Wanting to create a comfortable retreat? Check out my top 10 ways to and decorate a cozy winter bedroom without spending a lot of money.  Keep reading for cozy bedroom tips and ideas!

Is your master bedroom the first or the last space to get a refresh when you’re working on your home?  Often, we place our bedrooms in low priority.  When, in fact, I think creating a restful bedroom space is one of the first things we should think about.  It isn’t selfish or frivolous to focus on your bedroom!

After all, think about how much time you spend there.  At the same time, it is the first place you see in the morning and the last place see before falling asleep.  Your bedroom definitely deserves a feeling of coziness during the colder months!  Let’s check out 10 of the best ways to decorate a cozy winter bedroom on a budget.

First of all, though, let’s back up.  In case you need to read this again: it is not selfish or frivolous to focus on your bedroom.  It used the be the last space I would clean up for the day and certainly the last space to get a seasonal refresh.  Even though it still isn’t always the first spot in our home to get restyled for seasonal decor, it is the first thing I try to have cleaned up every morning.

Where you pillow your head at night matters and you have a responsibility to do your best to make sure you get the rest and care you need.  Then, you can be at your best for your family.

Ouch.

I totally didn’t start this blog post with this rabbit trail in mind.  However, I guess I needed the reminder as much as you did. ????

I did manage to make our master bedroom a top priority this winter, largely because I used some of my Christmas money to buy a new quilt.  Of course, I was so excited to get it styled and see how it would all look!

What makes a room calming? 

At the end of the day, I want my bedroom to feel like a quiet, restful, relaxing retreat where I can shut the door on the world and just rest.  It doesn’t need to be big or fancy or expensive to do that.  However, it does need to reflect an atmosphere that is intentional and relaxing to you.

I’ll share my 10 favorite ways to create a calm environment in my bedroom.  However, you will need to spend a little time evaluating and tweak them to make the most relaxing space for yourself!

Have I convinced you yet?!  Let’s get started…

How can I make my bedroom cozy and comfortable?

Here are my top 13 ways to decorate cozy winter bedrooms and create a comfortable retreat to end the winter days:

• Layer the bedding (depending on the climate in your location).
• Carve out space for a seating area, even in a small bedroom.
• Invest in quality neutral pieces that can carry you from season to season.
• Simplify and edit your decor in the bedroom.
• Incorporate natural materials.
• Add touches of winter greenery.
• Use candles to create a cozy scent.
• Add soft lighting..
• Create a cozy ambiance with flameless candles and fairy lights.
• Mix and match furniture for a curated style.
• Add cozy layers, like throw blankets or faux fur throws.
• Finish the bed off with pretty throw pillows.
• Keep the bedroom clean and tidy.

10 Ways to Decorate a Cozy Winter Bedroom Retreat On a Budget

Step One to Decorate a Cozy Winter Bedroom: Layer the bedding.

How can I soften my bedroom?

Layering your bedding is one of the first ways you can begin creating cozy bedroom ideas.  Of course, what kind of bedding and how you layer it depends upon the climate in which you live.  Since we live in Florida, mine may look a little different.  However, the basic formula that I use for layering my bedding is the same no matter how thick or heavy each element needs to be

Here is my basic formula:

• Start with your favorite sheets (again, personal preference here).  I have linked mine HERE.
• If it is very cold where you live, you may want to add a blanket for the next layer.
• Add a quilted bedspread or coverlet that you can pull up for an extra layer when sleeping for cozy warmth.  This print will show, so make it a pretty one that you love!  I added this soft one that I absolutely LOVE!
• Add another quilt, folded at the end of the bed.  Even though we have a king-sized bed, I got this quilt in a queen size and folded it in half.  It makes a great size for the end of the bed without being too bulky.
• Add a soft coverlet or large blanket draped across the foot of the bed, over the quilt.  Mine is a pretty gray print on one side and a solid cream on the other side.  I just turn it to whichever side best complements the main colors I’m using at the time!
• Drape a smaller, knitted throw at one corner of the bed.  (Make this one that you actually love to grab and use for a quick rest time or to curl up with a book or movie!). For winter, I actually added two.  One is faux fur and then I added a light-weight gauzy blanket over that.
• For a king-size bed, I used two king-size shams that match my quilt in front of our sleeping pillows.
• Layered in front of those, I used two queen-sized shams.
• Lastly, I finished it off with one accent pillow in the middle.  This is a perfect way to add a unique color, pattern, or texture to tie the other elements together.

