1.22.2010

Mood Board: Living Room Reading Nook

One corner in our living room is just crying out to be a mini-library. Since libraries hold vast arrays of genres and volumes that can transport readers to places all over the world and beyond, I'm planning to take an eclectic but subtle "world traveler" approach to our little reading nook.

As regular readers may have noticed, I gravitate toward items that can be used in lots of different places in the house. With the exception of those few "perfect" items that come along once in awhile, I hate the idea of buying something for a single designated purpose or spot. I like to swap things around, and I have a fairly consistent sense of style that lends itself to it.

By the by, I already have the chair, the pillow and the stool -- which could all be swapped out or traded up eventually, when the mood strikes. If I can't convince S about the rug's cool factor, then I'll probably go with something more traditional in its place.

I was just thinking that it's missing something -- a globe! I am totally going vintage globe-hunting this weekend. Keep an eye out too, will ya?

Sources:

  1. Crate bookshelves ($5 per crate at our local orchard. I lost the source of the photo. Sorry!)
  2. Butterfly chair (available everywhere, like here, but I got mine from Target back in high school!)
  3. Format lamp (IKEA, $40)
  4. Turquoise Garden Stool (HomeDecoDirect, $124. I have a similar wooden one from Pier 1, now discontinued.)
  5. Black New Zealand Wool Aztec Rug (Overstock, $78)
  6. Coffee sack floor pillow (my sister-in-law made one for me, but Etsy has a huge selection. The one pictured is from Etsy seller bannerbabe.)

5 comments:

  1. I like the pieces, but the chair doesn't look like it would be terribly comfortable...

    ReplyDelete
  2. You have a point, W. The chair is probably not going to get us through any marathon reading sessions. (I wish I had time for those!) But since we already own it... it buys me some time to look around and save up for the ultimate library chair. I'm thinking maybe something kinda stodgy and leather like this:

    http://www.restorationhardware.com/rh/catalog/product/product.jsp?
    productId=prod1246005&navAction=jump

    or this:

    http://www.restorationhardware.com/rh/catalog/product/product.jsp?productId=prod1608047&navAction=jump

    Any other ideas? There are so many neat chairs out there that it's hard to choose!

    ReplyDelete
  3. That leather chaise is calling my name. Imagine reading any book while stretched out long and sleek in that chair would be a delicious experience as would the obligatory nap after-- am guessing it's a veritable incredible sleep inducer. The wingback evokes image of petite woman, legs curled under her, immersed in a gold-leafed copy of Jane Eyre or something Jane Austen.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Love the 'coffee sack' pillow... but I have some advice...

    Search 'burlap coffee bean bag' on ebay and you can buy these bags for like $3-$5 and make your own pillow for less than $15 bucks total!! Much cheaper than $55!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm totally with you Michael! I'm possibly the cheapest person alive. My sister-in-law made a coffee sack pillow for me for Christmas, for which I paid $0. (She got the sack from her local coffee shop - a good place to ask, as they just throw them away!) I plan to post pics of it soon. I also bought an old feed sack on ebay for $5 to make my own last year. You can do a lot for a little if you're willing to search a bit.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for reading! I love your thoughts, feedback and suggestions. Keep 'em coming!