For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved to read. When I was a teenager, I would lay on my bed and get lost in a good book for hours. When I moved away from home in my early 20’s and got myself a teeny tiny apartment, I made sure there was a chair with a lamp overhead in the corner…a perfect reading spot. (It was one of those floral-printed chairs from the 80’s. It was ugly, but man…it was comfy!)
So, a few months ago, I realized there was no real designated spot in our home that was good for reading. I’d sit on the couch and read during the afternoon when all kinds of natural light came in, but there wasn’t enough light if I wanted to read at night. For someone who loves to read, that just wouldn’t do. So, I took it upon myself and created a cute little reading nook. (It’s the picture shown here!)
A lot of you might be thinking that you simply don’t have the space for a reading nook in your home, but I’m here to tell you…you probably do! As you can see from the picture above, you don’t need a ton of space to create a warm, cozy and welcoming spot to read. All you need is a corner in your home that isn’t being used. Then you just need the basics;
– A comfortable chair. Maybe an oversized one that you just sink right into!
– An overhead light/lamp.
– A small table/shelf to store your books. It’s also a great spot for your coffee/tea while you read.
– Cozy blankets and pillows.
When I decided to create this nook, I already had all of the above things in my house and you probably do too! The chair was in our basement not being used. (Unless throwing clothes on it counts as a use!) The lamp was sitting in my office not even plugged in. The little side table had a plant on it, so I moved the plant to a different spot. (where it now gets better sunlight! Win-win!) And the basket holding the blankets was sitting in a different corner as a decoration. So, I just brought all these things together and BAM! An adorable reading nook was born!
What I like about having this nook is, it encourages reading. Not only for myself, but for my kids as well. They see me sitting down to read in my chair and they come over and ask what I’m reading. They’ve even asked if THEY could read in my chair. I find it also encourages relaxation. We all need some quiet time for ourselves every now and then. You know, “me” time. Kids included! So, now that we have this welcoming corner in our home, we use it. I find myself actually carving out time to read. My 9-year-old has even grabbed a book from his room and curled up in the chair to read on more than one occasion.
So, if you’re a reader, want to raise a reader, or already have a house full of readers, creating a reading nook might not be a bad idea! And it’s a lot easier than you think! Deciding who gets to use it and when? Well, that’s a whole different…story. (See what I did there?)
Happy Reading! If you’re looking for some good books- check these out!
