How to Create A Perfect Cosy Reading Corner?

In our chaotic lives, a responsibility-free afternoon or even five minutes is a luxury. But if we dedicate spaces in our homes to peaceful activities, such as reading a novel, working through a stack of magazines or even putting on a mud mask and meditating, they can serve as reminders to slow down and find time for self-care amid hectic schedules.

Q1: What is a reading corner

1. Peace, Comfort, Moderate Lighting

▽Reading corner should provide a peaceful spot.

Contrary to popular belief, listening to music while reading is subjective. The topic has already been scientifically proven.

The correct answer is one cannot experience in-depth reading and listen to music at the same time as music deprives one of focus.

On the contrary, skim reading is different. It is done when one is required to read briefly and to only look at important points. It is a different reading skill that of which sparks creative inspirations, hence, listening to music is definitely an option.

If so… would readers listening to wordless music or even foreign songs overcome the focus deprivation that was mentioned earlier? That’s incorrect.

Despite this many readers believe that listening to songs or music do not affect them. These readers with strong self-control possess the ability to shut off surrounding noises and completely immerse themselves into reading, even ignoring the background music.

▽A reading corner also comes with moderate lighting.

The three visual components: brightness, colour, and movement.

Sunlight has a spectrum of colours to form the white light we all know. This natural lighting is comforting to most of us, but this matter is restricted to a certain level of brightness. It is common for us to assume that the sun never stops "working", subsequently eliminating the worries of artificial light flickering. In order to achieve the best reading light from natural lighting, is to filter out the excessive brightness with the use of gauze.

The second and third on the list are LED and Florescence which are categorized as artificial lights.

The features of LED include: no strobing effects as seen in AC light bulbs, no UV radiation; high brightness level; and may even vary in smaller sizes compared to traditional. LED however, also has the following disadvantages: no national legislation for standards of use; unstable product market; immoral manufacturers making sub-par quality without considering the errors and faults and even charging more than what it is actually worth. So, it is highly advised to be careful and thoughtful during selection. Most of these lights do provide a range of adjustable brightness, come with 3 different colours, shapes, and form. This selection has its merits.

In conclusion, no matter what lightings you decide to use, please ensure that you purchase the product from a proper/ legitimate source. If not, they may not fulfil the features mentioned above. As always, please be advised to be careful with your eyes and to avoid extreme brightness. It is also advisable to use multiple moderate light source in one space rather than a single strong light source.

▽A reading corner should be comfortable.

When it comes to comfort, people normally discuss the topics of ergonomics. It shows how much people value living ergonomically. It is a way of improvement. But these are general ideas that applies to the majority, not specifically to an individual like you.

That is the reason why we bring forth these ideas, and explore the creation of a reading corner with careful thoughts and a check list.

▽The softness of seat ware

No matter where you sit and read, such as armchairs, mats, or couch, these supporting tools must have a certain degree of hardness and softness. A Seat too soft, will sink too much, thus backrest will not support most of our back, and therefore applying pressure to one's abdominal area.

The ideal seat is to have the backrest softer than the seat and for the lower backrest to be firmer than its upper part which needs to be soft.

A sofa on the other hand, provides great comfort when immersed in. Regardless of its shape changing, it is rather slow, giving users the instant effect being of gently held, relaxing all part of the muscle. But this comfort is only temporary, once the stuffing flattens to its limit, your muscles will work to sustain the position, re-enter their active state, and soon cause fatigue. That is why sofas that are too soft are not a good idea for reading in long periods.

▽Seat angle

When reading, seating furnitures must fulfil the basic function of providing comfort, minimising fatigue and improving one's reading quality. When we think of comfort, a seatwares comes into mind.

The seats must recline at certain angle from the joint, this function utilizes the body weight to shift itself onto the lower backrest, relieving pressure Hip ischium. Moreover, with the change in posture, the recline angle of the seat and backrest are also related. The bigger the angle between the inclined back and reclined of the seats, the better quality of rest. Of course, this is not without disadvantages. This quality of rest may result your "reading time” into "sleeping time".

▽ Seat depth

Seat depth is also a complicated subject. But simply speaking, seat depth can be determined by the length of the sides, the longer it is, the deeper it means. This is apparent when comparing A sofa to a regular char. This problem can be easily solved by using pillows to adjust the depth.

▽ Armrest

Armrests can reduce fatigue of the shoulders, back and upper limb muscles, and obtain an effective rest. However, the height of the armrest must be appropriate. If the armrest is too high or too low, and the shoulders cannot naturally sag.

The reason why armrest is not overly puffy, is due to the minimal pressure of the arms. when people wish to get up, they may grip onto armrest for support, be for more considerate of armrest when shopping for seats.

▽ Convenient and Instant

A reading corner and book shelf does not have too much in common. But this “unnecessary” thing may be deemed by many as more than necessary. A storage unit in the area of application makes things so much convenient and instant. That is how these two should coexist. But they may also come into conflict. Such as a sunny area should not be kept a book shelve, yet this condition is suitable for a reading corner. at the end of the day, this decision comes down to how your personal perception. -is it to sacrifice such convenience, or have the bookshelf endure the season.

For a smaller size accommodation, this maybe straight forward. Conserving space will maintain mobility, a convenience in a higher level.

What do you think? These questions should only answer by you.

Q2：Two Different Reading Corner

A: complete set method reading corner = lamps with comfortable light source + seats + cushions or blankets to adjust seats + footrests to increase comfort + tables and stools for short-term support of books or cups + adjacent bookshelves + you need but not necessary All products.

B: “Less is more” method reading corner = comfortable light source lamp + seat + adjust cushion or blanket.

Q3: Recommended Seats

Type one: single seated sofa

In reading areas, single sofas and chairs both have similar functions. In some cases, Recliner, single seated sofa and an arm chair are not precisely differentiated. But for this sake, we need to recognise that a single seated sofa is normally bigger and heavier than an arm chair, the visual appearance in terms of space is very different as well. Additionally, a single sofa offers the user a more stable support, and a robust feel.

When a sofa is the main component of a reading area, it is most likely to be fixed in its place for a long term. Afterall most sofas are more difficult to move compared to chairs. Product designers have designed sofas to be lower than the conventional chairs to offer its users a safer feel.

Type Two: Rattan chair

Fur rug and rattan chair are two friends that complement one another, within a moment they create a natural style. If you love nature, and own some decorations that somewhat mimics nature, then this combination is more than just suitable. 

The unstable feeling that a rattan chair may give off not only comes from the physical contact, but also the appearance. In this case a robust table may compensate that feeling.

Additionally, in a humid environment, if rattan furnitures are not used regularly, it is best to clean them with 5% salt water to prevent molding.

Type Three: Rugs and sofas

In the simplification of the reading corner, what should be "simplified" is the sense of form, not the comfort. An area dedicated to sofa and floor rug may fully succeed in doing so.

In addition, this area can be a sensitive topic to larger houses.  The sofa and carpet material used may determine the overall tone. Choosing a carpet with single texture and fewer prints may be more suitable for reading.

Type Four: Bay windows

As mentioned as to how sofa creates a reading corner, utilization should be considered the most. The structural built of the bay window gives a more stable feel. In theory, we do not recommend that you create a bay window in order to create a reading area, but the other way around. If you already have a bay window, or have determined the creation of a bay window, then defining its role as a reading area is not bad.