Over the summer we started work on a little room update for the five year old. The NLM made some fitted shelves for one of the alcoves in her room, we put up some hooks on her wall and moved the bed into the middle of the room. We also did some major decluttering.
But the room still lacked something. Although we have a reading nook on the landing at the top of the stairs, Frog has been keen ever since I can remember to have her very own “story corner”. Moving her bed away from the wall created the perfect space in the corner of the room to create Frog’s wish.
If you’re looking to create your own story corner then one or two bean bags should be top of your list, along with some scatter cushions. Frog absolutely loves to snuggle into her bean bag, or lounge on her little wicker chair. It’s all well and good making the reading corner pretty, but if it’s not comfy then what’s the point?!
To break up all the white space and give this corner of the room its own identity I used these lovely alphabet decals from the Mamas and Papas Patternology range. I’ve had my eye on them for ages, because the retro colour palette really fits in with the rest of Frog’s vintage-inspired room.
We re-purposed trusty IKEA spice racks as book shelves. These were left over from our landing reading nook. I love them because they let you store kids’ books face out, making them easy to find. We painted these ones white to blend into the wall, but I love them in the untreated too, as we have on the landing.
We also added a rug from John Lewis which used to be in our living room in our old house but no longer fits our current living room look. It’s been in the loft, waiting for a new home and works really well in this corner of the room. It helps ramp up the cosy as well as anchoring the space to make it feel like its own zone in the corner of the room.
This space also gives us somewhere cosy to read the bedtime story in, which is comfy for both mum and dad (it means her 6ft 5″ dad no longer has to squeeze into her bed or perch uncomfortably on the edge of it to read her bedtime story).
It’s a resounding thumbs from Frog, who is pretty chuffed with her new story corner. Now we just need to make the rainbow headboard that she’s requested for her bed and her room is done (for now at least!).
For more information about how I work with brands check out my Work With Me page.
Pin it for later!
Oh it looks great! I remember having a bean bag cosy corner as a child and I loved it. I must have spent hours curled up devouring stories 🙂
Thanks Carie! I too loved a bean bag. I might have to make my own story corner in our bedroom once we get around to redecorating!
What a great idea. I may have to copy it!
OOh great IKEA hack I love book shelves and I think having a dedicated cosy reading space for kids is such a great idea! x
Those wall decals are great and I love how much your little one is cosying up to read in her special corner! I’m inspired!! x
I absolutely love those wall decals. I mean, the whole corner is brilliant but that’s the detail that really caught my eye. I feel like giving our reading corner a little makeover now.
We have a story chair, and when we move house, I’m going to create a proper reading nook somewhere. I love those wall decals!
LOVE this Molly – am especially a fan of the decal. I’ve been hunting down one for E and H’s room and this looks perfect!
I really love the alphabet decal! Good old IKEA spice racks, I wonder if anyone actually uses them as spice racks rather than for books? x
Awww lovely Molly. I half attempted this in our playroom, but as usual it’s a work in progress.
Nothing is ever finished in our house! As soon as we get to the end of one project I have ten more to get started on. Exhausting!