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How I Created A Cozy Reading Nook For My Kids
The Importance of Reading Nook for my Kids
When I was younger I was a big-time reading junkie. My best childhood moments were being locked away in my bathroom reading a book. The bathroom was the only place at my house that was void of chaos and loud noise. We weren’t allowed to be in our rooms during the day so therefore the bathroom was the only place that I could go and read.
I would spend upwards of 30 minutes delving into page after page lost in a sea of detailed adventures. My adventures would, of course, get interrupted by a knock from someone either needing to use the bathroom or telling me I needed to get out. Being able to have a place of comfort and relaxation, where I could rest my body and work my mind was always important to me.
This month, I set a goal to create such a space for my kids. I wanted to create a place where they too could discover the magic of reading. I wanted to create the perfect cozy reading nook for my kids. To accomplish this I had to find the right location in our home, make the space colorful and cozy, add shelving, and appropriate decoration. Here’s how I created our reading nook.
Perfect Space
Finding the right space for the reading nook was the hardest part. The reading corner had to be in a place where my children could be supervised. My boys are a whirlwind of energy and destruction. For instance, one of my kiddos has a need to shred and usually, books are his go-to. He will tear a book to pieces in a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, we’ve lost countless books in this manner.
Moreover, the boys are always arguing and fighting. Therefore, the nook needed to be in a location that would discourage the fighting. We found the perfect location in between the base of our stairs and the door leading to our garage. Our home builder designed the area with a desk. We originally were using it as a mail area that eventually housed all orphaned items that didn’t quite make it upstairs or their respective places. I pulled out the desk which only took about 45minutes.
Color and Comfort
My kids love bright and vibrant colors. They also have sensory needs that require some thought to comfort. It was very important to incorporate those two factors to this space. I decided that painting the wall would add the best amount of color. I allowed my kids to choose from three different paint colors that we already owned. Each kid choose a different color, so, therefore, I had to be the tiebreaker. I choose the teal to bring color and vibrancy to the area. I painted a small area in light blue to help tone down the teal and create a calming effect.
For comfort, I added a plush gray and white rug. The flooring of the nook was ceramic tile and adding the rug was the most cost-effective thing to do. My son with Autism loves having plush rugs. The feel of the rug has a calming effect on him. We took two large pillows from the play area and moved them to the reading corner.
Shelving
The next step was to choose a shelf. Wanting to go the DIY route, I found several blogs and ideas for shelving. However, to allow for my kids to have visual access to their books, I had to choose from floating shelves, $10 wall ledge, and shelves made out of rain gutters. I decided on the $10 ledge and actually bought all the materials to make them. Unfortunately, my lack of patience and lack of time made this an impossible project to complete by my set deadline. I was able to find black wall ledge at Michael’s at 50% off. That was a big time saver for me.
What wasn’t a time saver for me was installing the ledges. The ledge took a long time because we were trying to decide how to install it. We wanted the shelves to look professional while still providing stability. We screwed the ledge to the wall for added security and stability, however, the screws were hidden by the books. that was screwed in. In addition to the shelves, we used our cloth bins as added book storage. We stored our thick and tall books in the bins.
Decorations
I decided to keep the décor at a minimum. I found the ‘explorer’ sign at Michaels at 50% off and thought it to be fitting for my vision of the reading nook. Also, I purchased the letters R.E.A.D at Michaels. I choose to go with the white lettering as I believed that it would add the right touch of vibrancy to our corner.
This space is working out great for the kids. They enjoy having space where they can relax and read.
