CREATE A WARM AND PEACEFUL BEDROOM RETREAT IN WINTER
Making it quiet, adding scents and using various fabrics and rugs keep it comfy
Decorating a bedroom is about creating a peaceful retreat and in winter, that means making it as cosy and welcoming as possible.
For some people, “cosy” requires the physical warmth of thick flannel sheets and soft quilts, California-based designer Kathryn Bechen says. For others, sentimental items can make the space feel warmer and more welcoming. Still others find the golden glow of soft light bulbs and the flicker of candles (real or fake) can elevate a bedroom from merely comfortable to truly cosy.
Bechen and two other interior designers — Maxwell Ryan, founder of the Apartment Therapy website (apartmenttherapy.com), and New York-based Young Huh — suggest ways to create the warmest, cosiest bedroom possible.
Sounds and scents
A cosy bedroom is quiet, Ryan says, so consider adding an extra throw rug on the floor or heavier draperies on the windows to absorb sound. And if you don’t already have one, get a padded, upholstered headboard.
Ryan treated himself to one several years ago and was surprised at the impact.
“Lying in bed, my head was near this big upholstered piece,” he says, and the room was noticeably more quiet.
Taking that strategy a step further, Huh suggests upholstering one or several walls in your master bedroom. Like a headboard, this will absorb sound and also create a sense of warmth when you see and feel the plush, padded fabric.
Along with sounds, consider scents. Cinnamon-scented candles can “make you feel cosy instead of gloomy” in winter, Huh says.
Don’t like cinnamon? A wide range of scents will work, Bechen says, even some you wouldn’t expect: If the smell of coconut and pineapple brings back memories of a mellow, sun-drenched vacation in the tropics, that fragrance may bring you a sense of calm and warmth.
Colours and light
Along with scenting the air, candles give a room a “warm, soft, inviting glow,” Huh says. She recommends lighting them every night in winter.
If you’re worried about lighting a flame in your bedroom, consider pairing flameless LED candles with a diffuser containing scented oil.
Or swap out your light bulbs for ones that offer warm, yellow or pinktinged light. The newest energy-efficient bulbs give warmer light than the original compact fluorescents, and dimmers can also help create appealing, soothing light.
Colours also convey strong messages; for a cosy space, Ryan suggests avoiding over-stimulating colours like bright reds or yellows in favour of calming greens, greys, eggplant, lavender and even some blues.
But Bechen points out that bedroom colours are a very personal choice. Some prefer a room decorated in low-key, calming colours, but others will draw warmth and coziness from deep, powerful shades.
Winter fabrics and rugs
Huh says winter is the season for layering on extra soft blankets and adding throw rugs on top of your usual floor covering. Consider a faux-sheepskin or faux-fur throw rug or a fluffy flokati rug.
Look for winter sheets that are flannel or heavy cotton, and make sure they’re soft.
Ryan suggests choosing sheets in dark, cool colours like deep brown, charcoal grey, even rich eggplant.
He also recommends adding a thick bed pad, feather bed or extra-thick mattress cover under your fitted sheet for added warmth and softness.
If you have a four-poster bed, consider draping fabric over the top and down the sides to create a warm, enclosed space. If you don’t have a four-poster, but love the idea of fabric draped around your bed, he suggests getting “one of the big white, gauzy canopies that hang from the ceiling.” Even if it’s as light as mosquito netting, he says, it gives a sense of being wrapped in something cosy.