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I tackled this simple DIY reading nook in less than a weekend’s time! Keep reading for all the details.
We live in a cape, which traditionally has very little storage space and some weirdly shaped rooms. And while storage space comes at a premium in our home, one of the “closets” in my daughter’s room was just not worthy of its title.
The door that used to conceal this space was lost long ago, and I didn’t have the budget for a custom one. So: what to do with a dead space that did not serve its intended purpose? Obviously transform it in to the coolest little reading nook for my book obsessed toddler!
Let’s get crafty
My oldest daughter is 2, so I wanted to make the space something she could change with her interests. The closet itself is… a little wacky. The back wall is less than 4 ft high and none of the walls are straight. My best solution was to cover the entire space in a patterned wallpaper to conceal the multiple flaws and add some whimsy at the same time.
I went with this cute wallpaper because the pattern made it feel like she could be reading under the stars. It’s a peel and stick paper which is ideal in case she decides to change it later on.
Oh my stars
This paper ended up being better that I could have hoped for! The print was very forgiving which gave me the wiggle room I needed to follow these wild walls.
Because this project took place inside my daughter’s room, I could only do it while she was awake. Not easy when all she wants to do is see what I’m doing and unintentionally stick herself to the wallpaper. I persevered though, and got it done in 3 one hour chunks of time.
To add pizzazz/light to the nook, I found this set of sconces and installed one on the side wall. I didn’t have any hard wiring to get to the fixture, so I mounted it to the wall and used a little ingenuity to rig up a puck light in the socket. I also found this really gorgeous alternative light which is actually not hardwired and comes with puck lights!
Let’s Get Cozy
Now that the general *vibe* of the nook was set, it was time for the fun part. Since the starry wallpaper was all over, it gave the effect of laying under the stars so I ran with that. I found this precious plush campfire play set and immediately added to cart. I also wanted to live out my personal dream of having a room full of pillows and blankets, so I found a floor pillow (spoiler: its a dog bed) at Homegoods and some faux fur rugs to layer in there.
The space was maxed out on cozy elements, so I wanted to add a few final touches to make it complete. I bought some digital art from Etsy (moon print, cool kids cave) and hung them with the Night Sky print I had made using velcro to keep them secure.
The Final Touches
My daughter loves to sneak away and look at her books in the nook I created for her! It all came together in a few hour long chunks of time and some creative decor elements to bring the space together.
Honestly, I wish I had a space like this to escape reality for a little while, too. And if she wants to shift the feel of the nook to suit new interests, it can all be changed.
Did this inspire you to make a DIY reading nook for your kids to escape to? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
