How To Make Your Bedroom Warmer In Winter

If you’re wondering how to make your bedroom warmer in winter, it’s a few easy habits and textures that turn a chilly space into a room you actually want to sleep in.

Making your bedroom warmer during the winter months, or just keeping yourself warm in a cold room, without nudging the thermostat (and watching the heating bill creep up) is mostly about trapping the warmth you already have and making simple tweaks in your bedroom. If you need to know how to keep yourself warm in a cold room or how to make your bedroom warmer this winter, check out our 20 easy tips and tricks below…

20 Ways To Make Your Bedroom Warmer 

1) Seal Draughts And Circulate Heat

When trying to stay warm in the winter, shut your bedroom door at night and do a quick “cold-air hunt” around window frames, sills and the door gap. If you feel a breeze, note the spots and seal them with fresh window/door seals so warm air isn’t slipping out. We’ll deal with under-door gaps separately in the draught-excluder step.

If you're trying to keep yourself warm in a cold room, remember that heat can’t do much if it’s trapped - it needs room to circulate. Give it a clear path and avoid blocking the natural airflow of the space with bedroom clutter. 

2) Dress Windows With Thermal Layers

Glass is the fastest escape route for heat in your bedroom. Close your curtains as the light fades and, if you can, switch to thicker, thermal-lined styles for winter. Hang them high and wide so they overlap the frame and meet the floor; that simple change creates a warm air pocket and should make your bedroom feel instantly warmer and cosier during the winter months.

3) Layer Your Bed With Sherpa, Velvet, Quilted Or Cotton Bedspreads

A bedspread can be a neat, hotel-style layer that locks warmth in. Cotton bedspreads give you breathable comfort, velvet bedspreads bring a weighty, snug finish, quilted polyester traps air efficiently, and sherpa-backed styles add that soft, fleecy feel for the winter. Lay a bedspread over your duvet and the bed holds heat for longer.

4) Add A Warm Throw Layer

Keep a throw within reach in your bedroom for chilly nights. A knitted or woven throw adds weight around your shoulders without feeling suffocating. For the best results, fold your throw at the foot of the bed for day-to-day style, then pull it up when the temperature drops.

5) Choose A 10.5 Tog Duvet (Or Higher)

Think of tog as heat-hold: the bigger the number, the snugger the duvet. For most UK bedrooms, a 10.5 tog duvet is the winter sweet spot. If your room runs cold, slip a light blanket underneath to trap air. Prefer options? Choose an all-seasons set you can clip together for those frosty weekends.

6) Switch To Sherpa Duvet Covers

Sherpa-lined duvet covers sets are an instant cocoon for a cold bedroom. The fleecy reverse warms fast and stays snug, so you can keep the heating lower in the winter and still feel comfortable. Pair with  cotton bedsheets to avoid chills from underneath.

7) Swap To Brushed Cotton Bedding

Brushed cotton feels warm the second you get in bed. The lightly flannelled finish traps tiny pockets of air, so you stay cosy without overheating. It’s a small swap for the winter with a big nightly payoff.

8) Add Fleece Throws And Duvet Covers

Fleece is light, quick-drying and brilliant when you need to keep yourself warm in a cold room. A fleece bedcover or an extra fleece layer under your duvet creates a gentle barrier against winter draughts, which is especially handy in spare bedrooms and student flats.

9) Treat Your Kids To Hooded Blankets

Bedtime is calmer when the little ones are cosy. A hooded blanket keeps shoulders and ears covered during stories and doubles as an extra layer for early mornings. Pick soft, easy-wash fabrics so they're always fresh.

10) Introduce Faux Fur Throws And Cushions

Faux fur adds weight and texture, which helps your bedroom feel warm even before you touch the thermostat. A plush throw across the bed and a couple of deep-pile cushions make the whole space feel inviting on cold nights.

11) Block Gaps With Draught Excluders

Place a draught excluder along the base of the door to block hallway chills, or sit it on a leaky windowsill. Faux fur for your draught excluder gives your bedroom a luxe look, while cotton keeps things simple and tidy. It’s a small fix that makes a big difference when you need to keep yourself warm during cold winter nights.

12) Warm Your Bedroom Floor With Shaggy Rugs

Heat naturally rises, leaving your bedroom floor cooler - especially in the winter months. A shaggy rug with a felt underlay traps warmth where you actually feel it, stopping draughts from creeping up between floorboards and making those first steps out of bed much kinder. In smaller bedrooms, a runner either side of the bed does the trick.

13) Wear Layers

Warm sleepwear matters as much as warm bedding. Pull on fleece or wool pyjamas, add socks, and think in light layers you can adjust through the night. You’re heating the person, not the whole house. Consider keeping some water by your bed so you’re not opening doors to cooler parts of the home at 3am.

14) Pre-Warm The Bed With A Hot Water Bottle

Slip a hot water bottle into the bed ten minutes before lights-out, then remove it before you sleep. It takes the chill off the sheets and helps you relax faster. Check the safety guidance and replace older bottles regularly.

15) Time Your Curtains: Open By Day, Close At Dusk

Let winter sun warm the room during the day, then close curtains at dusk to keep heat in. If you love your current curtain fabric, add a thermal liner for extra insulation without changing the look.

16) Insulate Floors With Carpet Or Underfloor Heating

If you’re renovating your bedroom, carpet or underfloor heating delivers long-term warmth. In rented homes, a dense rug plus underlay gives an instant lift, softens noise and helps the room feel settled.

17) Hang Thicker Curtains

Heavier fabrics or thermal linings create a buffer between fabric and glass. Hang them so they touch the floor and overlap the frame, but keep them clear of radiators so heat can move into your bedroom effectively.

18) Position Bedroom Furniture For Warmth

Cold external walls pull heat from you while you sleep, so nudge your bed forward and leave a small gap, just a couple of centimetres, for airflow. Then let the wall do the insulating work with bulkier bedroom furniture.

Park a wardrobe or bookcase on those external walls as a buffer, again with a slight gap behind so air can move. It’s a simple reshuffle that makes a cold room feel warmer.

19) Clear Your Bedroom Radiators So Heat Can Flow

Radiators can only work if they can breathe. Move furniture, long curtains and laundry so warm air can flow freely around your bedroom. A slim shelf above can help direct heat into the room - just avoid boxy covers that trap it.

20) Lean Into Warm Colours, Textures And Lighting

Steer away from cool greys and lean into deeper tones, think reds, browns and inky blues, for a cocooned, calm feel in your bedroom. Layer wool blankets and thick knits with faux fur underfoot. Swap bright white bulbs for warm-tone LEDs and, if you use them, burn scented candles safely for a gentle evening glow in your bedroom.

Ready To Warm Things Up This Winter? Pick two easy wins tonight - clear the radiators and add a brushed cotton sheet with a sherpa or fleece top layer.

Then keep the ideas flowing with more of our home inspiration guides: 11 Warm Throws for Cosy Winter Evenings and 15 Christmas Bedding Ideas for a Fun & Festive Bedroom. Save this guide, share it with the person who’s always cold, and keep building from there.