptuous 13.5 tog duvets to bury yourself in wondrous warmth. Although, if you run hot, a 9 tog duvet may be a better choice. 

Or perhaps you’re struggling to choose which best suits your cosy room idea? Buy an All-Seasons duvet for a 9 tog duvet and a 4.5 tog duvet which can be buttoned together to create 13.5 tog warmth on the chilliest nights. 

For more information on how to make a bedroom cosy all year round, read our guide on choosing the duvet tog for each season.

3. Achieve the perfect balance of warmth and breathability

Looking for warm and cosy bedroom ideas? Well you can’t go wrong with a perfect five-layer bed with our warm and cosy bedding!

With a topper over your fitted sheet, you’ll trap a layer of warm air beneath you for added heat. Throwing a mattress protector into the mix gives you yet another warm layer. Then, on top of you, you’ll need the all-important duvet. 

And then on the coldest nights, you may need ideas for a cosy bedroom that help to keep you warm. That’s where throws save the day. Add a lovely layer by spreading your throw blanket under or over your duvet. Or perhaps it’s your feet that get extra cold? Warm up icy toes with a folded throw blanket at the end of the bed. Winter home décor has never felt so comfortable!

4. Make your bed every morning

It might seem like a small thing, but making your bed in the morning keeps your winter bedroom sleep sanctuary looking tranquil and serene. The benefits of a made bed aren’t only aesthetic, either - your bed will also stay warmer when it’s made. 

Laying your duvet fully over the mattress traps warmth rather than leaving the top of your mattress exposed to the cold air all day, which creates a chilly surface for you to lay on at night. So, to make your bedroom cosy for those colder nights, make sure you’re making the bed in the morning!

5. Opt for calm and cosy winter colours

The way a room looks has so much impact on how it makes us feel, so the importance of cosy colours for your bedroom should not be underestimated.  

To really make a bedroom cosy, we love darker hues. That’s because they absorb light and warmth while light colours reflect them, making black or deep red bedding marvellous to curl up under in winter. 

Why not try deep brown accessories as one of your ideas for a cosy bedroom? Reminiscent of hot chocolate, it’s the perfect relaxing hue to bring winter warmth to mind. 

Of course, dark colours aren’t always a must. White bedding calls to mind a winter’s snowfall. Opt for cream or neutral over bright white for that warm tone tint that looks right at home in winter décor. Plus, creams and neutrals are commonly associated with Scandinavian home styles, where hygge (a Danish value of cosiness and comfort) is a key consideration in winter home décor. 

6. Add different types of textures

Fluffy and cosy layered textures are a must for any cosy bedroom idea, and these are easy to add through comforting cushions and throws. 

Knitted textures are a winter staple in our jumpers, cardigans, bobble hats and scarves, but you shouldn’t reserve the heavenly cosiness of a chunky knit for just clothing! A chunky knitted throw or cushion cover is a great way to make a bedroom cosy and keep you warm.

Another option for a warm bedroom idea is faux fur. Luxuriously soft, nothing beats the winter blues like cuddling up in a furry throw or laying on a bed decorated with fabulously fluffy scatter cushions. The ultimate winter décor addition!

7. Create a serene atmosphere with candles and dim lighting

Not so much a winter decorating idea, but dimming the lights is a fabulous way to signal to your brain that bedtime is approaching, as it replicates the natural darkening of the night-time sky. One way to make a bedroom cosy with lighting is to scatter lamps and candles about the room, placed on bedside tables and dressing tables. 

This lighting creates a gorgeous atmosphere, dark enough that you won’t be overstimulated by light, but bright enough to carry out before bed activities, like reading and skincare. Opt for warm tone bulb lamps, which emit a yellow/amber light, to really bring this warm and cosy bedroom idea to life.

Candles are also a lovely way to make a bedroom cosy, adding welcoming warmth to your sleep sanctuary. Add a third sensory benefit, on top of the cosily glowing appearance and added warmth, by choosing scented candles to fill your sleep sanctuary with glorious aromas.

Some of the best candles for cosy bedroom ideas include lavender and chamomile scents, famously associated with restful sleep. Or, specifically for a winter bedroom, choose beloved seasonal scents like spiced orange or winter berries. 

8. Install thick curtains for insulation and privacy

Even with the most finely-tuned cosy bedroom ideas, distractions like outside noise and beams of light rudely awaken us from our sleep. Luckily, there are tactics that you can implement to banish these from your winter bedroom.

For example, lofty, heavyweight curtains are a must to make a bedroom cosy. They’re another barrier against window draughts, protecting your sanctuary from the chilly outside air. Not only that, but they’re a sound buffer, too, helping to quiet the noisy winds of winter or pitter pattering of the rain. 

Another benefit of heavyweight curtains is that they block out outside light, allowing you to snooze undisturbed by streetlights and sunrises. Last but not least, they give you complete privacy for peaceful sleep. Certainly one of the best way to finish off your cosy bedroom idea!

9. Consider using sleep masks and earplugs

As well as using curtains and soundproofing techniques for undisturbed slumber, there are also sleep accessories that can protect you from pesky disturbances. Foam earplugs, for example, allow you to snooze in silence and truly enjoy your winter bedroom.

To avoid bright lights bothering you in your sleep sanctuary, we recommend an eye mask. Our eye masks are the height of luxury, made from sumptuously soft 100% Mulberry Silk. This heavenly material not only shields you from any annoying rays of light but is also fabulous for your skin, giving you a glow every morning when you wake. 

Now you know how to make a bedroom cosy, you’re ready to start shopping our collections of beds, mattresses, and bedding. You can also find lots more cosy room ideas and winter décor inspiration with our blog and Instagram page.