How to Make a Reading Corner at Home

A reading corner does not need a whole room. Two square metres near a window are enough, with three well-chosen pieces: a chair, a lamp and a small table. Start with the chair, because it decides whether you sit for a quarter of an hour or two hours. Choose a seat deep enough to support your whole back, a high back or a headrest if you read for long, and wide arms to rest a hand or the book on. Leather and woven fabric are comfortable for long sittings, and cane stays cool in summer. Then the light. Daylight from the window is the best there is, but it goes at sunset. Place a lamp behind or beside your shoulder, not in front of you, and aim the light at the page, not at your eyes. A lamp with an adjustable shade suits this best; choose a warm white bulb between 2700 and 3000 kelvin so your eyes do not tire in the evening. Finally, the side table. Its height should be close to the chair's arm, or a little lower, so you reach your cup without bending. Keep little on it: the book you are reading, the cup, perhaps a candle. Anything more turns the corner into a small storeroom.