Lounge in an Alcove: 14 Nooks for Napping & Relaxing

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Who could be blamed for lounging around reading all day when you’ve got a cozy built-in nook surrounded by books or overlooking a scenic landscape? These nooks, niches, window seats and bunks create tiny sheltered spaces within larger rooms, sometimes stacking enough sleeping spots for eight people onto a single wall.

La Refuge by H2O Architects

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H2O Architects created an entire apartment full of nooks called ‘La Refuge’ in Menuires, France, embedding multiple levels of twin beds, reading areas and storage space into an oversized wooden cabinet that curves along the wall of the room.

Seating at Raheen Library by Woods Bagot

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Architecture firm Woods Bagot inserts cozy reading spaces right into the bookshelves at Raheen Library on the campus of Australian Catholic University in Melbourne.

Space-Age Sleeping Nook by Van Staeyen Interior Architects

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Inspired by an Alpine chalet but looking more like something you’d find in a spaceship, this clever bedroom by Van Staeyen Architects fits a partially-hidden bed, closets, a fold-down table and other amenities into a wall-mounted cabinet system in a tiny space.

Pull-Out Reading Lounge

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An elegant curving chaise pulls right out of a bookshelf with the Recamier Reading Corner by Inbar Paradny Kalomidi, and can be tucked back in when you’re done reading.

Teeny-Tiny Reading Nook in a NYC Apartment

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A 240-square-foot apartment in New York City gets a more spacious, organized feel with a wooden built-in that adds tons of storage, countertops, a loft and even a tiny ‘library’ nook next to the bed.