How to Create an Inspiring Reading Nook in your Home
I recently had a conversation with Caroline Madden from the Irish Times about reading nooks. She was compiling an article for the Home and Design section of the newspaper. Although I’ve written before about the book nook in our previous house, I wanted to take it a step further to discover what really makes it special and why.
What is a reading nook?
I like to think of a reading nook as a special corner of the home where you can curl up to savour a few chapters in a moment of self care. When the children were little and we lived in Switzerland, we had an absolutely enormous leather armchair that 3 of us could squeeze into. Every evening we would choose 3 or 4 books and read them before bed. Our annual holidays back to Ireland, without fail, involved a trip to Hodges Figgis in Dublin where we would buy an armful of books causing excess baggage fees on return.
Why have a reading nook in your home?
Books are an endless source of inspiration. My journey to work on (and under) the sea for so many years, began in the pages of a book in Navan library. There are countless hours of joy that I have found from stories told and images painted in words. When our son was younger and was obliged to move school several times due to the nature of our work, he found it hard to fit in. I told him to always bring a book and if he had no-one to talk to, at least he could be happy by himself. Luckily both children have always loved to read which is a great asset in life.
A reading nook in your home is a little library corner, or a wall, where you can gather books and display them in a way that you can enjoy returning to them, being inspired by them and using them for research.
I believe we are all more inspired to read when there is a beautiful space to dive into.
Where is the best place for a reading nook?
Anywhere you can fit your shelving, would be my solution. Then you can build your space from there. Room for a comfy chair is also essential. In our last house we had an inglenook that perfectly fitted the bookcase. Now it is an area in the hallway.
What do you need to make a great reading nook?
Good lighting is so important, so that you can read by day and in the evening too. If you have access to a large window for natural light by day, and then some task lighting, such as a pretty lamp for the evening.
Warmth is worth considering, especially when you live in Ireland. We have one window that attracts the warm sun at the end of Summer, and have a huge beanbag there. It’s a spot we fight over with the cats! I like to add sheepskin or blankets and cushions to the reading area too.
A spot for a drink to sit on. Whether your pleasure is a glass of wine or a cup of tea, you will need somewhere to put it as you turn the pages.
Styling is such a key element. Intersperse your books with plants, ornaments, art, photo frames and other pretty things. Then you can rearrange it from time to time to keep it fresh.
Scented candles or pot pourri to add glamour.
Music player to have some background piano or classical music to enjoy, if you can’t listen to the sounds of the birds.
Clusters of books! We all enjoy different genres in our house. I don’t particularly want to pick through crime novels to find my interior design or motivational books. So we have created different zones, like a library perhaps. There is a huge cookery section, given that my husband is a chef. The children have areas for young adult series and school novels. And I keep my hardbacks gathered together and paperbacks on a lower shelf. Some are lying down and some standing up, it depends how they fit.
As the rain is pelting down outside and I am snuggled in my oodie, I might just dive into that beanbag now. I have a stack of books waiting, I just need to boil the kettle and open a new packet of biscuits. See you soon!