A NORU guide

How to create a reading corner

Shop the reading corner

(Guide)A good reading corner needs three things: a chair that holds you for hours, not ten minutes; a light placed slightly behind your shoulder, so the page is bright and the bulb stays out of sight; and a surface within reach for a cup or the next book. Everything else is detail.

In brief

  • Choose the chair for the way you read: low and reclined for long novels, upright with arms for reading with a coffee or a pencil.
  • Put the lamp slightly behind your shoulder, on the side opposite your writing hand, with the bottom of the shade at about shoulder height.
  • Aim for 450–800 lumens on the page and a warm light of around 2,700–3,000 K.
  • Add a second, softer light so the page is not the only bright thing in the room.
  • Keep a small surface within arm's reach, and put the corner beside a window rather than facing it.

1. Start with the chair

The chair decides how long you will stay. There are two ways to read, and each wants a different seat. A reclined chair that sits low suits long stretches with a novel, when you sink in and forget the time. An upright chair with arms suits reading at the pace of a coffee, a newspaper, or a pencil in the margin.

The Bonet BKF®, designed in 1938, is the first kind: a single leather or canvas sling on a steel frame that cradles the body. Cubica (1955) and Orma (2023) are the second: firmer, with armrests for a cup or an elbow. All three are made by hand in Barcelona, and their vegetable-tanned leather darkens and softens with use, which is exactly what a reading chair should do.
Bonet BKF® in natural leather in a room

Bonet BKF®

Antoni Bonet, Juan Kurchan, and Jorge Ferrari-Hardoy, 1938

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Cubica armchair in natural leather in a living room

Cubica

Antoni Bonet, 1955

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Orma armchair in natural leather

Orma

André Ricard, 2023

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2. Light the page, not your eyes

Most reading corners fail on the lamp. The usual advice from lighting guides is consistent: place the lamp slightly behind your shoulder, on the side opposite the hand you write with, so neither your head nor your hand casts a shadow on the page. Keep the bulb out of your line of sight, and set the bottom of the shade at about shoulder or eye height when you are seated.

A floor lamp with an adjustable shade makes this easy. The TMM, designed by Miguel Milá in 1961, stands 166 cm high and its parchment shade slides up and down the stem, so you can set it to your chair rather than the other way round. It comes with an 11 W LED of 1,521 lumens at 2,700 K, comfortably inside the 450–800 lumens on the page that guides recommend for reading, and the pull cord falls within reach of the chair.
TMM floor lamp in black oak beside a leather armchair and bookshelves

TMM

Miguel Milá, 1961

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A hand adjusting the height of the TMM shade

A shade that moves

Slide it to shoulder height

See TMM finishes

3. Add a second, softer light

A single bright pool in a dark room makes the eye work between the page and the shadows around it. A second, gentler source fills the corner and softens that contrast. It does not need to be strong: its job is atmosphere, not reading.

Cesta works on the floor beside the chair or on a low table, and its hand dimmer lets you turn it down to a glow as the evening goes on. Cestita, at 36 cm high, fits on a shelf or a windowsill, where its opal globe lights the books as much as the room.
Cesta lamp on the floor beside a lounge chair by a window

Cesta

Miguel Milá, 1962

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Cestita lamp on a windowsill next to a row of books

Cestita

Miguel Milá

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4. Keep a surface within reach

A cup, a pair of glasses, the book you will start next: a reading corner needs somewhere to put them without getting up. The surface should sit beside the arm of the chair, and low chairs need low tables.

Delta, designed by Jordi Vilanova in 1964, is a 32 cm block of solid pine built from intersecting planes. It is low enough to sit beside a BKF, sturdy enough to stand on, and when the corner is empty it works as a plinth for a plant or a small pile of books.
Delta used as a side table beside a chair

Delta

Jordi Vilanova, 1964

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5. Choose the spot

The best corner is usually beside a window, with daylight falling from the side rather than from behind the page or straight into your eyes. Keep it away from the routes people walk through the room, and put something at your back—a wall, a bookcase, a curtain—so the chair feels sheltered. A reading corner does not need a room of its own. It needs a chair that faces the right way.

Everything in this guide

TMM floor lamp by Miguel Milá for Santa & Cole in natural oak with a white parchment shade

TMM Floor Lamp

TMM Floor Lamp
From €878,00

Key facts

Bonet BKF® Antoni Bonet, Juan Kurchan, and Jorge Ferrari-Hardoy, 1938. Leather or cotton canvas sling on a 12 mm steel rod frame. W 79 × H 92 × D 67 cm.
Cubica Antoni Bonet, 1955. Solid ash, brass fittings, and vegetable-tanned leather. W 61 × H 70 × D 60 cm.
Orma André Ricard, 2023. 3 mm vegetable-tanned leather cover on a solid stainless steel frame. W 56.5 × H 76 × D 64.5 cm.
TMM Miguel Milá, 1961. Solid wood floor lamp, 166 cm high, sliding parchment shade, 11 W LED, 1,521 lm, 2,700 K.
Cesta Miguel Milá, 1962. Cherry wood and opal glass, 57 cm high, for floor or table, with hand dimmer.
Cestita Miguel Milá. Cherry wood with an opal globe, 36 cm high, 3.4 W LED, 470 lm.
Delta Jordi Vilanova, 1964. Solid pine, 32 × 32 × 32 cm. Side table, stool, or plinth.

 

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Frequently asked questions
What do you need for a reading corner?

A comfortable chair, a reading lamp placed slightly behind your shoulder, and a small surface within reach. A second, softer light and a spot beside a window make the corner more pleasant to use for long periods.
What is the best chair for reading?

It depends on how you read. A low, reclined chair such as the Bonet BKF® suits long sessions with a novel. An upright chair with armrests, such as Cubica or Orma, suits shorter sessions, reading at a table height, or making notes.
Where should a reading lamp go?

Slightly behind your shoulder, on the side opposite your writing hand, with the bottom of the shade at about shoulder or eye height when seated. This keeps the bulb out of sight and stops your head or hand from shading the page.
How bright should a reading lamp be?

Lighting guides generally recommend around 450–800 lumens on the page, in a warm light of about 2,700–3,000 K for evening reading. The TMM floor lamp comes with an 11 W LED of 1,521 lumens at 2,700 K.
Can you create a reading corner in a small room?

Yes. A reading corner needs about the footprint of one armchair and a small side table. Choose a compact chair, a floor lamp with a slim base, and a side table that can double as a stool or a plinth, such as Delta.