We built a reading nook! As I had discussed in a previous post, we have talked about turning a small 4(ish)x7 room in our home into something a little more cozy and fun. It was used as a storage room for our home brew supplies for a few months, and it just seemed like a really unimaginative thing to do with such a neat space.
We were inspired by a project done at Thrifty Decor Chick, and decided to build our own reading space this weekend. The best part about this project is that 80% of the materials we needed to build the nook were gifted, pre-owned, thrifted, or borrowed (tools from my Dad).
Here is what the room looked like before:
And are some photos of what it looked like after:
This was so much fun to put together (so grateful that Josh is helpful with building stuff and down with pastels). I wanted a place to daydream/drink wine/write/read, and I think this will be perfect for that. I also can’t wait to have my nieces over because this room will be wonderful for board games and girl talk ( <— not the 80s board game or the musician, I’m talking serious subject matter like the perils of Grade 4 and Selena Gomez). The seat is almost 4×4 feet in length and width, so it will comfortably accommodate two people. There is 2 feet of space underneath for storage of books, games, blankets, etc.
In the future we’ll probably add a chalkboard to that ornate frame on the left, some more embroidery hoops with fabric on the centre wall, and some floating book shelves to the right. But right now I am super content that we were able to pull it together in a couple of days, with stuff that was already available to us for the most part.
This was achievable in a weekend and can be done in any closet or small room. All you really need is some scrap wood, tools, foam, upholstery fabric, paint (very little) and a little decor. We veered off from the how-to tutorial on Thrifty Decor Girl, but her instructions were a great place to start and would be nice for anyone looking to build one of these bad boys into a spare closet!
Now that this is done, I should probably get on with finishing my first book in this new reading challenge I am doing. I am reading The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, and it’s probably one of the best books I have ever read. It seems to be taking a little longer to read, simply because it’s so incredibly poignant and sad that it’s hard to open up the pages without making an emotional investment. But this is what good books do…and now I have a new reading space wherein I can devote myself to words, uninterrupted <3