Reading is a fantastic hobby that can easily become a lovely habit (or even an obsession!), and over time, that could mean that you collect a multitude of books that are all going to need to find space in your home. On top of that, reading requires a comfortable, quiet space, so you’ll want to add that to your home as well. In other words, what you really need is for your home to fit your reading habit, not the other way around.
The good news is there are plenty of ways to ensure your reading habit gets priority in your home and fits just right. The bad news… well, it’s not bad news exactly; it’s just that some of those ideas will cost you money and potentially be a little disruptive. However, many more won’t cost you anything (or very little), and even the ones that do will be worth it if they turn your home into a reading paradise. With all of that in mind, here are some of the best ways to make your home fit your reading habit.
You’ve probably heard of a reading nook or perhaps a book nook. These are great, and they could be precisely what you need and what you want in your home. A reading nook is exactly what it sounds like; it’s a space – separate from other areas of the house – where you can curl up with a book and have everything you need around you. That could include a reading light, a comfy chair, bookcases, a small table, a footstool, plenty of cushions, and so on; what you include is up to you, and as long as you make it comfortable, you can include anything you want.
As we said, a reading nook in your home is a wonderful thing, and if you’ve got space for one, you definitely need to add it as you’ll use it all the time (and it keeps your reading in a nice, quiet space where you won’t get disturbed, all being well). But what if you went further? If one reading nook is great, what about two? Or three? What about one in every room and on every landing? Every home is different, so there’s no set answer for this, but in general, if you want to have more than one reading nook, there’s nothing stopping you. Take a walk around your home and pick out spots that you could, perhaps with a few well-placed bookcases or partitions, turn into reading nooks. How many can you fit in? If you like to read more than one book at a time or you always have a book with you, and you want a space to enjoy reading it in whenever the mood (or need) strikes, having reading spaces throughout your home is a great idea. And it means that if there are other readers in the household, they’ll be able to enjoy a reading nook as well.
Where are your books right now? Some might be on display, but it’s likely that the majority of them (because we’re sure you’ll have a lot of them, seeing as reading is a big hobby of yours) are probably going to be hidden away in boxes or bags or under the bed or anywhere else they’ll fit.
That might be practical, but it’s also a shame because books are beautiful things, and they can actually make great home decor if they’re allowed to be seen. If your home is much more about reading than about screens (or anything else), it makes sense to have your books out where everyone (and you) can enjoy them as much as possible. In other words, show off your books!
This will generally mean finding a lot more shelving, and you might be worried that it will be too much, but if books are your thing, it’s not going to be too much; it’s going to be just right. The key is to find shelving that looks the part, so take your time exploring different wooden shelves so you can be sure you’re opting for the look and design that’s going to work best in your home. You don’t want to find shelves that don’t match your aesthetic, otherwise you’re never really going to like them or how your books look on them.
Just as when you were deciding where your reading spaces should be, walk around your home and spot any spaces where you could put some more shelves up. The great thing about this idea is that you can have shelves of any size, so if there are some small or awkward areas that you’re not using for anything right now, adding a shelf could improve the look of your home and ensure you’re able to show off your books as much as you’d like. Of course, how you decide on the shelving order is up to you; you might want to do it alphabetically or perhaps have books with the same color spine all in one area. No matter what, it will be fun to make happen.
If you want to make your home fit your reading habit, you’ll probably think about your books first, and the ideas we’ve already discussed will definitely allow you to make the most of them. However, there’s a lot more you can do that ‘just’ focus on the books themselves, and that includes making the rest of your decor literature-inspired where possible.
Let’s start with the art on your walls. You might choose to have framed pictures of famous literary scenes or characters, or perhaps you’ll have quotes from your favorite stories lining the walls. Or how about some ornaments that are all links to books? Some people find it controversial because it involves damaging a book, but there are artists who specialize in creating sculptures out of pages or entire novels, cutting them into shape – that might be an option too.
You can also choose furniture that doubles as book storage, which is ideal if you don’t have the space you might like to install as many shelves as you need. You could have a coffee table with shelves underneath or one that opens up to reveal hidden storage compartments, for example.
When you have these nice touches all around your home, you’ll be able to enjoy your reading habit even when you’re not actually reading, meaning you can completely immerse yourself any time you want to. Plus, guests are never going to forget what your passion is, so when it comes to getting you a gift, they’ll know exactly what route to take!
We’ve mentioned furniture a few times already, so let’s give it its own section and talk about the fact that comfortable and ergonomic furniture is the way to go. The ergonomics are actually much more important than you might realize because that’s what’s going to give you support, and that’s what will mean you can read for longer. In a chair or on a sofa that’s not designed with ergonomics in mind (i.e., it’s not designed to support the human body), you’ll find that no matter how long you’d like to sit (or lie) and read, you just can’t do it; it’s too painful, and you can’t get comfortable.
However, taking the time to find furniture that’s good-looking enough to fit in your home, that matches the rest of your design ideas, and that has ergonomics as a priority is going to be well worth it. And this will probably take some time – you don’t want to make a mistake and choose furniture that isn’t supportive for the reasons we’ve already mentioned, and you don’t want to make a mistake and choose furniture that’s not something you like looking at or that doesn’t work with the things you already have in your home. Even if it takes a few months to find the ideal reading furniture, don’t rush or you’ll regret it and possibly get a bad back at the same time.
So… how about those digital books? The ones you can read on eReaders or your phone? What do you think about those? We know it’s a divisive subject, and there are many, many people who don’t want to know when it comes to the digital realm and would only ever read a physical book, and that’s fine. But equally, there are some people who are happy to embrace the digital world and will enjoy using an eReader because it means they have so much more access to so many more stories.
It’s always going to be a personal choice, but if you do like the idea of reading in a digital format (perhaps as well as the physical one), then you can also ensure your home is set up for that. Within your reading nooks, you could include charging stations for your devices, or you might include a tablet stand to make things more comfortable. Even using noise-canceling headphones while you’re reading is another form of technology that might be a good idea, and keeping some of those around your reading stations is ideal, just in case you need some extra quiet.