6 Ways to Set Up a Cozy Home Library You’ll Actually Use + Cherish
Inside: How to set up a cozy home library you’ll love to be in. It doesn’t matter if your home is small or you’re on a tight budget.
Do you have a formal living room with china dolls and uncomfortable furniture? A sunroom with lots of plants and nothing to actually, um… do in there?
Well, creating a reading nook at home is one of the best ways to turn a pointless space into something you’ll love. But there’s more to it than throwing up some bookshelves and calling it a day. Do this right, and it will be one of the best things that make your house feel like a home.

1. Make It a Place of Refuge
If you think about the table you always like at a restaurant, it is a cozy booth with a view of the room. Or….picture a window seat, with a person sitting with their back against the wall and their head looking out the window.
Why am I talking about this in an article about libraries? Because they illustrate two very important design principles. Prospect (looking out into open space) and refuge (feeling safe and contained, without your back exposed). They both feel good to the human mind in a way we can’t always explain.

This space should combine these principles as well, but it is mostly a place of refuge, and designing it should reflect that. It should be a place that feels cozy and secure.
It will never be right if you try to put your reading nook in a grand two-story entryway with a spiral staircase and shiny marble floor. Never.
2. Create a Dedicated Room or at Least a Dedicated Space
I am not saying that everyone needs a room that is nothing but a library. (I certainly don’t have one!). But be careful making things multipurpose.
Combining a home office and library might seem like it should work, but it doesn’t.
Why? Because working from home and relaxing with a good book are two very different things; combining them into one room means those two functions will fight each other.
If you don’t have a separate room you can use (such as an unused formal living room), then the best candidates are rooms that are relaxing spaces, such as a sunroom.
If you don’t have any extra rooms, the best choice for your book collection is your main living space. Ours lives in a corner of the family room, our only living space, and it works perfectly fine.
3. Use Practical Shelving, Not Display Shelves
Some spaces say, “Curl up and get comfortable,” and some say, “Sit up straight and don’t touch anything.” If you want this to be a place for use and not for show, make sure that your shelves are accessible.

Children’s books should be kept low so they can be removed and put away. Favorite books should be at eye level so that when you look at the shelves, you see books you actually want to sit down and read. Anything precious should be very high, so you don’t have to worry about mishaps.
Don’t overly style your shelves or arrange them so that people feel they are just for decoration.
If you have floor-to-ceiling shelving, realize the top shelves are useless without a library ladder. So either invest in one or keep them for display only.
4. Cozy Lighting
Light is a big factor in making a room inviting. Natural light can really change the feel of a room during the day. But if you don’t have much natural light, that can work just fine in a home library. Warm-colored light bulbs in your light fixtures can make the room feel cozy. (No fluorescents please!)
In a space like this that serves a specific function, make sure you have lighting for that task. Each chair should have a floor lamp or table lamp that a reader can personally adjust. There should also be ambient light to light up the whole room.
If you have a generous budget, it is nice to have lights illuminating the shelves and any special artwork in the room. Always remember that you want pools of light, not perfectly even lighting that makes you feel like you are in a warehouse.
5. Comfortable Seating Is a Must
If you are going to curl up and read a well-loved novel, you need a comfortable chair to do it in. Remember that people like to read in their own chair, not a sofa, and not share it with someone. Chairs should be physically comfortable, but they also need to be emotionally comfortable. Yes, this is a thing!

You’ll remember the idea of “refuge.” For a chair to have that sense of refuge, the seat should have a view of the door so the reader does not feel like someone could sneak up on them. Obviously, not every seat in the room can have a direct view of the door. But remember that having your back to an entrance point is psychologically uncomfortable, and do your best.
6. Home Libraries Need A Focal Point
Every room benefits from a focal point, especially a home library since much time is spent relaxing. If your room has a natural focal point, such as a fireplace or a nice view, orient your seating around that. Of course, this can often conflict with not wanting chairs to have their backs to the door.
There will often be one best seat in the room, and in a quiet room like this, that’s okay, as it is usually a space used by one person at a time.

If you don’t have a natural focal point, you will either want to invest in a piece of high-quality artwork with a cozy picture (this is, of course, very personal) or spend some time styling your library shelving.
I know, I said not to do this, but you can do it without being crazy. Just group books together and mix personal items such as small pictures, vases, or trip souvenirs. Just remember that books are there for reading, and you want them displayed in a way that invites a person to pick one up.
If You Want to Explore Home Design and Psychology Beyond the Library:
- You will love the now out-of-print but still relevant book A Pattern Language, which is all about why certain spaces feel good to humans.
- For more on the ideas of prospect and refuge and other interesting and practical building advice, you will like Designing Your Perfect House, an unfortunately generic name for a very good book.
- Years ago, I wrote about how home decorating and psychology intertwine. It’s been ready by nearly twelve people.
- And I continue to write about coziness in your home regularly.
Of course, true book lovers will have a home that reflects that in many spaces. Besides a central room, you’ll have hallways and bedrooms with personal library collections.
But committing to turning a room into a library changes the feel and heart of a home and sends a message to the family. It lets them know that the home is a place for everyone to feel comfortable and that reading is valued.
I hope these ideas have inspired you to set up a space, no matter how small, to feel comfortable with a book and some peace.

By Katie Shaw
Katie lives in Virginia with her husband, three daughters, a chocolate lab, and over thirty chickens. She loves creating simple tutorials for sourdough, bread, and soap. Her recipes, articles, and YouTube videos reach millions of people per year.