30+ Cozy Reading Nook Design Ideas

Our secret for reading more books is creating a cozy at-home hideaway to escape into your pages in peace. (Or, as much peace as you can manage if you have little ones running around.) From old-fashioned armchairs tucked next to the fire and plush chaises with a window view to built-in benches and pillow-piled love seats, we’re sharing more than 30 inviting reading nooks to inspire your snuggery into reality.

Dramatic emerald walls serve as a backdrop to a pair of plush ivory armchairs in this transitional home library. A deco-style fireplace is a fashionable focal point of the snuggery, flanked by three artfully appointed built-in bookcases housing ample reading material. A glossy baby grand piano nestles by the bay windows, and a brass-shaded chandelier offers warm light overhead, allowing homeowners to enjoy the local newspaper after work or knock out their book bucket list in style.

Opulence abounds in this stately eclectic sitting room. The luxuriously appointed space includes a built-in window bench with rich velvet upholstery and a custom headboard that serves as a prime locale for revisiting the pages of your favorite fairy tales or thrillers. Twin brass sconces with blue shirred silk shades frame the well-dressed windows, offering bookworms ambient light for their late-night reads. Weighty shibori-inspired ivory drapes flank the alcove, providing privacy and a touch of drama to the design.

Dove gray built-ins and misty blue walls come together to yield a serene reading nook that offers unparalleled tranquility for avid readers. The muted, cool-toned color palette is enlivened by contrasting brass hardware, a golden rattan Roman shade and a brushed brass cocktail table ideal for parking your evening tea. Matte black sconces illuminate the bench from either side of the window, and a pile of plush pillows adds pattern and balance to the bench below.