Decorating to Make a Room Into a Reading Nook
A reading room is a luxury in most homes. If you have an extra room in your house that can be dedicated to study, reading for pleasure and relaxation, consider yourself fortunate. Take advantage of the fact by adding just the right touches to ensure a pleasurable experience each time you enter the room. Does this Spark an idea?
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Color
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Colors elicit emotion. For instance, color psychologists know that red stimulates appetite and that babies cry more in a bright yellow room. Color makes you feel, even when you aren't cognizant of it. Choose soothing shades for your reading nook, colors that are calming and that work together in a harmonious way. Colors found in nature, like sandy brown, leafy green, sky blue and sunset yellow-orange are all soothing choices. Paint your walls in a calming shade with an eye toward the furnishings you'll use to coordinate with the wall color.
Choosing Coordinating Colors
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For the walls and furniture to coordinate, they'll need to be shades that are directly across from each other on the color wheel, like light blue and golden rod. These are called complementary colors. Or they need to be colors that are found right next to each other on the color wheel, like yellow and green. These are called analogous colors. You can also choose to go with monochromatic colors. For instance, if your walls are light brown, you could use a medium brown chair and area rug and dark brown accents like throw pillows and lampshades. A monochromatic color scheme occurs when all the hues in the room are different shades of the same colors.
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Furniture
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Keep furnishing to a minimum. Only introduce items that you will actually use. Too much furniture in your reading nook will make it feel crowded and less serene. Bring in a comfortable chair and ottoman, cozy love seat, chaise lounge or yoga pillows. If only one or two people will use the reading nook at a time, outfit it for only one or two people. Empty space is a good thing as it enhances a sense of peace. Avoid using your reading nook as a "catch-all" for items of furniture that have no place in the rest of the house. This room should be off limits to any furniture without a specific purpose.
Light
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Utilize all available sources of light to make reading easy in the nook. Ensure that window treatments allow you to completely uncover the windows, allowing natural light to pour in during the day. Add a floor or small table lamp next to each reading area for extra illumination.
Decor
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Keep it simple. A single bookshelf holding some of your favorite books, an area rug to anchor the space and a throw pillow or throw blanket to make yourself more comfortable are a few of things that will enhance the space. Hang no more than one or two pieces of art, and seriously think about whether you want a clock in the room. If you're looking for a truly relaxing reading nook, leave the clock out. Choose a wall fountain to add ambiance. Few things are more soothing than the sound of falling water.
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References
Resources
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