Here is everything you need to create the look of my bed:

1. Printed quilt and matching shams
2. Ivory quilt with tassels and matching shams
3. Gauzy coverlet (reverse to ivory side for this look and then I use the gray side with the printed shams for the summer and fall; this is the coverlet I pull up if I’m just taking a little rest!)
4. Light-weight gauzy cozy blanket in light tan
5. Faux fur throw blanket
6. Accent pillow with tassels

How do I make my duvet look fuller?

You’ll notice that I didn’t include a duvet in my list of bedding layers.  While I have had duvets in the past and love them, they just get really heavy in our warm, Florida weather.  Honestly, when I’ve used them, they tend to be in the way and more frustrating.

Pro Tip: A cozy, relaxing bedroom needs to be simple and easy.

However, if you love using a duvet, wonderful!  They are so pretty and definitely add a luxurious look to your bedding.  To make a duvet look more full and luxurious, add two duvet inserts into one duvet cover.

Even though this may seem expensive and unnecessary, I promise it will make such a huge difference in how pretty your duvet looks.  At the same time, it will be a lot easier to make your duvet look full and pretty on your bed too!

Step Two to Decorate a Cozy Winter Bedroom: Create a small seating area.

My second tip for cozy winter bedroom ideas is to create a cozy reading nook.  This may seem impossible in your small space.  However, think outside the box and see if there is any possibility of fitting even a small chair, pair of chairs, or soft bench into your room.

Our master bedroom isn’t large, but thankfully, we can squeeze in a pair of chairs.  They are some of the most used chairs in the house, both by my husband and I but also by our kids.  I love how they will come in and plop down to tell me something about their day or sometimes we sit and even study for their schoolwork.

Pro Tip: If you have a seating area, create a rule for yourself that you clean it off before bed each night!

If the seating area exists only to be a place to pile things, don’t get rid of the seating area.  Get rid of the piles and make some rules about what goes there and how long it stays!  A cozy reading nook can make your bedroom extra relaxing and looks beautiful too.

Step Three to Decorate a Cozy Winter Bedroom: Start with a neutral base.

How can I decorate my bedroom with a low budget?

One of the best things you can do in your bedroom is invest in a base of neutrals.  For example, all I changed on my bedding was the top quilt and the two king-size shams.  Otherwise, everything else are items I’ve used for a long time.  However, it completely changed the look of the entire room.

Pro Tip: Mix and match neutral bedding so that it has a curated look rather than a “bed in a bag” style.  Then, personalize it with a simple accenting element.

If you have all of your basics in quality neutrals that you love, it is easy to simply change one or two small things.  Actually, you can change something as small as the single accent throw pillow in the middle of the shams and get a totally different look for your bedding!

What an easy way to decorate a cozy bedroom for different seasons!  Plus, it is super budget-friendly too.

Step Four to Decorate a Cozy Winter Bedroom: Simplify and edit your bedroom decor.

A bedroom simply does not need as many decor elements as you may think.  I am most definitely NOT a minimalist in my decorating.  However, a bedroom needs to be a highly functional space.  Actually, I kind of think of my bedroom decor in the same way I would my kitchen decor...less is more and the decor needs to be mostly functional.

Leave surface space on your night stand for a drink or a good book.  Let your dresser top be a restful spot for your eye to land, clean and uncluttered.  Style your room in a way that makes it easier to clean so that it feels fresh.

After I decorate any room, I usually “live with it” for a couple of days and then edit.  Make sure to edit your bedroom decor so that it is pretty but still simple and functional.

