Home Styling Tips | The Reading Nook

Hi there!  Did you happen to casually show your men yesterday’s Valentine’s gift idea post?! I emailed it directly to my hubby and got the “thumbs up, ok, and check mark” emojis back, but no words.  Guess we’ll see what that means in about 24 days. 😉 
Anyhow, we’re on to more home decor today, specifically the second post in my HOME STYLING TIPS series.  The first one was dedicated to the kitchen and the balance between function vs. beauty.  I started with the kitchen because that’s always the heart of the home and a space we cannot escape from with the daily demands of busy life.  But, with some cleaning, organization, and styling, it can be a pretty room that you enjoy being in.  Seems like y’all were with me on preferring to keep most of the things that clutter the counters out of site so you can have a more visually clean look.  If you missed that post, you can get caught up here.

Today, I’m focusing on carving out a little space to call your own, a reading nook. We have a space off of our master bedroom that serves as a reading nook/place for me to watch tv when there’s only football on all weekend.  When we decided to build our home, and had no idea where to start, we began by visiting open houses every weekend and taking note of the features we liked in each house. I remember seeing a home with a similar master bedroom/sitting room layout and fell in love, so that’s what we modeled our own after.  It’s been very functional for us since it has doors that lead to the master bathroom and when our son was a baby, he’d play there on the soft carpet while I got ready.  I liked that I could keep an eye on him from the bathroom while I got ready for work. 

home styling tips | the reading nook

Home Styling Tips for creating a cozy reading nook in your home

You don’t need an addition off the bedroom to create a cozy nook though, just room enough for a comfy chair and an end table for setting your drink, book or stack of magazines. Before we built this home, we lived in a tight 3-story townhouse, and the reading nook was just a small space at the end of the bed where I had just enough room for a chair and end table.  
I’m often changing up the decor in this area, but the chairs, rug and end table are the base of the reading nook design.  I kept those elements neutral so that changing out the accessories could give the space a new personality whenever the mood strikes or the seasons change.  The current mood is romantic and sweet, probably because I have Valentine’s Day on the brain and after the new year, Spring is always on the horizon. 

Home Styling Tips for creating a cozy reading nook in your home

After I took down all the vibrant red Christmas decorations this year, the only thing that remained were the two green plants on either side of the television.  They’re doing well, so I decided to keep them, but as you’ll see in some of the photos, I played around with removing them from their spot to see how the room would look without them.  You don’t have to keep something in the same spot just because that’s where you’ve always had it! 
Home Styling Tips for creating a cozy reading nook in your home
One of the best things you can do for a space in your home is to remove everything, everything, and leave it blank for a little while before deciding what to put back.  Shop your home and move things around.  Your objects and accessories will look totally different in a new spot!
Home Styling Tips for creating a cozy reading nook in your home
I’m in the ‘less in more’ camp, so here, I only added a couple of throw pillows, a vase of fresh flowers, and a pretty candle to our reading nook.  White flowers are always fresh and calming, but if you want to add color to an otherwise neutral palette, fresh vibrant flowers will do the trick in an instant.  You can also add color, pattern and shape with your choice of vase.  
Home Styling Tips for creating a cozy reading nook in your home
This bottle neck vase is good for fitting about half a bunch of grocery store tulips, the rest ended up in the breakfast room
Home Styling Tips for creating a cozy reading nook in your home

By the way, I’ve gotten lots of questions about our wingchairs and whether they’re comfortable and how they’ve held up.  After having them for several years now, I can say they’re not only so pretty with the light, neutral color, great fabric and nailhead trim, but they have also held up well and are comfy for sitting in and watching tv or reading.

They are also a good size, not teeny like some furniture you order online and get home, only to be disappointed by the size.  But, I don’t sit on them for hours like I might do my couch.  And, my son only sits here occasionally, so they haven’t taken the beating that they might otherwise have had if I had them in a different spot. The ottoman was a great addition for having somewhere soft to put your feet or for adding a tray.

Home Styling Tips for creating a cozy reading nook in your home
What’s a reading nook without a short stack of your favorite books to curl up with?  Books make for great accessories too, just give some thought to the size and colors of the book covers when stacking them because they can add to or detract from the styling of your space. 
Home Styling Tips for creating a cozy reading nook in your home

Great decor books for the home decor lover
And of course, a big throw blanket to get cozy with.  A woven basket and the cable knit blanket both add texture to the room. 
Home Styling Tips for creating a cozy reading nook in your home - gotta have a cozy throw blanket
Home Styling Tips for creating a cozy reading nook in your home
Finally, this Moroccan style rug on carpet added more softness and interest without competing with the rug or decor in the attached bedroom.  Our rug is old from Pottery Barn, but West Elm has a similar one
Home Styling Tips for creating a cozy reading nook in your home
Do you have a small spot in your home to call your own?  I’d also love to hear what you’re reading lately- I’m always up for a new book. 

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Meet Megan

Hi! I’m Megan, mom to a thoughtful teenager and spunky young girl. We call Houston home and recently moved into our dream home. I traded my lawyer hat to become a full-time blogger in 2010. I love sharing my passion for affordable fashion, home decor, organization, & fitness to help inspire you to take care of you!

25 Comments

  1. While we don't have a sitting room, we do have a nook I created in our Master. Just need to find an ottoman or poof I like to finish it off. Love the soft pinks. My youngest used them in her new apartment alongside gray and I love it!

  2. Hi, I just love your shutters in the sitting room. I like plantation shutters but hate when they get too busy with divisions and the tilt pole. Yours are just perfect with the width of the louvers and their clean look. We just bought a new house and need to add blinds/shutters to all of the windows. Would you mind sharing any details you have on them and also do they mask much of your light? Thanks!

  3. Hi, I just love your shutters in the sitting room. I like plantation shutters but hate when they get too busy with divisions and the tilt pole. Yours are just perfect with the width of the louvers and their clean look. We just bought a new house and need to add blinds/shutters to all of the windows. Would you mind sharing any details you have on them and also do they mask much of your light? Thanks!

  4. hi megan, i just love the paint color in the room. can you let me know what it is? i have been looking and looking for a light gray and just can't seem to get one that isn't too blue.
    thanks!! michelle

  5. HI, I’d like to ask what size is your rug used here? Also, the wingman chairs you attached direct me to Amazon. Is this where you originally purchased them?

    1. Hi Windie! I got my chair originally from Overstock- so they were probably out of it when I wrote that post. The rug is 5.5 x 8.5. Hope this helps!!

        1. Or are they just similar. Wasn’t sure if maybe you knew the brand and that’s why you were able to link it to the ones on Amazon. I do appreciate you responding 🙂

          1. You are awesome!! Thanks so much for doing what you do and inspiring others.. I’m in the middle of a makeover for our master bedroom and loved your blog. So glad I stumbled across it!!

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