Decoration
What to do with the Snug in Summer
The snug is one of the best (and most frequented) rooms of the home, but it’s not as suited to summer as it is to winter. Here’s what you should do with it.
What to do with the Snug in Summer
Ah, beautiful summer. Lingering days, warmth pervading the house, and a hush that seems to draw out each hour and make each day and night last that little bit longer. The kitchen seems to fill with a scent of citrus, sea salt, and mint, while the fresh air and sunlight flooding into the living and dining rooms reinvigorate and re-energise. In the daytime, the bedrooms take on a new serenity; in the evenings, they offer a cool embrace to bodies tired by heat and activity.
In other words, summer is a great time. Even better, it’s officially here for 2023.
But we have to make room for what summer brings. We have to sacrifice some of those creature comforts – thick duvets, roaring fires, sinking deep into the sofa for an evening, the feeling of being enveloped by the steam of a casserole as rain patters against the window on a Sunday afternoon…
For the most part, we’re happy to make that space for a few months. But what about parts of the home dedicated to cosiness and retreat? What becomes of the snug between May and those first crispier days of September?
A New Retreat
The snug is the home’s ultimate hideaway. It’s a retreat from the busier spots of the house, as well as the chill that can creep into the larger rooms in the deepest parts of winter. It’s a room dedicated to cosy pursuits: reading, watching TV, playing board games or diving into long and winding conversations. The soft furnishings, the lighting, the colour palette – even the combination of prints and patterns – are chosen to boost that feeling of cosiness and calm the mind and body into a pleasant inaction.
Summer is all about pleasant inaction but, rather than retreating, we feel drawn to those bright, airy, sun-drenched spaces.
But the snug’s role as a shelter doesn’t mean it’s only needed when the rain, snow, sleet, or fog is descending. In the summer, the snug can be the perfect respite from bright sunshine and oppressive heat, provided you make some changes to the décor.
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