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33 stylish snugs and reading nooks perfect for curling up in
The name 'snug' gives you a good idea of what this room is supposed to do - provide a comfortable space to curl up in (preferably by a roaring fire). A snug should not be too large (a snug fit, you might say), and wall panelling and warm colours can be deployed for maximum cosiness and a rustic feel. Take your paint on to the ceiling to really create a cocooning space.
These rooms are at their best in winter, although we've managed to find a Caribbean snug just to prove their versatility. And if you don't have room for a snug, why not carve out a reading nook from your living room - all you need is a comfortable armchair and a bookcase after all.
A window seat within a bay window can make the perfect hidden nook. Adding a curtain to pull across and completely enclose the space, like Rixo founder Orlagh McCloskey has done, makes it all the more cosy.
Ultimately, all that matters is that somewhere - be it a room that's rarely used, the corner of an often used one, or even a nook in a hallway - provides a place to sit, breathe, and recharge.
Scroll through our favourite snugs below for ideas on everything from fireplaces to armchairs...
Simon Upton1/33This small sitting nook in a handsome Regency Grade-II house in Norfolk is ideally composed for a small but functional, liveable space.
Lucas Allen2/33Behind the main sitting area of this house designed by d’Erlanger and Sloan sits this snug. An ottoman in Namay Samay’s ‘Marak’ sandalwood silk and cushions from Penny Worrall, Susan Deliss and Robert Kime enliven a custom sofa, curtains and tented ceiling, all in ‘Humbug Ticking’ cotton from Howe at 36 Bourne Street. The bespoke woven wicker panels are by Atelier Vime.
Chris Horwood3/33In the acute corner of this invisible house hidden away beneath a stylish Shoreditch street, the sofa was custom-designed by Shaw and upholstered with Kvadrat fabric. The blue recycled plastic lounge chair, console table and lamp on the table are all also by Shaw.
Mark Anthony Fox4/33A sofa bed from The Sofa & Chair Company means a snug in this Wimbledon flat by Emma Burns also serves as a guest room. Above it hangs a framed antique silk panel from the Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler antiques department. The walls are painted in ‘Baked Cherry’ by Little Greene and in the bookcase are a pair of late nineteenth-century stained glass roundels, which Emma had made into lightboxes.
Dean Hearne5/33In an Arts & Crafts house in Putney rejuvenated by Field Day Studio. A vintage chest from VintageFrench divides the library side of the room from the rest of the sitting room.
6/33The front sitting room of Charleston conservator Kathy Crisp's Sussex house is painted in Farrow & Ball's ‘Setting Plaster’, with the Bloomsbury-esque design at the top in ‘James White’. A sculpture by Quentin Bell stands in the middle of the bookcase, bought by Kathy from the Charleston shop. It's Kathy's favourite place to retreat with a book, and indeed the light that streams in from the south-east is magical.
Martin Morrell7/33This space off the entrance hall in Saffron Aldridge's house on a remote Hebridean island is warmed by an Esse wood-fired stove. Arts and Crafts leather chairs and a built-in three-sided bench provide comfortable seating.
Paul Massey8/33A cosy armchair is the best place to start for a reading nook. In this Cheshire house designed by Rita Konig, an armchair covered in Pierre Frey’s ‘Izmir’ in rouge makes for an inviting place to spend a few hours. The bright colour is set off by woodwork in Paint & Paper Library’s ‘Kigali’.
Paul Massey9/33In Nadine Finnegan's Cotswolds house, a chaise longue covered in Colefax and Fowler’s ‘Alicia Chintz’ in pink/green makes for a vibrant corner against the wallpaper by Polly Fern.
Haris Kenjar10/33The 'listening room' in this house in Berkeley was a new addition with joinery sympathetic to the rest of the house. ‘We designed a built-in the bench that mimics the existing joinery. This is where they play records and enjoy the dappled sunlight that makes this property so special,’ says the designer Heidi Caillier.
Mark Fox11/33Founder of women's fashion label Rixo, Orlagh McCloskey, has carved out this little nook in the main bedroom. The curtain across the window can be drawn for even more cosiness.
Owen Gale12/33In what was a bathroom, Sarah Fuller has built a cosy reading nook in her house in Bath. Practically every inch of space has been used to house the wrap-around sofa. The wallpaper, from Colefax & Fowler, and woodwork painted in yellow, bring sunlight on even the rainiest of days.
Photos: Owen Gale, Styling: Rachel Moreve13/33The interior designer Polly Ashman opened up the often tricky middle space between the front and back of her terraced house. Flooded with light, thanks to the internal windows, it's the perfect place to curl up with a book.
Paul Massey14/33A nook can be as simple as carving out a corner of a larger room. In her Coswolds house, Sarah Hiscox has placed an armchair and a lamp: a simple but effective way of delineating the space.
Paul Massey15/33Nestled away between the main living area at the back of the house, and a more formal sitting room at the front in Rosi de Ruig's West London house, is this enclosed, cosy snug. The ceiling is painted in stripes, adding an element of fun.
Paul Massey16/33A small nook under the stairs in Lonika Chande's West London cottage provides not just a discrete place to read a book, but also useful storage.
Simon Upton17/33After restoring the Georgian details to this Marylebone flat, its interior-decorator owner, Douglas Mackie, added furniture with a French bias and twentieth-century art to create an elegant, sophisticated ensemble. Deep cupboards surround the door in the study. The highest ones and the topmost bookshelves are accessed by a sliding, bronze ladder. The Howard chair, with gilded legs designed by Douglas, is covered in silk velvet by Holland & Sherry.