Step Five to Decorate a Cozy Winter Bedroom: Add winter greenery.

I love to keep just a few simple touches of winter greenery around our home after the Christmas season.  For my bedroom, the only things that would really specifically say this is “winter decor” is the small wreath over our bed and a small, table top tree on the dresser.

Those simple touches are enough to give some life to the room and allude to the winter season.

If you live where it is colder weather, you may choose to add extra blankets, such as chunky knit throws or fur blankets that can also be cozy and functional for the winter season.

Here are some beautiful winter greenery options:

*Please note, some of these may be sold out depending on the time of year.  I always recommend buying winter greenery early, in the late summer or early fall, before items sell out.

• Faux sprigs of juniper; these come in a pack of 12 and are perfect to tuck in and around small vignettes.
• Realistic faux Norfolk pine tree; this is perfect for a cozy corner or on a table top.  It looks so real and I’ve invested in a few of them that I place around our home during the winter season.
• Gorgeous preserved real pine branches; add these to a tall vase, bottle, or basket for an instant winter touch.
• Favorite realistic winter garland; drape this over a dresser or around the headboard for a winter statement.
• Add other natural elements like pine cones for a wintry feel.
• Very realistic winter Norfolk pine wreath

Step Six to Create a Cozy Winter Bedroom: Add a cozy scent.

This will certainly vary from person to person.  However, during the winter months, I have to particular candles that I love to burn in my bedroom.

• This is my favorite scent and I love this gold and mercury-glass style jar to add some shimmer to my winter decor too.
• For a more simple look, this is still my favorite scent but with a more simple jar (also a larger size).

If you want to get a cozy scent in your bedroom but not have a candle burning all day, I highly recommend the Pura smart diffuser.  I have 3 of them in different places in our home (including the kids’ bedrooms).  They do an amazing job and are so easy to use.

I love that I can get so many amazing scents to go with it, including favorites from Capri Blue, as well as the Nest brand.

What can I diffuse in my bedroom to make it smell good?

Also, I have a favorite oil diffuser.  I use THIS one in my classroom every day.  Since I spend more time there than I even do at home, it is the perfect thing to add a little of “home” in my classroom.  A diffuser is a great way to get a cozy scent in an easy and safe way.  THIS diffuser does an amazing job and completely fills my large classroom!

I love to use the Capri Blue Volcano scent, sweet orange, or lavender in my bedroom!

Step Seven for a Cozy Winter Bedroom: Add lamp light.

Warm lighting is kind of obvious for winter nights, perhaps, especially in a bedroom.  However, it might be the perfect time to update your lamps in case you have ones that you don’t really love.  Keep an eye out at thrift stores for lamps that can be updated with paint or even a new lamp shade.  Or, try updating the table lamps or floor lamps you have with paint or a new lamp shade.

Our bedroom lamps are my favorites for low light in our whole house.  They were a great DIY project and we blogged all of the details for similar lamps over on THIS post.  I love the architectural salvage style and how they add some character and ambient lighting to our bedroom space.

There are some great new lamps available this season, in case you’re on the hunt for lamps.

Here are a few current favorites that I would consider if I were replacing my own lamps!

• This glass and brass combination is lovely.
• Rattan adds so much texture to a space and warmth with the color.
• I love the combination of white and rattan on this simple bedside lamp.
• This lamp is affordable and I love the old world style.  It would blend well in a vintage home or a more modern style too.
• A battery operated wall sconce that doesn’t have to be hardwired is a great option for extra light on dark winter days.
• Also consider fairy lights for cozy ambience.

Step Eight to Decorate a Cozy Winter Bedroom: Add flameless candles on a timer.

How can I make my bedroom look luxurious on a budget?

If you know me at all, you know I can’t talk about a cozy space without mentioning my favorite way to make it cozy: Adding flameless candles on timers!  I have these all throughout our living room, too, and love using them all the way from fall through the winter.  Even though I lighten things up for the other seasons, I do leave a few out for the spring and summer too.

