Cozy Reading Nooks for Winter Nights

Brrr, it’s cold out there! Time to create inviting little corners where you can curl up with a good book or linger over a warm drink on these chilly December evenings. With just a few thoughtful touches, you can bring a sense of hygge into your home and transform winter nights into moments of comfort and calm.

What Makes a Great Reading Nook?

To find out what makes a cozy reading nook (“hyggekrog” in Danish), head to your local library and see where your feet take you. When you’ve found a seat that feels right, think about what sets it apart from the other seats. Where is it? What’s the lighting like? What’s around you?

Unless you have singular taste, it’s unlikely that you’ve picked a chair in the middle of the room under bright lights. Instead, you’ve probably chosen an outward-facing corner, dimly lit but not too dark, shielded by internal “walls” of books. If your library has different types of chairs, you’ve probably picked something big, comfortable, and textured. These are all elements you’ll want to recreate when designing your own reading nook.

Getting Into Position

In interior design and architecture, the term “isovist” describes the sightlines from a given point in a room. Well-designed rooms will have a mixture of areas with more isovist (i.e. high visibility) and less isovist, i.e. hidden corners. It’s this latter state you want to achieve with your reading nook.

In all cases, however, designers insist that you never position chairs with their back to the door. Our need to be aware of who (or what) has entered the room goes back to prehistoric times, when awareness of your surroundings was a life-and-death matter. The best place for a reading nook, therefore, is in the corner but facing outward. Make it cozier—while avoiding obscuring the door entirely—by surrounding the chair with tall plants and shelves.

Hygge Chairs for Reading In

Denmark has a long legacy of wonderful chairs, any of which would make an excellent reading chair. Arne Jacobsen’s Egg Chair; Kaare Klint’s Safari Chair; Hans Wegner’s Wing Chair; all are true Danish classics which, if you’re prepared to splash the cash, will support a lifetime of happy reading.

However, your reading chair need not be Danish—nor, indeed, does it need to be an armchair. If you’re the sort that prefers to sprawl while reading, a sofa (or even a daybed) makes a great spot. If that’s your preference, choose a sofa with high arms for that cozy corner feel. If you’re the sort who prefers to lie back rather than lengthways, choose one with a deep seat.

Whether you’re buying a chair or a sofa, go with natural materials for the upholstery—leather or European linen are both great choices. This applies to the fill too—but with caveats. Feather and down-filled cushions are currently popular for their cloud-like softness, but they lose their shape and can look messy over time. A good compromise is a feather cushion with a solid foam core: softness and structure in one.

Color-wise, keep it neutral. A chair or sofa is a big investment, so you don’t want to have to replace it when your tastes change. Choose a neutral and you can always jazz it up with colorful throw cushions and blankets. Some chairs also have removable upholstery that you can switch out.

Colors and Textures

Now, it’s time to dress things up—but not too much. When it comes to throw cushions, Scandinavians are typically one-or-none, so keep things simple. The most important thing is getting the chair right; after that, cushions are there for aesthetics or for making minor adjustments to your comfort, such as providing extra support in the lumbar area.

With a limited number of cushions, you’ll want to make a statement. The plant-and-animal patterns of Swedish designer Josef Frank are perennially popular, as are the colorful checks of Finnish designer Johanna Gullichsen.

It’s not just about colors and patterns, though. Natural textures such as chunky wool knits, animal hides, vintage leathers, and crinkled linen are all ways to express your personality, whether on a cushion or on a throw.

A Hygge Bed

Though a hyggekrog typically refers to a seat, it can also refer to a bed—as long as you follow the general rules above. Your bed should give you a feeling of comfort and safety, whether that’s with a high, padded headboard or even a canopy. And of course, you should be facing toward the door.

Since Scandinavians typically don’t use cushions on the bed, your choice of bedding becomes even more important. The Modern Dane’s tactile, soft linen bedding is not only cozy—it’s the ideal style statement. Choose from printed designs inspired by Danish nature, or from solid-color Scandinavian-design bedding in neutrals or rich, nature-inspired tones.

Many people don’t think of durable linen bedding as a winter fabric, but it’s actually ideal for the cooler months. The same porosity that allows hot air to pass through in summer will trap warmth in winter, keeping you snug and cozy all winter long.

The Best Types of Reading Light

Unlike ambient diffuse lighting, reading lights need to direct light to a point so that you can focus on what you’re reading. For this reason, the light needs to be quite strong. To stop it from flooding the rest of the room with light, make sure it has a nice shade on it. Reading lights are more functional than atmospheric, so you’ll typically pair it with a larger diffuse light to complete the look.

The Most Hygge Books

Hygge books can be Nordic Noir—but if that’s not your thing, there are lots of other cozy Nordic classics you can try. Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove is a heartwarming read about the value of community; The Summer Book and A Winter Book by Tove Jansson bring Finland to life, but in a subtle, hygge sort of way. The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared (Jonas Jonasson) is as the title says: a madcap caper that’s perfect for cold hygge nights.

Music To Read To

Finally, your hygge reading deserves some hygge music. Danish singer and pianist Agnes Obel is a perennial favourite; also try Folkesange by Myrkur and anything by Wardruna or Olafur Arnalds.

Do you have a hyggekrog at home? How do you make it as cozy as possible? Let us know on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, or Twitter!