Get in My Nook

Do you have a weird, unnamed corner in your home that you want to make useful but can’t for the life of you figure out how? Maybe you have a bedroom that is too large for its own good, or conversely, a bedroom that’s too small to even be a considered a functional bedroom. Give your home’s unique architectural quirk a raison d’etre by making it into a reading nook!

Since these quirks are often immovable, built-in aspects of the home, it can be hard to conceptualize making it into a creative space. However, the rigid structure can also be freeing to some. Say you have a semi-inconvenient, but open spot under a staircase where you’ve been lumping shoes or storing boxes. Try moving an appropriately sized accent chair with a little end table into the space. It sounds almost too simple, but it will absolutely transform an awkward area into one that makes logical sense.

If you can do so without making it into a safety hazard, building in or simply hanging some shelves in these dead areas opens up storage space. It doesn’t have to be limited to books, either. Maybe you’re flush with rarely-used glassware, knickknacks, pictures, whatever. Take them out of their precarious spots in your home’s primary rooms and put them in your nook!

If you’re working with a designated nook that has a bit more space or an extra small bedroom, put some fluffy low cushions on the ground instead of trying to fit a whole sofa in an already cramped room. Add lots of pillows and a few blankets to make it much more of a cozy, quiet place for concentration and relaxation.

Many homes have small, upstairs landings off hallways that seem perfect for a tall plant and not much else. An armchair, floor lamp, and a small rug can do wonders to not only make use of the abnormal space, but also add a tasteful flare in an unexpected area.