Adding flameless candles creates such a relaxing and restful ambiance to a bedroom space.  You don’t even have to change bedding or furniture to get a luxurious feeling.  Add some soft light with flameless candles and I guarantee an instant cozy feel !

Listed below are the flameless candles that I personally own and love, after trying out many different styles and brands.  I’ve used several different ones to decorate in the master bedroom and add a cozy ambiance, switching them out for whatever works the best with the vignettes and styling.

Here are my favorite cozy additions:

• Realistic, wax finish taper candles on a timer; I have the ivory but the white is also pretty too.
• Realistic, flickering tea light candles with a wax finish, on a timer
• Realistic flickering wick short pillar candles on a timer
• Gold, glass pillar candles in 3 sizes, on a timer, so cozy and pretty with the gold tones

Step Nine to Decorate a Cozy Winter Bedroom: Mix and match furniture.

What should you not do when decorating a bedroom?

I always hesitate to say you should “not do something” when decorating in your own home.  Cozy really is a personal preference.  However, when decorating a bedroom, I highly recommend not matching all of the furniture exactly.

Personally, I think the coziest spaces are the ones that have a curated feeling.  These spaces don’t look like the owner bought all of the furniture from a box.  Rather, a piece here and there breaks it up and makes the room feel intentional, thought out, and even special with pieces that have character and meaning.

If you are feeling like your room is lacking some warmth or character, try adding a piece with wood tones.  I do love white furniture, but having a cabinet that is a wood tone really makes a difference in our space.

Pro Tip: Invest in quality furniture pieces that will last.  Hint: these may not be the new ones but rather solid pieces chosen from a thrift store.

Both of our night stands were thrifted and painted.  We’ve been using a thrifted bedside table for many years now and they have lasted well past newer pieces that we purchased for other places in our home!

If you have a bedroom set that all matches, great!  There is nothing wrong with that at all.  Try adding in a couple of different pieces, even if they are just smaller accent pieces, to break up the set a little and add some more character to the room.

As you are mixing and matching, keep these tips in mind:

• Try to not have more than 3 finishes in a room, including wall color.  Paint is perfect to help  with this.
• Aim for a similar style in all of the pieces, even though they aren’t matching exactly.  Try adding one “different” piece to break it up.
• The function of your furniture is the most important.  Hunt for pieces that give you the function you need plus the style you love; it’s worth the wait and worth the investment.

Step Ten to Create a Cozy Winter Bedroom: Keep it clean and tidy.

How can I decorate my room with a low budget?

Trust me, you deserve to rest in a space that is not the dumping grounds for the entire family. And that doesn’t have to cost you a dime!

How do I know?  Well, the corner of my bedroom used to be where allllllll the things went.

Toy that needs fixed?  Corner of my room.

Present that needs wrapped?  Corner of my room.

Valentine’s cards that need assembled? Corner of my room.

And it’s a corner that I see when I wake up and is the last corner I see before I fall asleep.

It’s not that nothing ever lands in this corner anymore, but I really make an effort to not accumulate.  I get that sometimes things just need a place to land until they can be dealt with, fixed, or finished.  Just like I did (and am still doing), work on finding a different place for the things to land other than your bedroom.

It’s a game changer for me and could be for you too!

How can I make my bedroom more relaxing?

I hope this post has given you some ideas and even a spark of inspiration to create a retreat for yourself.  You deserve a quiet space to rest and recharge.  Following these ten tips to decorate a cozy winter bedroom will give you a really great start in creating your own space.

Hopefully you’re inspired to create your own winter retreat for extra rest and relaxation during this season!

You can shop my favorite bedroom essentials, curated on my storefront HERE!

Be sure to save this image below to your Pinterest so that you can easily find it again later!

You may also enjoy these posts to decorate a cozy winter room:

• How to Make Beautiful Winter Mantel Decor
• Three Easy Winter Centerpieces for Your Table
• Three Simple Winter Decor Vignettes You Can Make This Season
• Easy Neutral Winter Decor Favorites

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