Reading Nooks

Some reading nooks are created to make use of dead space--in a bay window, a large foyer or on the landing of a staircase. Others are carved deliberately into the corner of a room. A comfortable chair and good natural or mood lighting are essential. Some folks like to have their books surrounding them, always an arm's length away. Others prefer little embellishment around them. The better to be submerged into the world of their novel. A blanket, candles, flowers or plant life are small additions that raise these small spaces from serving a purpose to inviting us for an extended visit. Some think an afternoon spent reading is a waste of time. My feeling is that time spent reading makes the rest of the day better spent.

Images: House Beautiful magazine, July/August 2010 issue. Marie Claire Idees magazine, January 2010 issue. Period Living magazine, October 2010 issue. Red magazine, November 2010 issue. She Moves the Furniture.

Books Arranged by Color

Family and friends know that I have an obsessive compulsive streak, so the fact that I'm attracted to great walls of color-coordinated books is no surprise. Though I've dabbled in arranging my books by color, I've never had a library set-up with all of my books on display in one spot. I still remember driving to south Philly with my friend Liz one evening a few years ago and slowing down so we could get a better look at a red wallpapered library that called to us like a beacon from the third story of an elegant rowhome. A well stocked library will always get a second look from me.

One of the many highlights in Christian Slater's apartment in the movie Bed of Roses is his tidy wall of red and black books and the ladder that he uses to reach them and his rooftop garden (above). Though it takes some effort to achieve, a library that is arranged in blocks of color becomes an artful focal point. And anything that draws people to peruse a library and then curl up with a good book is more than worth the effort.

Images: New Line Cinema. House & Home magazine, September 2010 issue. Thrifty Chic: Interior Style on a Shoestring by Liz Bauwens and Alexandra Campbell, photography by Simon Brown, published by CICO Books 2009. Living etc magazine, May 2010 and June 2010 issues.