The dream of owning a library is hard enough to realise in a large space, let alone a home estate agents would charitably describe as ‘cosy’. For this reason, many give up on creating a library with physical books and opt instead for e-books, which are a great alternative, but just aren’t the same experience to most booklovers.
With an e-book you don’t, after all, get to breathe in the wonderful smell of old books, savour the sensation of turning the page, and feel that sense of nostalgia that so many before you have held the book and revelled in its words.
It turns out you don’t get the same immersive and memorable experience, quite literally, from e-books, either. According to a recent study by the Guardian, readers of e-books are less likely to recall details in what they have been reading than those who use the real thing.
But how to improve that reading experience even further? Before dismissing the notion of a library and the immersive experience it brings, you could consider creating a strategically-placed reading nook that can serve as a cosy oasis for your luxuriating in literature (and perhaps even a few pages of IDEAL Magazine). With that in mind, here are some easy ways to create a reading nook in a small space.
FIND THE SPACE
The first thing to do is to choose the location for the nook, preferably away from the hustle and bustle of the house and making good use of a small space, but ideally not usurping someone’s else’s personal place of privacy and sanctuary.
Get creative by looking for unused spaces in your home. You could reinvent a closet or pantry, find a loft area or create a human-sized reading cubby house under the stairs, or even find a window and construct an inviting bed-bench with book storage underneath. Even if these aren’t readily-available options, any secluded corner in your home could quite capably serve as a reading space.
SPEND TIME ON THE DESIGN
Once you have the space, you need to think about the design. Save space by using height to your advantage and stack books in ‘dead zones’ of your wall around doorways and towards the ceiling. This will elevate people’s gaze and actually make the compact space seem larger.
Don’t forget, books can be items of beauty unto themselves to be used as decor, especially if there are so many that it makes it hard to fit them in a small nook. That’s exactly what Belgian-born British artist Jason Koxvold did when he turned his New York tiny house into a library by using books as an element of design. His Hemmelig Rom (secret room) used built-in bookcases spread through the tiny space to give an equal distribution and balance while making the area seem larger than what it was.
Read: 5 clever ways to use books as eye-catching decor in your home
CREATE THE AMBIANCE YOU WANT
The final part of the project is to cultivate a relaxing mood for reading in your nook. Don’t just fill bookshelves with books; instead, strategically place decorations between the books to emphasise the ambience and avoid an overly crowded, often dusty feel. You could use silver picture frames to break up the monotony of the stack of books or even as bookends. Equally, you could place small pot plants or cacti between sets of books to break up the space visually.
Consider, too, how you will organise your books to make them more inviting; will you group your books by colour, height, genre, or simply let them land where they please? These decisions count in a reading nook dedicated to the immersive nature of reading.
You can either organize the literature by genre grouped together so you know exactly where to look or opt for the colour-coded approach to add a sense of creativity and precision to the room. Next, bring in a large beanbag or, for a more sophisticated look, a recliner chair and stool, adding textured throws that beckon you to curl up with some literature.
For an added, magical twist you can create a hammock chair where you can rock, read and be ‘lulled’ with a good book. Ensure there is plenty of lighting and a side table to place your cup of tea or cocoa – just beside a scented candle to make the book-reading experience a pleasure for all the senses.
So, what are you waiting for? Create your reading nook and rediscover the magical beauty of getting lost in good books!