Reading nooks embody quietude, peacefulness and escape. They’re a hideout and a thinking space for those seeking solitude and reflection, and they should welcome with all things personal and treasured. Overdesigning a reading nook takes away from its character – a reading nook should evolve without pomp and fuss. Even a pared down space with just a bookshelf and a chair is solitary perfection.
Tips for creating a reading nook:
Location: Reading nooks can be fitted in anywhere in a house – under a staircase, built into a window seat, or nestled into the corner of a room. Optimally they should be situated where there is little foot traffic and noise, away from the hubbub of the house. Reading nooks do well with a view of nature – a garden, park, mountains or the ocean promote a restfulness that companion a reading nook wonderfully.
Lighting: A reading nook needs good lighting so one does not strain to read. Natural light during the day – streaming in through windows and doors and ambient lighting at night with a table or floor lamp to read by.
Furniture: A reading nook calls for comfortable, casual furniture. Lovely worn-in pieces, or family hand-me-downs are great for a personal space. Fundamentals are a sofa or a big armchair, a table or stool to place a mug of coffee, a rug to warm up the space and a basket of blankets to keep things cosy. Empty walls can be filled with art or inspirational words and quotes, or they can be decorated only with books.
Designing a bookshelf: To design an interesting, workable bookshelf start by organising the books according to your preference; either alphabetically or by subject matter. To add texture and interest, stack books both vertically and horizontally and intersperse them with collectables, memorabilia, photographs, artworks, crafts and ceramic bowls and vases. Create your bookshelf to represent you and to be a record of your life journey; anything that is symbolic, treasured, collected, and admired is right at home on a bookshelf.
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