Style Guide: The Cosy Bedroom

If you’re eager to cultivate a hibernation haven, perfect for wiling away dark winter days, we’ve got you covered with inspiration and advice on cosy bedroom chic.

Cosy (adjective). A feeling of comfort, warmth, and relaxation.

As the evenings draw in, and pastel-y summer skies give way to wall-to-wall greyness, it’s only natural that your cosy gene kicks in and you find yourself feeling the urge to hibernate.

And where better to conduct this hibernation than your bedroom? After all, it’s a room in your home that’s exactly that – yours. No guests. No kids. No distractions. (It’s why we think your bed is your best friend.)

Sounds blissful, right? But it isn’t just optics. The atmosphere of your slumber space can subconsciously impact the quality of sleep you get… It’s why upmarket hotels are so snug.

For example, you’re less likely to drift off if you’re feeling boxed in by clutter or overstimulated by Day-Glo colours, as different colours prompt different psychological responses.

So, to help you cultivate a cosy cocoon for spending rainy Sunday mornings (or just binging TV on lazy weekday evenings) we’ve put together a cosy bedroom style guide, filled with tips, tweaks, and insights on getting maximum cosy with minimal effort.

How to Make a Bedroom Cosy

Your cosy is not your partner’s cosy. And their cosy is not their parent’s cosy. And their parent’s cosy isn’t… you get the point.

Truthfully, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to cosy styling. You might prefer soft caramel and chocolate colour plates while your partner may favour organic-y greens and wicker. The trick is to find what sets your cosy motor running.

So, a quick exercise. Close your eyes. Then, just turn the word ‘cosy’ over in your mind; really consider what it means to you, from a design standpoint. Is it lush rugs and heavy throws? Soothing ambient lighting? Perhaps it’s a specific colour?

Whatever cosy means to you, channel it into our cosy bedroom ideas and make them your own.

Lush Layers and Terrific Textures

Rugs. Duvets. Throws. Pillows. Curtains. Draw up a list of soft furnishings that you can (and should) deploy to create layers in your bedroom. Why are layers so important, you ask? Well, it relates to warmth.

By densifying the room and creating layers with soft furnishings, you’ll imbue your bedroom with a sense of warmth and snugness – both of which are key components of any cosy bedroom. No warmth? No cosy. No snugness? No cosy.

But how do you create those layers? Simple. Start building up your soft furnishings with contrasting pieces, in a variety of complimentary textures. Think a faux-fur rug. A thick duvet. A chunky-knit throw. Geometric throw pillows. Heavy blackout curtains. Let your imagination run wild. Some of our favourite texture suggestions:

• Linen
• Faux fur
• Velvet
• Faux wool
• Woven cotton

The interplay between these items, both in terms of colour and texture, will create a dense, inviting atmosphere perfect for relaxation. You may find it’s a bit of a trial-and-error process, but if you keep your motif in mind, you’ll be able to cultivate a custom cosy space.

Luxurious Lighting

Real talk: lighting is hands-down the most important aspect of a cosy bedroom. A make-or-break choice that can either crank the cosy levels up to eleven or destroy it altogether.

Okay, maybe that’s a little dramatic but it’s important to consider the effect that lighting has on a room. Don’t believe us? Let’s try a little thought experiment.

Imagine. It’s Sunday afternoon in the middle of winter. You’re in your bedroom, curled up on your favourite chair. Soft rain patters on the windows. You’re reading a book, using the gentle glow of a table lamp. Elsewhere, an uplighter bounces warm light off the wall, giving the room an ultra-cosy, ultra-relaxing feel. You snuggle down beneath a blanket, and... Someone bursts into the room, switching on the stark overhead light. Cosy ambience destroyed!

See what we mean? The lighting you choose has a huge impact on how cosy your bedroom feels.

So, if you’re aiming to create the ideal reading/watching/dozing nook, you should opt for light from several different sources and heights in the room – floor lamps, bedside lamps, soft ceiling lights, etc.

For maximum cosiness, try using lights with dimmer switches, rather standard than on/off as doing so will allow you to adjust the lighting as desired.

Who says lighting must be of the electric bulb variety to be cosy?

If you’re eager to create a cosy ambience suited to study, solitude, or other sundry bedroom activates, you might choose to include candles, LED fairy lights or even aurora lighting.

The key is to be strategic about where you place these types of lighting and how their shape interacts with the rest of your bedroom. For example, a small cluster of church-style candles in a corner will offer a totally different vibe to fairy lights cross-crossed along the ceiling. Experiment for yourself and see what works.

Nourishing Nature

Plants (real for the brave, fake for the… less brave) are a multi-purpose cosy bedroom hero item that adds contrast to your room and provide you with a psychological boost conducive to sleep and relaxation.

Whether the lush, leafy type (peace lilies, spider plants) or something bolder (cacti, bonsai trees) adding plant life to your bedroom immediately boosts the cosy level - offering a sense of tranquillity befitting of the most relaxing room in your home.

Tech-Free Space

Technology and bedrooms don’t mix. A bold statement, maybe. But a design truth? Definitely.

Indeed, the last thing you want is to have invested the time needed to cultivate the perfect cosy bedroom, only to have your carefully considered design motif diminished by glowing computer monitors, gigantic TV screens, and other electronic bric-a-brac.

You see, technology tends to look… well, a bit sterile, doesn’t it? It makes sense; tech is always designed to look sleek and space-age-y to connote innovation.

But sleek and space-age-y do not make a cosy space, and the clash between layered soft furnishings, naturalistic textures and gentle lighting will diminish your cosy aesthetic. Fast.

But it’s more than that. To get philosophical for a moment, cosiness is, essentially, a design choice, but it’s also a state of mind and relies in part on the energy you bring to a space.

As such, it’s important to invite the right energy into the space you’re cultivating, and if you’re eager to have a sanctuary at home – one space that’s free of the pressures and demands of daily life – then your bedroom is the place.

That said, as work-from-home roles have increased and more and more bedrooms pull double (or triple) duty, banishing technology from your bedroom may not be possible.

If this is the case for you, try visually minimising the hardware. For example, if you’ve got a computer and a desk in the corner, apply the design tips we’ve discussed around it – whether by boosting the layers elsewhere in the room or investing in a desk that you can hang plants on. It’ll make a world of difference.

And there it is. A beginner’s guide to cultivating a cosy bedroom. Whether you adopt all, or just some of, our tips, you’ll be well on your way to a sanctuary space for whenever you need it.