6 Simple Steps to Creating Your Own Book Nook

Shrugging off the busyness and stress of the day is easier when you’ve got a dedicated sanctuary space. Even if you’re not a bibliophile, creating a reading nook can be one way to escape and unwind without leaving your home. Don’t think you have the square footage for a dedicated spot? Think again. With these 6 tips, you’ll be curled up with a good book in no time. 

Find your nook

Think outside the box. A good reading space may be nestled into a sunny corner of your bedroom, tucked into an alcove of your living room or even hidden away in a closet. Select a space that is large enough to fit, at minimum, something to sit on, and is accessible to a light source. The perfect nook will be in a quiet place away from distraction. If possible, and if you'd like to, aim for a nook placed in the Knowledge area of the feng shui bagua map. If you can't, don't worry. It's not required!

Pull up a seat

What’s your ideal chair? Does it engulf you in fluffy comfort? Do you want something you can curl up in or a seat that lets you dangle your legs over the arm? Is a bean bag a good fit or is a hanging chair more your style? This is your space to unwind. Pick the seating that best fits your style and space. 

Add a small table

No need to go big if you’re tight on space. A small end table would suffice. You need a place to hold your cup of tea (or glass of wine!), your book, and reading glasses. If space allows, go ahead and personalize some more by adding your favorite plant or candles.

Set the borders

Your nook should be a clearly marked sanctuary space. A decorative screen delineates the line between your reading nook and the rest of the room, while giving you the flexibility of opening your nook up to the whole room if you need the space. If that’s not your style, experiment with drapes or a sheer canopy hung from the ceiling. Check out my tips on separating small spaces using a curtain.

Light it well

Of course, a good reading nook requires proper lighting. Tap natural light resources when you can. Streaming sunlight brings warmth and comfort to any space. For evening reading or spaces with limited sunlight, add a small side lamp to your table. 

Make it you

This is, after all, your sanctuary. You don’t have to paint the walls of your dedicated space to make it special (although you can!). Add wall art, paper lanterns, book shelves, and other small touches to personalize your nook and make it inviting.

by Anjie Cho

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui check out the Mindful Design Feng Shui certification program. Laura Morris and I launched our program in September 2018. To get on the list about it, sign up at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com.

Mindful Design is a new way to learn feng shui. Our unique training program takes an holistic approach to learning the art of feng shui design. Mindful design is about becoming aware, and attentive, to the energy around you: both inner and outer qi. It is about promoting a better way of living and creating sacred spaces that support, and nourish.

Q&A Sunday: Is a Canopy Bed in a Bed Alcove Good Feng Shui?

I'm moving into a studio that has an alcove for the bed right next to the front door. Because of the layout of the apartment, there is no other position for the bed that would work (it would literally be in the kitchen, lol). Would having a canopy around the bed, and keeping it enclosed, help with the feng shui in this scenario?

Nakia, on Organizing your Studio Apartment: Feng Shui Tips

Hi Nakia,

Thanks for responding to our Organizing your Studio Apartment: Feng Shui Tips post! 

I hope your move went well. So, you are correct, you definitely don’t want to have your bed in the kitchen! Hahaha! We have to work with what we’re given, and sometimes we are presented with obstacles because there’s a teaching in that. 

With a studio, or sometimes they call them junior one bedrooms, there’s some sort of separate alcove for a bed, but it’s all one open space in the living area. You were wondering if a canopy around the bed would work to keep it enclosed, since a canopy bed typically has a curtain around it. While it would definitely serve a function to enclose the bed, isn’t it already enclosed because it’s in an alcove? I am getting the feeling that it would actually feel pretty tight and maybe suffocating. But I don’t know how big your alcove is. My first thought is a no. Why would you want to make the alcove seem even smaller? There may be a specific reason for you that would be beneficial, but in general I would not advise it. If you want to visually separate the bed, I’d rather see one use a curtain or perhaps a room divider. 

You may want to double check our posts on the commanding position and other bedroom tips and see if any of those adjustments apply to your new space. It’s your apartment, so you should make it comforting and relaxing for you, and there are usually feng shui tips for this.

by Anjie Cho

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui check out the Mindful Design feng shui cerfication program. Laura Morris and I launched our program in September 2018. Check us out at www.mindfuldesignschool.com

Mindful Design is a new way to learn feng shui. Our a unique training program takes an holistic approach to learning the art of feng shui design. Mindful design is about becoming aware, and attentive, to the energy around you: both inner and outer qi. It is about promoting a better way of living and creating sacred spaces that support, and nourish.

Thanks for reading our "Q&A Sunday".  We will be answering questions submitted by our readers. Click here to submit any Feng Shui or Green Design questions!

An architect's guide to creating holistic spaces

featured in Irish Examiner by Carol O’Callaghan

Tradition and modernity combine in a new book by architect Anjie Cho who takes the art of mindfulness into the organisation of our homes, helping us to lead healthier lives, writes Carol O’Callaghan

Architect Anjie Cho is about to revive our interest in the ancient Chinese practice of feng shui with her new book, Holistic Spaces: 108 Ways to create a Mindful and Peaceful Home. Drawing on her own approach to interior design, it aims to create supportive and nurturing environments for the inhabitants.

As a one-time prolific reader of anything feng shui related, and never knowingly passing an advertisement for a Saturday seminar on the subject, I would say the most challenging aspect of feng shui is getting to grips with the bagua — a floor plan of the home divided into nine areas relating to different aspects of life — work, relationships and health, for example.

…read full article

If you’d like to learn more about feng shui check out the Mindful Design Feng Shui certification program. Laura Morris and I launched our program in September 2018. To get on the list about it, sign up at: www.mindfuldesignschool.com.

Mindful Design is a new way to learn feng shui. Our unique training program takes an holistic approach to learning the art of feng shui design. Mindful design is about becoming aware, and attentive, to the energy around you: both inner and outer qi. It is about promoting a better way of living and creating sacred spaces that support, and nourish.