The summer is nearly over! The kids have gone back to school, sunbathing on the beach of a tropical island is a distant memory and it feels like Autumn is just around the corner. The evenings have changed too. Now the new fresh autumnal breeze is a constant reminder that we’re heading towards the cooler time of the year… Drinking coffee in your favourite spot in the garden soon will not be possible (unless your name is Robert!) We’ll all be moving indoors, leaving our gardens with all the “wear and tear” signs from the summer that had just passed. So to make the transition that little bit easier, it is important to make our homes ready for Autumn. Ready for the longer nights and days that are drawing in. And what’s a better way than by creating the perfect autumnal reading corner? A very grown up cosy reading corner!
So, it’s official! The flip-flops are out and the socks are in!
Let’s welcome Autumn – my favourite time of the year for styling my home! With my first styling challenge – the perfect reading corner just for myself! Well, at least in theory it’s all mine… That’s close enough.
I’ve created my cosy reading corner by rejiggling few pieces of furnitures around in our living room. It should always be your starting point! It’s free and you can be surprised with the results. It might be that you don’t even need to spend any money at all! But if you don’t have a chair or if you want to treat yourself with a new one, try one of Soho Home’s vintage chairs.
My absolute favourite is the Vintage Rattan Peacock Chair, which I’ve been dreaming about for some time now. I mean, isn’t she a beauty?
What else will you need to create your autumnal reading corner?
Apart from a collection of good books and magazines that you didn’t have time to read during the summer?
As it is a reading corner, you’ll most definitely need a good lighting. You don’t want to be seating there in the darkness! And, besides, table lamps, floor lamps and even the wall lights are perfect for creating the atmosphere in the room. We rarely use the main lighting in our house… actually… NEVER! (maybe except from the kitchen and the bathroom)
But the best thing about Autumn season for me is to be able to snuggle up under a thick woolly blanket… So I make sure that I have them scattered around the house, not just in my new reading corner. Although this place deserves the best blanket in the house, my vintage Abbey Woollen Mill Blanket which I have found in a charity shop last year. Try your local charity shops for vintage pieces or Ebay if you don’t have the time to look around.
The grown ups zone…
Another thing to make you feel like your new reading corner is just for grown ups (even if it is in theory only) is candles. I mean, who doesn’t like candles? The smell, the flickering light and the ever so romantic atmosphere they create. And suddenly you feel like your home is the best place in the world… And Autumn is your favourite season.
Also as I wrote in my post last year, Autumn is all about pretty mugs filled with your favourite tea… (you can read all about it here) So treat yourself with a mug of your dreams and let yourself dive into a good book in your new favourite reading corner…because you deserve it!
This post has been written in collaboration with Soho Home. As always, all opinions are my own and I only work with brands that I like and I would normally buy from myself. All photos are my own.
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Juan Sandiego
October 15, 2018Love the cosy vibes of your reading nook. And I’m with you, I rarely ever turn on the main lights. It’s like turning the sun on indoors, haha.
Anonymous
October 15, 2018The only time when I turn the main lights on us when I drop something on the floor and need to find it ??
JENNY KAKOUDAKIS
September 23, 2018Have to admit I am not particularly drawn to the idea of having a reading nook per se… I think for me it’s easier to just cosy up on the sofa and read there or in bed, but I understand why the look of this adults only zone is appealing! Really like the Marina Throw!
Anonymous
September 23, 2018To be completely honest Jenny I love the idea of it and love creating nooks lite that but I also usually end up reading on the sofa ?? The reading corner just ends up being an addition chair for when guests come round ??
Nicola Capper
September 18, 2018Those where the days when I had my own reading nook! I may need to claim it back again from the small and furry members of our family x
Meera
September 18, 2018I love the idea of a cosy reading nook that is all mine, except my kids are attracted to all the nooks and corners in the house and end up making their dens there, haha! I love all the wonderful colours in the reading nook you’ve created and that moodboard is gorgeous, particularly love the throw and wall lamp! ?
Anonymous
September 18, 2018Thank you lovely ? And yes, the idea is great but it’s the same in my house… my things (or reading nooks in this case) are mine in theory only ??
Donna Ford
September 18, 2018I’m really not a fan of autumn but I’m loving that your autumnal reading corner is full of colour. And yes love the light too!
Anonymous
September 18, 2018Thank you Donna. I think I was never a big fan of Autumn until I started decorating my house like a mad woman ? I honestly think Autumn is the best time for all the faffers ??
Maria
September 18, 2018Loving your cosy reading corner Anne Marie and that Reade wall light is ace in your mood board! Good lighting is such an important aspect and we need to sort out ours for our chill out reading zone!
Stacey Sheppard
September 17, 2018I would absolutely adore my very own reading nook and I’ve been planning one for years. Only problem is I have no room. I’ve been hanging on to my nursing chair as it is so comfortable and my mum lovingly reupholstered it for me in a beautiful fabric that will look lovely in my bedroom. Except it won’t really fit and I know I need to give it up. Your little space looks divine though! And I’m very jealous! Enjoy!
Anonymous
September 17, 2018Thank You Stacey. Yes, space is always an issue in our house too. This is a part of our living room which isn’t that big anyway ??
Natalia Peel
September 16, 2018That rattan chair is so fab and I love how you’ve styled it in your moodboard, especially the marina throw!
Anonymous
September 16, 2018Thank you Natalia. Yes, that marina throw is so beautiful, isn’t it? ?
Fiona Mostyn
September 16, 2018A very cosy looking space. I love your choices from the Soho Home range. Especially the wall light.
Anonymous
September 16, 2018Thank you Fiona. Soho Home’s range is so beautiful, it wasn’t easy to decide on just few pieces ?