Get organized! See our favorites in the shop

Remodelaholic

DIY tutorials, Woodworking plans and more.

FREE BONUS: Kitchen Organization Boot Camp
  • Home
  • About Us
    • About US
    • Contributors
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Disclosure and Advertising
    • Contact Us
  • Shop
  • Project Ideas
    • Our Houses
      • Birch House (current projects)
      • Canyon House
      • Park House
      • Downing House
      • Logan House
    • DIY Project Plans
    • All projects
    • Barn Door Baby Gate
    • Dutch Door
    • Framing A Wall Mounted TV
    • Indoor Playhouse
    • Beach Themed Living Room Design
    • Chicken Coop Building!
    • Computer Desk
    • Computer Desk Plans
    • Custom Newel Posts and Stair Remodel
    • Family Room Sneak Peek
    • Headboard Tutorial
    • Living Room Progress
    • Mood Boards
    • Scrabbled Family Names
    • Pets
  • Design By Room
    • Bathrooms
    • Landscape
    • Kids Bedrooms
    • Kitchen
    • Living Rooms
    • Laundry Rooms
    • Master Bedrooms
    • Mood Boards
    • Office
  • Holiday
    • Christmas
    • Halloween
    • Patriotic
    • Easter
    • Fall
    • Saint Patrick’s Day
    • Thanksgiving
    • Spring
    • Valentines Day
    • Winter
  • Crafts
    • Printable
    • Art
    • Paper Crafts
    • Kids
    • Fabric Crafts
    • Decorate
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Beef
    • Beverages
    • Breakfast
    • Chicken
    • Desserts
    • Dinner
    • Fruit
    • Healthy
    • Holiday
    • Lunch
    • Main Dishes
    • Salads
    • Sandwiches
    • Sauces
    • Seafood
    • Side Dishes
    • Soup
    • Vegetables
  • Videos

Get This Look: Relaxing Reading Room

Written by Cass

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

I think every little girl who saw Beauty and the Beast dreamed of being Belle in a library full of books, am I right? While this mini library and sitting area doesn’t have quite the same romantic appeal, it will still work great for an escape whether you’re reading, knitting, or napping. Read on for our tips for creating a relaxing reading room, in any corner of your home.(image via Better Homes and Gardens)

This post contains affiliate links. Find our full policy and disclosure here. 

Get This Look: 6 Tips for a Relaxing Reading Nook from Remodelaholic.com #getthislook #library

6 Steps to Creating a Relaxing Reading Room

1. Make the books a home

You can’t have a reading  nook without bookshelves. (Well, I suppose you could if you only ever purchased for your Kindle library, but where’s the fun in that?!?) You can turn any nook, cranny, or corner into your own personal library with our built-in bookshelves tutorials. Read here for the start-to-finish instruction on building a traditional bookshelf, or go here to build a corner bookshelf.

2. Curate a beautiful collection

I’ve confessed before: decorating bookshelves is not really in my comfort zone. Building them, sure! But decorating a bookcase?…. not my strongest talent. Thankfully, there are plenty of people in the world who DO have that talent. Check out these decorating tips + 5 things every bookcase needs over at Thistlewood Farm, plus some basic tips for styling a home library that we’ve picked up and then some rules of bookshelf aesthetics to get you started.

If you’re lamenting that your books are not magazine-pretty, don’t feel like you have to give up hope or throw out your library: make the colors work for you like Megan did, or you can cover the books with paper, fabric, lace, etc. Worried about finding the right book when you need it? Just follow this tutorial to print the book titles on the paper covers for a classy look that also makes it easy to find what you’re looking for!

