When the weather outside is frightful, let’s make it cosy!  

As we get into these darker morning and nights and it is getting colder it’s great to start adapting your university room to make your room feel a little cosy. For me this not only helps me keep my spirits high but also makes me feel a little more at home. This can be achieved in many different ways but it is always important to check what regulations exist where you live for example candles are great fun to create a cosy vibe but are usually banned in halls and student housing. 

While candles may not be able to be used there are so many ways you can make your room feel cosy. Candles offer a less intense and warm light so alternatives such as fairly lights, battles powered tea light ‘candles’ and changing out lap lightbulbs to warm led bulbs can offer the same effect. You can find great examples at Tesco, these are an affordable option and also battery powered which is safer and allowed in halls. In addition to offering a cosy feel, lighting can make a huge difference in your mood and mental health. A study in 2021, ‘Lighting in the Home and Health: A Systematic Review’, found that lights can effect your mood, day time ‘cool’ lights can help reduce anxiety and warm tones lights at night/in the evening can help your body adjust for sleeping (Obsibona et al, 2021). 

Another way to cosy up your room is add some extra options of warmth, for example changing out your bedding or buying a fluffy blanket. New bedding and blankets can give a different look to a bedroom especially when you change up the colours and texture such as dark tones and more warmer materials such as fleece bedding, the same for blankets. Some great options for fleece bedding can be found at Asda and affordable blankets here at Wilko. In addition to helping create a cosy feel with the oncoming cold weather, adding some extra layers can help with the energy crisis in the UK.

You can also use music to create a cosy atmosphere. Everyone has different tastes in music but personally when it is dark and cold outside I love having a bit of background noise to feel like the room is full. I enjoy putting on long lofi playlists, they are often instrumental music with limited or no words and have many different compilations on YouTube, Spotify, Apple, Amazon music and more. Often these songs are categorised into seasons such as autumn & winter but also into fun situations such as a ‘Snowy night sat at a window café’. This helps create a nice atmosphere and works well for both chilling and studying.

My last tip for a cosy bedroom is turning your bed into a daybed. Traditionally a daybed is a piece of furniture designed to be a sofa and bed combo to help create a daytime lounge space and then a bed to sleep in. If your bed is up against a wall you can achieve this by lining up pillows and cushions along the wall and sitting cross the short width of your bed. This can make your bed into a spacious seating area and works great for movie nights or even game nights with house mates & friends if you add a tray.  

I have highlighted four fun ways you can make your room feel a little cosier this winter and I hope they help you feel a little more at home like they do for me.

The first two may require you buying some new things and there are a few links I have provided to affordable options based in and around Reading. Try giving one or two ago and enjoy your cosy room!