How to make your Bedroom Cosy

Sitting outside on a cold spring day, waiting for the train with my daughter and kid sister, longing for our cosy nest back home led me to pose the question, “What do you think makes a room cosy?” They both stared at me with big round eyes and rosy noses and pondered for a while until my daughter responded, “Soft and fluffy!” My little sister ruminated on this further, finally declaring, “When it is familiar.” She went on to compare her bedroom to a hotel which she felt is lacking in cosiness as it’s unfamiliar and doesn’t feel like home. 

Cosy is a feeling, not a style as you can make just about any style feel cosy. The key to making a room feel like a hug is that feeling of home. Create intimacy in a room with items that reflect you. A hotel does not have the same cosy feel to your home because it is a generic room containing functional items, it isn’t designed especially for the one and only…you! Cuddle up in a cosy room that is unique to you with these 12 calming bedroom ideas, so you can create the perfect snug bedroom to nestle in. These techniques can be applied to any room but we will focus on a cosy bedroom.     

1. Textures 

Layering with textures gives depth to the room and prevents the space from looking flat. Depth draws you into the room away from the abrasive world, into a soft oasis of fluffy cushions, silk bedding and linen curtains. Create interest with other materials such as wood panelling or woven baskets. 

Rugs and textiles not only warm the room with extra insulation but they also raise the visual temperature of the room and delight the senses; waking in the morning to land your feet on a soft rug can be just delightful. Pile on a mixture of pillows and throws kept stashed in wicker baskets. 

2. Bed 

Make your headboard a feature, creating a focal point in the room. This can be done using an upholstered headboard to frame the central cosy spot. A bed without a headboard can appear uninviting and stark. A tall headboard will give the bed a sense of grandiosity creating a lounging throne. Drape blankets over sofas and beds to give an inviting and lived in look. Opt for natural bed sheets. This is where you are spending 8 hours every night, therefore making sure you have a non toxic zone is vital to ensure a successful rest. Linen is very breathable and is good for those who get too hot at night. 

A canopy bed can be an excellent way to create a welcoming hideaway within your bedroom. Think about whether you would like your bed grounded low near the floor or a taller bed with storage. 

3. Drapes and Curtains 

Drapes and curtains not only enhance a cosy appearance but are also practical for keeping warmth and happiness in by insulating the windows, stopping the cold and the cold hearted entering your secret, happy, hiding place. Make sure to hang curtains from ceiling to floor, lengthening the room to promote elegance. Curtains don’t just have to be used for windows; frame your bed with light drapes. Consider the weight of the fabric that will give you the most pleasure. Would you revel in the luxury of a heavy brocade or float free with a light voile?

4. Lighting 

Soften the mood with warm light using bulbs 3000 Kelvin or below. Warm light makes us feel more sleepy and relaxed, avoiding colder light which gives a more clinical feel and keeps us alert. Over head lighting is a deadly sin and will expel all cosiness away with a flick of a switch. Fairy lights can be a pleasant and simple way to create soft lighting in chosen areas or bordering the room. You can take your cosy anywhere – as I write my sister is waving her botanical fairy lights at me, which she is packing with her inner glow and her pop-up tent to go camping.

Smart lighting can be great for altering the colour and will allow you to control the light with a dimmer. Like texture, we also want to layer the lighting. Use both ambient and accent lighting. Accent lighting is used to highlight specific features, drawing attention to space or detail whereas ambient lighting creates the mood and sets the tone of the room. This can also be done with candles, lamps and floor lighting. Use lighting to highlight different areas with hanging pendants. For an opulent look add wall lighting near the bedside or to highlight art.  In the morning, pull back your luxurious curtains and allow the natural light to greet you. 

5. Scents and Senses

A cosy room is not just about visuals it is about touch, sound and scents. The goal is to be completely cocooned in your cuddly cave. Cosy is not a style it is an emotion, a feeling, an experience. Indulging in the right aroma is just as important as the design as there is no joy in a beautifully designed, stinky home. No matter how welcoming the room looks, if it has the clinical smell of a hospital you will feel on edge. The smell can transport you to another time or place, making it an important factor when curating a tranquil space. Pick scents that make you feel happy and uplift you as well as relax you. This can be done, through humidifiers, candles, diffusers and room spray. Avoid scents that are too energising if you want a place to wind down. 

6. Spacial Balance

An empty room gives the feeling of scarcity and loneliness, however, you still need to avoid overcrowding a room as this can cause you to feel claustrophobic and overwhelmed. Find the spatial balance to ensure harmony in the room and mind. Keeping a room clean and clutter free can help maintain that spatial balance, there is nothing cosy about a messy room. 

Create sections in your home dedicated for self-care and your hobbies, and develop spaces that become functional pockets of joy. Room dividers can be a perfect way to section off these areas while adding to layering and texture.

7. Plants and Flowers 

Seeing splashes of green from various plants just puts our minds at ease, channelling a secret sanctuary hideaway with Mother Nature. Fresh flowers make a house a home. Your home will feel more alive and the air be of higher quality with growing plants to give your room its own lungs. Hang plants from your walls and ceiling for a magical hideaway and have large grounded floor plants in textured ceramic pots reaching up to meet them in the central canopy.

8. Smooth and curved lines

Sharp edges and boxy furniture detract from a cosy snug. Curved lines ease the mind and give a sense of harmony. Curved edges along with layered textures give the ultimate image of soft and snuggly. Naturally, we think of soft lines and soft furniture. The lines of nature are rarely square. Perhaps opt for a curved dressing chair in a boucle such as the Wandsworth range. Japandi is an excellent example,

pairing curved lines with a neutral colour palette. This combination of soft colours and smooth lines breathes a soothing sigh into any room. Feel the tension ease away as your gaze falls on the room.

 

9. Artwork and mirrors 

Oh the Arts! And the art of mirrors reflects the greatest art…Yourself! It is not a cosy hideaway without having a familiar face to share it with. If you live alone, hang a mirror to give yourself extra warmth and feel cosy inside with a sweet genuine smile to yourself before you go to bed. Of course, you are not limited to just one smile a day, repeat this as much as necessary! Mirrors not only are a looking glass but reflect and deepen the cosy setting you have already created, making the room appear larger. Place in opposition to your favourite areas so you get to see them duplicated, from all angles, and to create symmetry. Use Art to fill the bare spaces with pieces that reflect and express you, making you feel more at home. Use Art to draw together all the

Author: Esmee Herbert