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Designers Jo Lyle and Bethany Adams describe renewed interest in the snug: a small, enclosed space for reading, resting or spending time with a friend. Their advice focuses on choosing an existing nook, using built-ins and layered lighting, and tailoring the room to its occupants; the report does not quantify how widespread the trend is.
Designers Jo Lyle and Bethany Adams are describing the snug—a small, private room or nook designed to feel enclosed—as a useful way to make space for reading, resting or listening to music at home. In a report for Veranda, they recommend starting with an existing alcove or other compact space, rather than trying to create a snug in a large, open room.
The examples in the report range from an attic or eaves to an underused closet, a bay window or a quirky corner. Adams says the room should feel like a cozy discovery. She cautions that a large space may not deliver the same effect as a small one, even when designers try to make it feel more intimate.
Lyle says furniture should fit closely enough to make the room feel enveloping, while leaving room to move around. Adams favors built-in seating and storage, including window seats, deep units arranged in a U-shape, and drawers or cubbies that keep belongings out of sight. In a bedroom project for a luxury vacation accommodation, she added luggage cubbies behind curtains.
The designers also recommend using layered fabrics, wallpaper and deliberate lighting to shape the atmosphere. Lyle suggests deciding how much light the activity needs before adding lamps or fixtures; a shaded lamp can provide a soft overall glow, while a sconce can direct light for reading. Smaller-scale prints and textured wallcoverings, such as grasscloth, are among her options for making walls feel warmer.
A Small Room With Many Uses
The snug is presented as a way to give a home a dedicated retreat without requiring a full-size additional room. A corner or architectural recess can become a place for reading, a quiet nap or a conversation, depending on how it is furnished. The advice is especially relevant to people weighing how to use awkward or overlooked space.
The report also makes clear that a snug is not one fixed decorating style. It can be dark and subdued or light and colorful; the design depends on who will use it and what they want to do there. Lyle’s clients, for example, wanted room for reading and listening to their record collection, so she incorporated a bookshelf and record player into the design.
These are designers’ recommendations and project examples, not evidence that snugs are appearing in a particular share of homes or that demand has risen by a measured amount. The report describes interest in the idea but does not provide survey data, sales figures or a market comparison.
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From Pub Rooms to Home Nooks
The report traces the snug’s history to small, private rooms in 19th-century Irish pubs. Adams also connects the idea to historic American interiors, where compact spaces could help conserve heat and warmth. She recalls noticing such rooms during a visit to Colonial Williamsburg when she was 12.
For the designers, the contemporary version is less about reproducing a historical room than adapting its sense of enclosure to current homes. A snug might be a room in its own right, a built-in banquette or a tucked-away corner. Adams says a high shelf running around a room can add book storage while making a high ceiling feel lower; Lyle’s projects show how personal interests can guide the room’s details.
“The goal is to feel totally cocooned in a mood.”
— Jo Lyle, interior designer, quoted by Veranda
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How Broad Is the Snug Trend?
The source gives no data on how many homeowners or designers are adopting snugs, how interest compares with previous years, or whether the idea is gaining traction across the wider design industry. The report’s examples and expert comments establish that the designers featured are working with the concept, but do not measure its popularity.
It is also unclear what a snug will cost to create. The projects described include custom built-ins and tailored storage, but the report provides no budgets or comparison between a simple nook makeover and a more extensive renovation. Whether a particular space can accommodate built-ins or a bed depends on its dimensions and layout.
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Start With the Space You Have
The designers’ practical next step is to identify a compact, underused area and decide what the room is meant to support. That purpose can guide decisions about seating, storage, privacy and lighting. A reader adapting an existing nook can consider textiles or a lamp first; a more involved design could add built-in seating, shelving or concealed storage.
The Veranda report does not announce a product launch, industry forecast or next scheduled milestone. It offers design guidance rather than reporting a formal rollout, so the scale of interest and any future changes in the trend remain to be seen.
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Key Questions
What is a snug room?
A snug is a small, enclosed room or nook arranged as a comfortable retreat. The designers interviewed by Veranda describe using one for reading, resting, conversation or listening to music.
Does a snug need to be a separate room?
No. The designers suggest adapting an attic alcove, eaves, closet, bay window or quirky corner. The key idea in their advice is a compact, enclosed feeling, not a particular room name or layout.
How do designers make a snug feel cozy?
Suggestions include built-in seating, layered curtains, textured wallpaper and controlled lighting. Lyle recommends planning around the light needed for the room’s intended use; Adams points to built-ins as a way to make the space feel enclosed and keep it tidy.
Is the snug trend growing?
The Veranda report describes designers’ interest and includes project examples, but it does not provide survey results or market data that would show how widespread the trend is or how it has changed over time.
Source: rss
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