Every apartment has a corner that is unloved. The space behind the open door. The metre between the radiator and the window. The triangle between the bed and the bookshelf. These corners are usually empty, occasionally piled with shoes, never used.
This is the corner that wants to be a reading nook. Three pieces. One afternoon.
Piece one - a small chair
Not a club chair. Not an armchair. A small chair - a stool with a back, an old wooden chair with a cushion, a rattan slipper chair. Something that fits the corner without overwhelming it. Width: under 60cm. Depth: under 60cm.
Piece two - a single warm light
A floor lamp with a linen shade, or a small reading lamp clamped to a shelf. Warm white bulb only. Tall enough to light the page from above.
Piece three - a soft surface within reach
A small side table or - better - a stack of three books with a tray on top. The tray holds the cup, the candle, the bookmark. Nothing more. Anything more makes the corner feel like furniture instead of a place.
A reading corner doesn't need to be beautiful. It needs to be chosen.
How to make it the most-used corner in the flat
Three small habits, all of them more important than the furniture itself:
- Leave a book open, face down, on the chair. Always.
- Light the lamp before the ceiling light, every evening.
- Don't clear the corner. The slight evidence of use is what makes the rest of the apartment feel inhabited.
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