$100 Half-Day Designs: Create a Cozy Reading Nook

Materials and Tools:

paintbrush
roller
paint
drop clothes
painter's tape
bamboo Roman shade
2" L-brackets
1/2" wood screws
screw gun
level
batting
plywood board (10" wide and 4" longer than the opening)
fabric
staple gun
scissors

Steps:

1. Lay down drop cloth and tape around the inset of the window so the paint doesn’t bleed onto the wall. Use paintbrush and roller to paint the inside of the window. Allow the paint to dry, and add another coat if necessary.

2. Hang the bamboo Roman shade using the included hardware. Put the screws into the window frame using the screw gun. Run the level across the two brackets to make sure it's level before hanging the shade.

3. To build the cornice, cut the plywood to the desired dimensions. Your local hardware store can make the cuts for you. For this project, they cut it to ten inches wide and a length that will protrude past the opening by at least two to four inches on each side.

4. Lay the plywood on top of the batting. Cut the batting so there's at least two or three inches around each edge of the plywood.

5. After the batting is cut out, trim the corners to prevent excess bunching. Do this by pinching the batting the corners and cutting them at the level of the plywood.

6. Staple the batting onto the plywood with the staple gun. Start along one edge pulling it tight as you add each staple. Place a staple every three to five inches.

7. After the batting has been firmly stapled in place, lay batted plywood on the fabric and cut out enough fabric to cover up the batting entirely. Wrap the fabric around the wood, folding it under the edge of the batting and stapling it tight. Pull it tight as you go so you don’t have any wrinkles or creases. Flip the piece over as you work to make sure this in the case.

8. Screw the L-brackets to the back of the plywood cornice using the screw gun and the 1/2-inch woods screws. Use the level to make sure the brackets are at the same height so the cornice won’t be askew.

9. Screw the other side of the brackets into the underside of the inset using the screw gun. Have a partner help you hang it to make sure you have it evenly placed on either side of the window.