Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Better Homes & Gardens at Walmart. All opinions are my own and always will be! Thanks for supporting the content that keeps Jojotastic going.
I’m so excited to share my first makeover of 2021 with you today! I have a huge reveal coming for the rest of our main, open living space, but I am way too impatient to hold off on sharing at least SOME of the cabin’s new look. In an afternoon, I was able to revamp this awkward loft area at the top of our stairs — while also creating a reading nook to help bring one of my 2021 goals to life. I’m a big reader, so creating a library of sorts is the perfect way to dive into that love even more! Plus, almost everything came from the Better Homes & Gardens collection exclusively at Walmart, so it was an affordable makeover to pull off.
Before & After: Turning Our Awkward Landing into a Cozy Reading Nook
The Before
Before we dig into the details of the makeover, here is the listing photo of the space. It seems like the previous owner used it as a home office, but since we have 3 extra bedrooms now (!!!!), I don’t need to do that. Similar to the rest of the cabin, it was a dated shade of mustardy yellow with gross old carpet. To be honest, this nook stumped me for a while… I didn’t know what to do with it! After some brainstorming and time on Pinterest, I realized it would make an excellent home library that would foster my love of reading even more.
We removed the carpet, painted (more on that to come!), and did some deep cleaning to refresh the overall space. And here’s how it turned out…
Storage
I’d say the biggest update to this space is how much storage we’ve added thanks to this cubed shelf. The Better Homes & Gardens collection at Walmart has tons of configurations and finishes for this type of storage, making it easy to get exactly what you need. For this space, I went with a shelf that has 12 cubes… and then literally filled it with books!
Cozy Textiles
You know me, I am ALWAYS all about texture and textiles. I started with this neutral shaggy rug — it is such a good basic piece that can work in so many different spaces (and a great price). When we removed the carpet, we discovered plywood. We’re not 100% sure what we want to do with the flooring, so I covered the entire space with a shaggy rug and I love that it is instantly transformed.
Next, I layered on a couple of floor pillows and dec pillows so it felt even more comfortable and cozy. The pairing of terra cotta and lavender is giving me LIFE right now. Seriously though, I am strangely in love with this mauve-y lavender velvet pillow. For someone who is decidedly anti-purple, I’m surprising even myself!
Pattern Mixing & Matching
This makeover is definitely a preview of the rest of the decor plan for the cabin — especially mixed prints! Plaid is a key component to any Pacific Northwest cabin in my opinion, so I ran with it. The Better Homes & Gardens collection has so many awesome plaid pillows, too! I wanted this area to be fairly neutral so that the focus is on the books more than anything.
The key to successfully mixing prints and patterns is to have a cohesive color palette. Choose your main color and choose prints that have tones of that. Then, make sure to switch up the scale of the prints. That way prints that are more sparse will read as solids and create contrast with the busier patterns. Plus, add in a few actual solid pillows like these velvet beauties to break things up and give the eye a place to rest.
Decorative Accents & Finishing Touches
And lastly, I styled the top of the shelf with a few decorative pieces like this tap-touch lamp. It gives off the perfect amount of glow for the reading nook. It gives off the perfect amount of glow for the reading nook. Then I added a few smaller things: my favorite candle (it’s less than $10 and smells so good), a jar of sweets, and a few vintage knick knacks.
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I am soooo glad to finally have a place to sit and peruse books — especially the coffee table books I use for off-line inspiration. And since we have room to grow, I can get back to thrifting more to add to my collection! What do you think of this mini library nook? If you have an awkward space like this in your home, definitely consider making it a reading nook… especially a cozy one!
