Tweetspeak Poetry

10 Great Ideas to Create Your Dream Reading Nook

By 42 Comments

10 Great Ideas for a Reading Nook small boy reading
If you like to read as much as I do, then you deserve a dream reading nook. Nooks are not just for children; treat yourself to a sanctuary where you can explore your life’s big visions, transport yourself to another world between the pages, and savor a sacred space where you can nourish yourself.

Everyone’s dream reading nook might look different, but here are 10 ideas to get you started on what yours might be.

 1. Find someplace quiet

In the book Eastern Mind, Western Body, the author makes a suggestion that perhaps one of the greatest threats to our health in today’s society is noise. I agree. If you can find a place for your nook that is free from unnecessary noise (I’m looking at you, TV), you’ll find spending time there such a great relief.

2. Get something comfy to sit on

It seems like stating the obvious, but it’s important to think about a setup where it’s comfortable for reading. I don’t know about you, but getting comfortable while holding up a book and juggling a mug of tea, etc. is not that easy. I like to have a futon or mattress with a reading wedge pillow for maximum comfort.

3. Relax with your favorite blanket

Research shows that blankets can reduce anxiety as well mitigate other mental health disorders. Even dentists and physicians are now using heavy blankets to help calm and relax patients during visits. So make sure you have a favorite blanket in your nook for reading calm.

4. Add a touch of visual inspiration

I like to have some visual motivation/inspiration in my nook, just to remind me that this is a positive space and negative thoughts and worries can walk themselves right out that door. Two artists that I really like are Jessica Swift and Jen Lashua. Find a print and a message that you like, and hang it with hope.

5. Choose some reading tea

We’re getting there!  Now, time for a spot of tea – the perfect drink for a reading nook. I actually made a tea for reading, called Reading Nook (a balance of a vanilla black tea with calming rose, lavender, and chamomile).  Herbal teas are also nice for reading time.  I suggest making a medium-sized pot with a tealight candle warmer, which adds ambience and keeps the tea piping hot.

6. Keep a journal or “Wisdom Book”

I keep a journal that I call a “Wisdom Book, ” which contains quotes and lessons I’ve learned from the books I’ve read. I find it helps integrate the lessons learned from the books (and at times, serves as a to-do list for creative ideas and reminders that come to me during the relaxed state while reading). Any size and color journal can work for this, just find one and dedicate it to your reading nook.

7. Select a “mood” book or two (instant inspiration)

Every reading nook requires books – of course!  Get it started off on the right foot with a mood book; that is a book that you can open up any time and get instant inspiration. This is great if you just want to go relax in your nook for a few minutes, or having a rough day and need something to calm you down before you get into reading mode. Two that I suggest for this is Oprah’s What I Know for Sure and Eleanor Roosevelt’s You Learn By Living.

8. Make sure you have proper lighting

My mom always said that not having good light while reading was terrible for your vision. Turns out that the research is inconclusive, but I think good lighting is a must anyhow.

9. Add a touch of Mother Nature

Reading nooks are wonderful with touches of Mother Nature to set the vibe. A green plant is, of course, wonderful but there are other options. I like dried flowers, succulents, or even a nice quartz crystal or some tumbled stones can really make things feel comforting.

10. Give it time

Last but not least, now that you’ve spent so much intentional effort improving your dream reading nook, give it the time that it deserves. We make time for the things that are important to us, so whether it’s just 15 minutes before bed, or a Sunday afternoon ritual, make friends with your reading nook. It wants to support you!

Photo by Eugene Kim, Creative Commons license via Flickr. Post by Andy Hayes. Based in Portland, Oregon, Andy is the founder and creator of Plum Deluxe, the website and tea company that helps you create moments that matter.

Editor’s  note: one of our Poetry Baristas, Sandra Heska King, wrote a poem about tea and reading nooks after enjoying a gift of Plum Deluxe tea as a part of our current Joy of Poetry Workshop. We’re sharing it here as added inspiration for your own nook, with Sandra’s permission.

Plum Deluxcious

My fingers fumbled with the flap
of the rectangular plum in the box.
I finally used a paring knife
and sliced through the peeling
that enclosed the most deluxcious fragrance.
Lavender. Love. Gratitude.
A blend of joy.
I rifled through packed kitchen goods
and found my yellow duckie tea infuser.
Sissy gave it to me in remembrance
of my mother’s hospice hot tub bubble baths
and the trio of ducks I’d bought her.
Mom joked about them needing diapers.
We lined those ducks up on a table
at the funeral home.
Anyway, if you’re looking for me, I’ll be in
my nook—reading and writing,

right after I brew a cup of tea.

— Sandra Heska King

plum-deluxe-reading-nook-tea-and-the-joy-of-poetry

__________________________

The Joy of Poetry

Megan Willome’s The Joy of Poetry—part memoir, part poetry reflections, part anthology—takes readers on a journey to discovering poetry’s purpose, which is, delightfully, nothing. “Why poetry?” Willome asks. “You might as well ask, why chocolate?” Poetry reflects nothing more and nothing less than the pure joy of living, loving, and being, in all of its confusion and wonder. Willome’s book will gently guide you to read, write, and be a little more human through language’s mystery and joy.

