The art of layering fabrics is an often-overlooked (but essential) part of maximising cosiness in the winter months. Whether it’s your clothing, home decor, or bedding, layering allows for not only endless variation in visual style but also complete customisation of temperature control. From your interior to your outfits, the coming season offers an opportunity to up your comfy game and meet the coming winter with a warm smile.

The Art of Layering Winter Clothing

Layering your clothes isn’t just an aesthetic choice—it’s also practical. Several layers provide more warmth than a comparably thick single layer of fabric. As your body heat escapes, it gets trapped in air pockets between the separate layers of fabric, providing additional insulation from the cold.

The Base Layer

The base layer is the clothes in contact with your skin—socks, underwear, shirts, pants, and so on. This layer should be the lightest, most breathable one to prevent sweating—the body's natural cooling mechanism.

Because of this, cold-weather base layers should ideally be made of moisture-wicking materials. Moisture-wicking is typically associated with synthetics like polyester or nylon. But natural fabrics like merino wool, bamboo, and silk found in casual and formal wear also share this quality.

Insulation Layer

The insulation layer—as the name suggests—does the work of keeping the body’s heat from escaping. Sweaters, sweatshirts, or roomy button-ups should be thicker than your base layer and made from fabrics that excel at trapping warmth.

Insulation is a balancing act between breathability and heat retention. Fleece jackets, for example, might be perfect for a chilly autumn evening but let in wintry winds once the weather turns cold. Down and synthetic jackets, usually covered by a shell of weather-resistant material, offer superior heat-trapping capacity.

Outer Layer

Your inner layers won’t do much if they’re breached by freezing snow, wind, and rain. While the middle layer works to keep heat in, the outer layer should seek to keep the elements out.

Most winter coats and rain jackets are covered in a shell of water-repellent fabric for this reason. Many are more practical than stylish, but woollen overcoats—especially those with GORE-Tex—are suitable for fashion and business winter wear.

Layering Home Decor for Winter

Winter brings with it a chance to turn your home into the perfect refuge from the cold outside. And the quickest way to cosy up your home is through layering your interior design.

Like clothing, layering interior fabrics offers new style elements while providing extra warmth. Wool or cashmere throw blankets, for example, add novel accents to your lounges and armchairs and something to curl up under on cold nights. Extra throw pillows likewise act as a source of comfy and insulating flair.

Don’t neglect the walls and floors, either. You can trade out thin curtains for thicker insulating drapes to minimise heat loss through windows. Rugs, meanwhile, are the perfect counterbalance to freezing wood and tile floor in the morning. Thick, soft rugs like sheepskin or wool add “winter lodge” vibes while keeping bare feet and toes warm.

Layering Your Bedspread for the Winter

The ultimate refuge from the frightful weather outside is, of course, your bed. Like layering clothes, layering your bedspread elevates your comfort and warmth levels during hibernation season. Falling asleep in your winter-ready bed will be easy—the only challenge will be leaving it on a cold morning.

Mattress Toppers and Covers

Ultimate bedding comfort starts from the bottom up. Mattress toppers and protectors not only extend the life of your mattress but also warm you from below. Like layered clothing, mattress covers and toppers create air pockets above the mattress itself, trapping additional body heat for improved insulation.

Bedsheets

The inner layer is, of course, your bedsheets. With insulation coming from above and below, bedsheets can prioritise comfort and breathability over warmth, and most bedsheets are fine for year-round use. We recommend our 100% organic long-staple cotton sheet sets with their lustrous feeling of sateen weave for perfect all-seasons sleeping comfort.

Quilt

The next layer is the quilt/doona—an essential piece for the winter months. Stuffed quilts are rated GSM—grams per square meter—which refers to the weight of the filling. For winter, look for the higher numbers (450 GSM or above) or layer a couple of lower-GSM covers.

Extra Blankets

Finally, top off your cosy burrow with an extra set of blankets. Faux sheepskins, fur throws, or lighter weave blankets provide an added layer of warmth above your quilt on especially cold nights. Alongside a set of throw pillows and cushions, these blankets can add an endlessly customisable set of accent pieces to your bedspread.

Bedsmade offers the perfect inner layer to your all-important hibernation hub. Check out our buttery soft, organic cotton sheets specifically tailored to your unique bed size.