Inspiring Small Spaces: Reading Nook “Before”

I might be a little unusual as a wife and homemaker in that I did NOT pick out our house with my husband.

Actually, when he bought our now-home, I thought it signaled the kiss of death for our relationship. After all, he bought a house on “the other side of the river” (and if you’re from Connecticut, you know what I mean!).

But, it turned out to be good, because the drive from his new house to me was so long, he decided it would be easier if we just got married and saw each other in the same house. Every day. For the rest of our lives. I’m mostly kidding.

So. Here I am, over eight years into a house I didn’t have input into purchasing… and I must say, hubby did a great job! We have an oversized Cape-style house we’ve been turning into a home for the past eight-plus years!

The BIG things came first

Kitchsy kitchen, 1970’s beige-bathroom, and the dungeon-of-a-study took priority.

Now that the large parts of our home have gotten attention, I’m looking to re-invent small spaces in our home. I already created a “coffee corner” in our kitchen. This fall, I created a playroom out of half the spare bedroom (sharing with you later).

Making our home a haven

I’m REALLY excited to partner with Raymour & Flanigan, a northeastern furniture destination, to bring you a mini series about reinventing small spaces. I’ll be working with them to create a cozy reading nook in a corner of our bedroom.

Raymour & Flanigan believes “Your home is your haven and a reflection of your life.” I agree… and yet small areas in our home were not reflecting that belief.

Every year, we promise, vow, plot and plan to get a new bedroom set to make our room into a haven. But every year, something comes up that needs doing (recently the roof. THE ROOF!! That’ll shred any decorator’s budget!).

Our small space – a bedroom reading nook

Our bedroom is the hand-me-down little sister of the house. All the bits and pieces of furniture (or baby items!) end up here.

We spend all morning in our room, getting the kids dressed and ready. Sometimes I spend the kids’ naptimes here, to avoid constant up and down stairs because they won’t settle. Then there’s bedtime stories… not to mention if the kids are sick… where do they end up? Our room, of course!

And yet, for all the time we spend here, our room isn’t a reflection of how we envision life.

I’m an English teacher and have a crazy love for books. I want our home to reflect our family’s love for reading, learning, and exploring the world.

I want a purposeful (and pretty!) spot for the family to gather. A place to snuggle, read, have deep, life-changing, dream-building conversations.

Here’s what our bedroom looks like now:

Serviceable, sure. But boxy, uncoordinated, and cluttered (and that was tidied up for the photo!). Certainly not a reflection of our vision on life!

How do you go about inspiring small spaces?

A small space can be a challenge in itself. And I have an additional challenge in a Cape house: the sloped ceiling wall along one side of the room. I have to watch we don’t bump our heads!

How do you redesign a small corner? Make it fit the rest of the room? Where do you start?

All my questions were answered when I visited the Raymour & Flanigan showroom. I worked with a design consultant there, sharing my vision for the space, my color preferences, and style focus. I even used their Interactive Planning Tool!

Inspiring small spaces!

I can’t wait to share my tips for inspiring small spaces in January, and then the final reveal of how the whole look came together! I’ve created a Pinterest board: Inspiring Small Spaces – I’d love for you to check it out.

Have you ever renovated a small corner? What space would spruce up if you could? What tips do you have for inspiring small spaces? 

This post is sponsored by Raymour & Flanigan – Furnishing your style! All opinions are my own.