—Tania Runyan, author of How to Read a Poem: Based on the Billy Collins Poem “Introduction to Poetry”

BUY THE JOY OF POETRY NOW

Andy Hayes
Latest posts by Andy Hayes (see all)

Try Every Day Poems...

About Andy Hayes

Andy Hayes is the founder and creator of Plum Deluxe tea company. His background is originally in software and web technology, and he's dabbled in travel & tourism, website design, and website optimization. These days, it's all tea for Andy.

Comments

  1. L.L. Barkat says

    Thanks for the great ideas, Andy 🙂

    I did not know that about blankets. Though I am attached to one particular blanket I bought last year, that is oh so soft, since I noticed that it made me feel quite comforted to tote it to my reading couch.

    Also, the thing about light made me smile. I was reading recently that the brain can be taught to parse words in very low light and also at near distances that at first cause us to reach for a new prescription. Fascinating, really. Shows that sometimes when we sit with our discomforts for a little while, we can actually turn them into non-issues.

    Of course, tea, for me. Tea, tea, tea. (Ask anyone here, they will tell you about that 😉 )

    Reply

  2. Sandra Heska King says

    We are in the process of moving far, far away… I am putting “space for a reading nook” on my list of new home requirements. I tend to do my best reading at my desk or at a table because if I get too comfortable, I tend to doze off. I used to be able to read in bed, but not so much any more. But maybe with a dedicated nook and the right wedges, I can remedy that. Thanks for the awesome ideas, Andy. And for that Reading Nook tea. And thanks, TSP, for sharing my poem. I’m finding so much joy in the workshop.

    Now I’m off to order a tea light warmer so I’m not limited to making a cup at a time.

    Reply

  4. Simply Darlene says

    Thanks for this piece, Andy. I like the idea of a Wisdom Book. My current method includes jotting down quotes/passages on scraps of paper, envelope backs, fortune cookie inserts, and margin-writing. My collection is scattered from here to the moon.

    For my writerly nook, I also include scents. Sandalwood incense or essential oil blends of citrus and patchouli combine nice with the aromatics of coffee or tea.

    Reply

  5. Bethany R. says

    What a lovely post. I’m on board with the concept of noise as a threat (constant, needless noise that is), and the very real comfort of a soft, heavy blanket. Mine’s not too far away now.

    Sandra, your poem is lovely, the way you set up your own nook of remembrance, reading, and ruminating.

    Raising a cup of tea to you all~

    Reply

  6. Will Willingham says

    The idea of a reading nook really brings an intentionality to reading, which is so helpful. It’s something that’s worth the time (yay, #10 🙂 ) and also worth the space being set aside so reading isn’t just one of those things that is just coincidental.

    I was also struck by the blanket thing being an actual *thing* and not just something we feel like should be. Everybody should have the perfect blanket. 🙂

    Thanks so much for sharing these tips, Andy. I’m off to make a cup of tea, now. 🙂

    Reply

  7. Megan Willome says

    All my favorite things together in one post–love it, Andy!

    My favorite reading nook is on my front porch swing, although it is a little awkward to keep reaching down for my tea. (Exercise!) If the weather forces me indoors, I like my guest room, which I wrote about in The Joy of Poetry, with the white comforter over the yellow sheets. It has a great bedside table for my tea.

    Sandy, so happy your poem made its way out of the workshop and into this space. Have a cuppa on me.

    Reply

  8. Ann Kroeker says

    Every single item on this list is doable and enticing. I like the blanket idea a lot, especially in winter. A book, blanket and tea in a quiet room on a comfy couch. Perfect nook.

    Thanks for the inspiration, Andy. I was just looking in the cupboard for some herbal tea yesterday and realized I’m running low. I think I know how I can restock, though… 😉

    Reply

  9. Charity Singleton Craig says

    Wow! Now I know I need a reading nook. Where to create one? You’ve given lots of great steps. And I am definitely going to have to order some of your reading nook tea, Andy. It sounds like a blend made with a lot of thought and care. Thanks so much for this wonderful post.

    Reply

  10. Laura says

    All I saw was the invitation to create a reading nook. So I started totally rearranging by bedroom to include one. Never mind that three chairs in my home and their immediate surroundings could count as reading nooks.

    I moved a six-shelf bookcase (which means six shelves’ worth of books) to define the nook’s space and give it the feel of protection. Moved a sewing machine and some other stuff to clear out a corner. Moved the bed a foot or so west. Much of the room is in disarray now. But I had a rudimentary nook, where I took a fresh cup of tea and something I’d been saving to read.

    Now that I’ve read this, the director’s chair has been exchanged for a big comfy easy chair-on-rockers and its matching ottoman with a secret storage compartment inside. Never mind that it leaves a gaping hole in the living room. Dug out a complementary super soft super warm blanket to drape jauntily across its shoulder.

    It’s near a window, so I have a totally new view on the neighborhood.

    I think it’s going to be a cellphone-free zone.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  14. […] Downtown Charleston, West Virginia, in the historic district. Only a half a block away from the state capitol complex. The grounds of the inn are marked by two lovely 100-year-old oak trees. The flowers on the lawn and in the garden are organically grown and provide a nice greenspace to relax in during free time. The covered front porch is another relaxing spot to sip a glass of tea or read a book. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *