It’s a Snug Life
So the wind is howling across the island and the rain’s coming down in stair rods. What you need is a cosy retreat in your home.
According to Ricky Mahy, Technical Director of Create Chartered Architects, snug rooms are big news.
‘When we discuss a client’s extension or renovation project, quite often a snug is on their wish list,’.
If the weather is getting us down or we’ve had a stressful day, it’s natural to yearn for peace and relaxation. Think of a serene place with warm colours, a roaring fire, a comfortable sofa and rugs on the floor – that’s what a snug is all about. It’s a place to put your feet up, read a book, listen to music or play board games with the children.
In many ways the snug is the antithesis of the modern open-plan kitchen diner that graces the pages of most homes magazines. That hasn’t had its day – far from it – but you can bet those photographs of glazed doors opening out on to a beautifully landscaped garden were taken on a sunny day or a balmy evening. When summer barbecues feel like a distant memory and spring isn’t yet around the corner, we’re more likely to be battening down the hatches than throwing open our windows and doors.
Happily, the opportunity to create a snug often arises as a by-product of an extension project. Whereas once a formal dining room was highly covetable, the open-plan kitchen diner has rendered it obsolete. When friends come over, we’d rather pour a drink and talk to them as we finish off the food preparation than banish them to a different room to wait to be served. As Create’s Design Director, confirms: ‘When you extend a traditional property you tend to be focusing on the kitchen diner, a big social entertaining space that engages with the garden. But by extending out we’ll often have a former lounge or dining room that no longer has a purpose which can be ideal as a snug.’ Even studies are less popular than they were, as we increasingly check our emails, surf the web or pay bills on our mobile devices.
So if you have a redundant room, why not repurpose it as a snug?
The acoustics and feel in a cosy snug are totally different from those we seek in our open-plan kitchen diner. Kitchen diners are all about light, air and clean lines, whereas the snug should have heavy curtains and soft fabrics to create a cocoon-like ambience. A fireplace or wood-burning stove provides a focal point and, of course, warmth. Create can design interior architecture to make the most of your room, including bookshelves, reading corners and other fitted furniture.
CREATE’S TOP TIPS FOR A COSY SNUG
- You can’t beat darker colours for a relaxing, comforting atmosphere. Navy blue, claret, chocolate brown and emerald green add depth and character to a room, whilst providing a contrast with light and airy social areas.
- Comfortable soft furnishings are essential in a snug. Sofas and armchairs are cosier in fabric than in leather, but if you have aleather sofa you can soften it with throws and cushions.
- Curtains should be dense and heavy for maximum insulation. Close them at night to forget about the winter weather.
- Keep lighting soft and ambient; dimmer switches allow for versatility. Include a more powerful lamp if you need task lighting.
- There’s nothing quite like a real fireplace but it’s not the mostconvenient option. Wood-burning stoves are more efficient, using less wood whilst providing more warmth. Gas fireplaces can be a good compromise and don’t forget that adequate ventilation is a must for all types of fire.
- No space for a snug? Try transforming a corner of a room into a cosy reading nook.