Chris Horwood18/33Francesca Gentilli spends her working life sourcing the best fabrics and textiles from India, Turkey, Morocco, Uzbekistan and beyond, and her own house is the best showcase of her finds. Clever layering of textiles is one of the best ways to make a small sitting room or snug feel warm and inviting. This room is painted in ‘Breakfast Room Green’ from Farrow & Ball and is Francesca's favourite room in the house. The rug is a vintage Beni Ourain sourced in Morocco by Francesca, while the ottoman is upholstered in Penny Morrison's ‘Tulkan’ fabric.
Owen Gale19/33A Howard armchair sits in front of the chimneypiece in George Saumarez Smith's lovely home, on top of a French rug that belonged to George's grandparents. The bookcases are ideal for a reading nook and were designed by George.
Ngoc Minh Mgo20/33Exposed beams and a gorgeous log burner make this the perfect snug in Harriet Anstruther's Sussex farmhouse. A half-height wall was put in to create an informal room around the fire.
Paul Massey21/33Reflecting the combined vision of Jane Ormsby Gore and novelist Andrew O’Hagan, this former artist’s studio in Primrose Hill is much like a good piece of writing – a well-structured and carefully conceived space that continues to evolve as the author makes it his own. Unsurprisingly, Andrew is an avid reader and has hundreds of books, so shelves were built wherever possible to accommodate them. This includes floor-to-ceiling bookshelves on either side of the chimneypiece, which magnificently emphasise the height of the room. The walls were painted in the same green Andrew had admired in Jane’s own house – ‘Invisible Green’ by Edward Bulmer Natural Paint.
Paul Massey22/33In the living room of Sarah Corbett-Winder's house, walls in Paint & Paper Library’s ‘Caddie’ tone with the fireplace, clad in green tiles from London Encaustic. A set of plaster medallions by Peter Hone hangs beside it. The bespoke high-backed pink porter chair and botanical prints came from their previous home and sets a modern take on antiques in this reading nook.
Lucas Allen23/33Dark, moody colours are perfect for setting a snug or reading nook apart from other rooms. In this house by Rose Uniacke, the walls, ceiling and woodwork are painted in a custom-mixed shade of blue with a textured finish. The c1900 English armchair has been reupholstered in Christopher Farr Cloth’s ‘Range’ linen in gold.
Paul Massey24/33The sitting room at Fiona Golfar's Cornish cottage has all the classic elements of a good snug - solid wooden furniture, books, a fireplace, and very comfortable chairs. Fleeces by local firm Celtic & Co and a rug from The Rug Company soften the look of salvaged shelving and a log wall.
Michael Sinclair25/33A combination of rough stonework and tongue and groove panelling make the sitting room of this Pembrokeshire cottage a particularly snug place to be on cold days. The chimneypiece is made from stone reclaimed from a larger version that the previous owner had installed. Cottage Interior, Evening by Ivon Hitchens hangs above it. The Victorian reading chairs and Edwardian sofa were bought at the Decorative Art & Antiques Fair in Battersea.
Paul Massey26/33Designer Ben Pentreath has given each room in this reconfigured Arts and Crafts house its own personality, combining colour and texture with interesting pieces from different periods. In the attic, a snug-like space if ever we saw one, the husband’s study has views over the red-tiled roofs of other houses of the era and reflects their colouring in its dark panelled walls. These are joined by a claret wing chair, a green sofa and an orange ottoman.
Paul Massey27/33A large painting by Irish artist Martin Finnin hangs in the living room of a tiny barn on the edge of a Gloucestershire meadow, decorated by antiques dealer and designer Christopher Howe. The space is filled with varied treasures collected by the designer, providing its owners with an idyllic and rustic country bolt-hole.
Lucas Allen28/33Dark wood panelling gives an enveloping feel to the family room at Edward Bulmer's Queen Anne house in Herefordshire, only enhanced by fluffy throws on the sofas, and cheerful artworks by family and friends.
Michael Sinclair29/33Farrow & Ball’s ‘Black Blue’ paint adds to the dark, moody atmosphere in this study in a Hampshire vicarage.
Ngoc Minh Mgo30/33This cosy corner in the informal snug of designer Harriet Anstruther's restored Sussex farmhouse features a stand-out armchair in front of casually arranged books.
Alexander James31/33The owners of this Bahamas beach house turned to trusted interior designer John McCall to provide their house with a British sensibility, practical furnishings and interiors that are not 'too beachy'. The cypress-panelled walls, which give this small living room a cosy feel, are decorated with maps of the Caribbean. The pattern on the blinds matches the one on the rug, tying the scheme together.
Tim Beddow32/33After visiting her friend Kathryn Ireland in France's Tarn region, Anne Halsey bought a French farmhouse retreat there and enlisted the help of the decorator to create a relaxed space perfect for entertaining. In the living room dining-style chairs surround the coffee table, providing a more formal seating area in the living space. A muted pastel colour scheme allows the large fireplace to take centre stage making for a cosy area.
Paul Massey33/33In the sitting room of Sarah Stewart-Smith's Herefordshire cottage, bronze gongs from Vietnam hang above the stove in the snug living room. Moving from a large London house to a small country cottage, she decided against selling her larger furniture. Instead, against expectations, it adds to a feeling of space.
