The Snug: Choosing a Rug for a Cosy Den or TV Room

Every British home seems to grow a snug in autumn. It might be a dedicated den, a TV room, a corner of the kitchen with an armchair, or simply the smaller of two reception rooms. When the clocks go back on Sunday 25 October and the evenings draw in, it becomes the room where the household actually lives. A snug is not about display; it is about comfort, enclosure and the pleasure of sinking into a sofa with the curtains drawn. The rug does more to create that feeling than almost anything else in the room.

What makes a snug different

A formal living room is often arranged for conversation and for show. A snug is arranged for lounging. People sit on the floor, put their feet up, lay out board games and nap on the sofa. That changes the brief for the rug in three ways:

• It is touched, not just seen. Bare feet, children and pets are on it every evening, so softness underfoot matters as much as pattern.
• It is seen in lamplight. Snugs are used after dark, so colour needs to hold up under warm, low light rather than bright daylight.
• It should make the room feel smaller, in a good way. The aim is enclosure, not airiness.

Size: fill the room

In a large living room we often recommend leaving a generous border of floor around the rug. In a snug, the opposite tends to work better. A rug that reaches close to the walls, with only a narrow margin showing, makes the space feel wrapped and upholstered. As a rule of thumb, all the legs of the sofa and armchairs should sit on the rug, so the seating and the floor read as one comfortable island. Our complete UK guide to rug sizes walks through the measurements, and if your room is an awkward shape, our custom and made-to-order rugs are worth a look.

Texture: choose comfort first

This is the room for a rug you want to sit on. Deeper piles and soft, dense surfaces suit a snug far better than a thin flatweave.

• Plush and shaggy rugs are the most obvious choice for lounging on the floor. Browse our plains and shaggy rugs, and read our practical guide to living with deep pile before you commit.
• Carved and high-low piles give comfort with a little more definition. Wedgwood's Folia 2.0 in Mink, for example, has an archive leaf drawing carved into the pile in a warm, dusky mauve-brown.
• Wool remains the material we would reach for first in a room that sees this much use. Our guide to pile height explains how each option feels and wears.

Colour: go deeper than you think

Pale rugs can look grey and flat in a lamplit room. Snugs are the one place where we encourage clients to be braver with depth. Rich, saturated colours glow under warm light and make the walls feel closer.

• Terracotta and rust are natural snug colours. Laura Ashley's Aylworth Trail in Terracotta Orange spills cream and blush hibiscus blooms across a warm terracotta ground. See more in our terracotta and rust collection.
• Wine and aubergine feel enveloping. Marimekko's Unikko in Burgundy works the famous poppy tone on tone, so it reads as a rich, textured colour rather than a bold print.
• Navy and midnight are calm and grounding. Laura Ashley's Redbrook in Midnight pairs a deep navy field with borders embossed in a brighter blue viscose.
• Browns and caramels are having a real moment. Our piece on styling chocolate, tobacco and caramel rugs has plenty of ideas.

Sound and atmosphere

Many snugs double as TV rooms, and hard floors can make a television sound harsh and echoey. A large rug with a good underlay softens that noticeably. We explain why in rugs and acoustics, and our guide to underlays covers the layer beneath.

Finishing the room

Once the rug is down, build the rest of the snug around it. Pick one colour from the rug for cushions or a throw, keep lighting low and warm with two or three lamps rather than a ceiling light, and add a footstool or pouffe that can be pushed aside when someone wants to sit on the floor. For more seasonal ideas, see our earlier piece on warming a room for the colder months.

A decorator's note

Before choosing a colour for a snug, look at your shortlist in the evening, under the lamps you actually use, rather than in daylight. A rug that looks muddy at noon can be glorious at nine at night. If you would like help narrowing it down, send our team a photograph of the room and a note of how you use it, and we will happily suggest a few rugs to consider.