Twenty Years of Cozy Linen Crafting Warmth, Quality, and Lasting Style 

On the 20^th anniversary of Cozy Linen, a Sri Lankan household linen business, we explore its history, philosophy, manufacturing processes, product offerings, and future plans with its founder, Naushaly de Livera. 

Words Jennifer Paldano Goonewardane. 

Photography Sujith Heenatigala and Dinesh Fernando. 

Stepping into Cozy Linen feels like walking into a home that welcomes you with warmth and elegance. The store lives up to its name, radiating a laid-back, comfortable charm where every detail whispers of homeliness and refined taste. Shelves and displays are beautifully arranged with finest bed sheets, duvet covers, pillow cases in many colors and designs, soft bedspreads, quilts, fluffy towels, plush cushion covers, and delicate table linens, each piece designed and selected to soothe the senses and add grace to a living space. Carpets and rugs in subtle textures complete the inviting atmosphere, making it easy to imagine how these touches could transform any room into a haven of comfort and style. With its thoughtful curation and gentle ambiance, the experience at Cozy Linen is a world of warmth, beauty, and homely sophistication.

Fresh from university, Naushaly joined her father’s apparel company, assisting in the accounting division. Yet, it was here, surrounded by fabrics and textures, that she discovered a budding passion that would reshape her future. What began as curiosity grew into a vision. Her mother’s unwavering support and encouragement clearly helped Naushaly step into the world of manufacturing and retail as she was in her early 20s. True to her practical nature, Naushaly balanced passion with pragmatism, carefully studying the market. Twenty-years ago, she identified a clear gap in the market – the absence of specialized stores dedicated to household linen. Seizing the opportunity, she opened her first store in a modest space beside her mother’s cafe.

Naushaly takes a meticulous approach to quality, handpicking material with an expert eye for detail, considering thread count, GSM, and even manufacturing origin. She was, in fact, among the first to introduce bamboo fabrics to her range, adding a fresh dimension of comfort and sustainability.

The name “Cozy Linen” was no accident; it was chosen to reflect her philosophy that a home must be more than just four walls and a sanctuary of comfort, warmth, inviting, and personal. To her, true comfort lies in the details. Soft bedspreads that cradle you to sleep, towels that feel like gentle embraces, and fabrics that transform ordinary spaces into havens of relaxation. Comfort and quality are guiding principles in every product and material she selects, ensuring that Cozy Linen helps people return daily to a home that restores, lulls, and inspires. Naushaly envisions Cozy Linen as a one-stop destination for all fabric-related home essentials, so that customers can find everything they need under one roof without the hassle of visiting multiple stores.

Naushaly takes a meticulous approach to quality, handpicking material with an expert eye for detail, considering thread count, GSM, and even manufacturing origin. She sources her fabrics from three key countries since Sri Lanka doesn’t manufacture the wider width required for bedding. Cotton remains the primary choice for bedding, complemented by bamboo, silk, and linen. She was, in fact, among the first to introduce bamboo fabrics to her range, adding a fresh dimension of comfort and sustainability. Her collection also truly shines in the way she weaves Sri Lankan heritage into modern living. Delicate touches of beeralu lace and batik transform her creations into exquisite pieces of home décor. She also experiments with handloom textiles, beloved by customers seeking authentic Sri Lankan artistry, especially those travelling abroad. As she incorporates Sri Lanka’s traditional craft elements into her collection, it boosts the livelihoods of local artisans, makes their crafts relevant for the times, and ensures their longevity.

Everything is a curated selection. At the store, one immediately notices the care and thought Naushaly invests in selecting designs, colors, and fabrics. In a market flooded with endless options, she curates pieces that stand apart – exquisite selections that reflect quality and elegance, ensuring her clients receive the very best. Among the collections, the signature white-on-white range has become a universal favorite, its quiet sophistication appealing to customers across tastes. One of her proudest achievements is that the majority of the Cozy Linen’s offerings are crafted in-house. Beyond ready-made designs, Cozy Linen caters to individual requirements through extensive customization, allowing customers to mix, match, and create combinations that reflect their style. This spirit of personalization is matched by the store’s warmth, where lasting relationships with clients are nurtured, and every visit feels like stepping into comfort and style.

Cozy Linen’s market extends to homes and the hospitality sector. For residential customers, the store caters to every occasion, from outfitting new builds and renovations to offering thoughtful gifts that bring comfort and style into living spaces. In hospitality, Cozy Linen supplies an extensive range of linen essentials, its favorite white-on-white range, from two-bedroom boutique villas to large-scale hotels with 50 rooms, both in Sri Lanka and overseas.

Adding another service layer, the store partners with designers and architects, assisting clients by setting up and styling beds with their chosen products, turning a purchase into a complete, transformative experience.

Naushaly warmly refers to her team of more than 25 employees, 95 percent of whom are women, as her “greatest asset.” A key strength of in-house manufacturing is that it ensures rigorous quality control and gives her direct oversight of every production stage, allowing customization for individual clients and hotels.

Her collection also truly shines in the way she weaves Sri Lankan heritage into modern living. Delicate touches of beeralu lace and batik transform her creations into exquisite pieces of home décor.

Equally important to her is creating and maintaining a flexible family-friendly workplace. With staggered shifts, mothers and grandmothers can balance household responsibilities while contributing meaningfully at work. For Naushaly, success is about growing together with her employees, witnessing their contribution and economic independence trickle to the next generation, who will emerge stronger in education and careers. The loyalty of her team speaks volumes.

Naushaly is mindful of her business’s role in the global conversation on sustainability. Therefore, at Cozy Linen, durability and responsibility go hand in hand, with a focus on natural fabrics such as 100 percent cotton and bamboo. Nothing goes to waste. At one point, when costs soared during the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis that followed, they repurposed fabric remnants into reusable shopping bags. Today, leftover materials find new life in the hands of women running small home-based businesses, who transform them into beautiful patchwork creations. Naushaly goes a step further for hospitality clients by testing imported fabric at local testing institutions to guarantee quality and durability.

Looking ahead, Naushaly acknowledges the challenges posed by online competition, but remains confident in the strength of her in-store experience. She believes that people still prefer to touch, feel, and experience fabric firsthand when it comes to household linen and accessories. Rather than focusing on this hurdle, Naushaly channels her energy into what Cozy Linen does best – offering tangible quality, style, and choice of well-chosen fabric and well-made products that provide a touch of comfort and transform a house into a home.

When Naushaly launched Cozy Linen 20 years ago she was a young woman fueled by passion and vision. Two decades later, she has grown into many roles – entrepreneur, wife, and mother of two boys – proving that women can embrace multiple identities with strength and grace. She firmly believes that with the right support, women can pursue their dreams, break barriers, and build meaningful ventures of their own. Her journey is a reminder that passion, when nurtured with perseverance, can blossom into personal fulf illment and entrepreneurial success.

Cozy Linen
33,1/1 Queen’s Road, Colombo 3;
+94 112 587 907, +94 77 787 9888
cozylinen@gmail.com
Opening Hours: 10am–6.30pm Monday to Friday; 10am–5.30pm Saturday, 10am– 4.30pm on Poya days. Closed on Sunday.