DIY Book Covers via Remodelaholic.com

a: brown paper covered books via Design Sponge
b: paper covered books via Elizabeth Anne Designs
c: fabric covered book tutorial from Homespun Threads
d: paper-covered books from All Things Thrifty
e: patterned bookcase on Pine to the Pacific 
f: diy book covers from Twig and Thistle
g: printed graphic book covers by Juniper Books
h: recovered books with titles from Precious Little Things
i: vintage embellished books from Thrifty and Chic

3. Decorate with more than just books

One of the hardest part about decorating a bookshelf is making it beautiful and balanced, not just stuffed chock full of books. Using baskets on a shelf or two creates clean lines and lets you hide magazines, craft supplies, snacks — whatever! — without making the shelf look cluttered. Woven baskets never really go out of style, but if you’re looking for something more than traditional wicker, try a basket made of seagrass, rattan, or water hyacinth and maize to add both storage and natural texture. Or if you prefer the book look, use this tutorial from Shannon at Sewing Barefoot to make a hidden book storage area!

4. Make it inviting

Add a comfy chair in your style of choice, a throw blanket, and maybe a pillow or two to ensure that your reading room is as ready for a nap as it is for a deep study session. A simple slipper chair, like pictured, is comfortable without being too bulky.

5. Tie up loose ends

Keep your book and snacks close at hand with a simple end table. The simple two-tier one pictured is perfect for displaying books on the bottom tier while leaving the top tier open for use. Here’s a similar inexpensive option, or you could refinish one you already have, use a furniture hack to make the perfect table for you, or build one (like this Moroccan-inspired side table or these modern end tables).

6. Remember: colors make the room

For your special relaxing space, decorate in colors that you love. Generally, lighter tones are considered more relaxing, but if you love bright and bold, don’t let someone stop you from decorating that way! This is YOUR space and it needs to fit what you want. Don’t know what you want? Start collecting images of rooms you really love (this is what Pinterest was built for!) and focus on the feel and mood that you want the room to have, and then start creating your own mood board to guide your color and decor choices. Go here to learn more about using inspiration images to create your home’s best look.

PS: I also love the painted door. I finally finished painting all of mine and I am so in love! 

Get This Look: Relaxing Reading Nook on Remodelaholic.com #getthislook #decorate #tips

 

More lovely reading rooms to inspire you:

children's reading room

by Mona Ross Berman

colorful library reading room

via Apartment Therapy

home library

Better Homes and Gardens

library wall, bliss at home

Bliss at Home

via lox papers

via Lox Papers

 

Need more home inspiration? Try these other Get This Look articles:

organized armoire thumbOrganized Armoire warm wood tones in a white kitchen thumbWarm White Kitchen yellow and navy shared bedroomKids Shared Bedroom
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
Remodelaholic is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Please see our full disclosure here.

Published: May 28, 2014Filed Under: Decorate, Informative, Living Rooms, Remodel Inspiration By Room Tagged: Bookcases, Get This Look

About Cass

Cassity started Remodelaholic with her husband, Justin, to share their love for knocking out walls together. Since then, Remodelaholic has become a great community and resource for all those wanting to know how to make their builder-grade home BEAUTIFUL on a budget!


free email bonus

Kitchen Organization Boot Camp

Is your kitchen a zen paradise? It can be. I'll show you how.

Previous Post
Sweet and Spicy Vanilla BBQ Rub plus BONUS Nielsen-Massey Signature BBQ Sauce
Next Post
Loving Literacy: 5 Tips for Supplementing Your Child’s Literacy Education (ages 3-6)

Comments

  1. Crystal says

    May 28, 2014 at 5:40 pm

    Love this room! It’s so relaxing and comfy. Perfect for reading. Thanks for sharing your tips!

    Reply
    • Cass says

      May 28, 2014 at 9:51 pm

      Thanks, Crystal!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

We love hearing from fellow Remodelaholics, so let us know what you like about this and leave any questions below in the comments. If you have followed a tutorial or been inspired by something you have seen here, we would love to see pictures! Submit pictures here or by messaging us over on Facebook.
Recipe Rating




Hey there, I am Cassity! Nice to virtually meet you!

This blog is about DIY at its finest. We are obsessed with it and so are you, so while we're working and have nothing to show you of our own projects we show off yours. So submit your projects! More About Us…

Categories

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Meet The Team

Privacy Policy

Remodelaholic is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Please see our full disclosure here.

© 2005-2016 Remodelaholic LLC, All Rights Reserved

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2021 · Remodelaholic

  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Twitter