The problem with nooks is that they can be real clutter-magnets, but they can also be such gems in a home. If you are lucky enough to have an out-of-the-way spot to call your own, don’t waste the chance to turn it into a beautiful nook you’ll enjoy every day.
Beautiful Nook 1- Magic Portal
Nooks are odd little spaces that you need to think differently about because furniture is often the smallest part of the design. In a recent design project, I got to doll up three spaces that are no longer clutter magnets. They are now attention magnets! In this before shot, vintage shutters stole the view, drew your eye down, and made this space seem small.
In reality, this 9+ foot ceiling gave us something to shoot for. I wanted to call attention to the beautiful architectural detail, which you just can’t see when everything is the same color.
A small space like this can often be the perfect place to pack a punch. There isn’t much wall to paint, so rich blue contrasts with metallic paint on the ceiling, which gives the whole space a little shimmer. I’ve shown you before how metallic paint can accent your design in this home office design.
The final effect is to draw your eye all the way down the hall and up to admire this stunning glass teardrop chandelier. This baby has over 240 glass teardrops to install, but it was so worth it.
A simple metallic valence with crystal fringe helps draw the eye up without competing with the lighting.
The doors on either side are built-in closets that used to sometimes get barricaded with bedding on the floor. It’s like a magic portal, and you wouldn’t dare clutter up a magic portal, right?
Beautiful Nook 2: Stealthy Stair Pattern Play
Just a few steps from this first nook lies a second nook under the stairs. This spot has been storage for luggage, furniture, and odds and ends of all kinds over the years. Do you have a way station like this for things intended to go up and down the stairs?
Cleaned up with new flooring, barely-there blue paint, and chic lighting, it’s a lovely nook, but not yet a destination.
We considered adding adding pattern or color to the walls, but these walls curve down the entire hallway without any edges, and we wanted to really concentrate on making this area special. Installing giant poppy wallpaper on the slope of the stairs really sets it off. We’re still hunting for the perfect accent furniture for this little nook. Stay tuned.
Beautiful Nook 3: Relax and Read
Bay windows are always a feature, but with too much furniture and accessories, even large features like this can get a little lost.
This room redesign included paint, new curtains and rods, but most of all, carving out a sweet nook to relax and read in front of those gorgeous, warm windows. You can see the other side of the room, where the bed ended up, here.
In all of these three areas, the dear homeowner tells me they have no problem staying organized. She feels it would be a crime to clutter up these beautiful nooks.
Bonus Nook
One of my favorite nooks of all time was in my own home. It’s not your usual nook. For a time, our back hallway served as a secret reading nook for my pre-schoolers. I can’t believe that was ten years ago! It’s now a messy paint studio for my teen, probably the hardest working three feet in the house.
Think outside the box. Your house probably doesn’t have an arched hallway closet nook or a sweeping stairway, but you can position furniture to create these small, protected spaces, or recapture a corner behind a door or at the end of a hallway. Just three or four feet can become something special.
With nooks this beautiful, you won’t want to waste them covered in boxes, luggage, laundry piles, or any other clutter. If you got ’em, flaunt ’em! I hope I’ve inspired you to feature the smallest space in your home.
