Why the space beside a fireplace is worth claiming

Every period home has one: the awkward strip of wall next to the chimney breast, too narrow for a sofa, too wide to ignore. In winter it is the warmest spot in the house. In summer it sits in quiet shadow while the rest of the room bakes. Most of us fill it with a log basket and a stack of newspapers and think no more about it, yet it is arguably the finest reading position in any British house — close enough to the hearth to feel the benefit of a fire, far enough away to avoid a scorched sleeve.

The trick is to treat it as a small room within a room. A reading nook needs only three things: somewhere good to sit, somewhere to rest a cup, and light you can direct exactly where you want it. Get those three right and an unused corner becomes the place everyone in the household quietly competes for after nine o'clock.

Choosing the chair that suits the corner

This is the decision that matters most, so resist buying in a hurry. A deep armchair with a high back and supportive arms will cradle you for an hour without complaint; a low-slung designer piece may look wonderful and leave your shoulders aching by chapter two. Sit in the chair for at least ten minutes before committing, ideally with a book in hand, and check that the seat depth lets your feet rest flat on the floor. If your legs dangle, you will fidget; if the seat is too shallow, you will slide forward.

Measure the gap properly before you shop. Allow around 75cm of clear space in front of the chair for legs and a footstool, and remember that a wing chair opposite a chimney breast often fits better than a wide club chair because the wings keep draughts off your neck — a genuine consideration in older properties with open flues.

• Wing or high-back armchair: best for draughty period rooms and long sessions.
• Swivel or reclining chair: useful if the nook doubles as a spot to face the fire or the window.
• Footstool: optional but transformative; choose one that tucks under the chair when not in use.
• Throw or blanket: a wool or lambswool throw stored in a basket keeps the nook usable from October to April.

The side table: small, sturdy and the right height

A nook lives or dies by its side table. It should sit roughly level with the chair arm — usually 60 to 65cm from the floor — so you can reach a mug without stretching or twisting. Anything lower and you will spill tea down your front; anything higher and you will knock your elbow on it every time you turn a page.

Round tables work well in tight corners because they have no sharp edges to catch a shin, but a small rectangular table with a lower shelf gives you somewhere to stack the books you are actually reading rather than the ones you mean to read. Look for solid timber over veneer if the table will sit close to a fire, since heat and dryness have a habit of lifting thin veneers over a few seasons.

On the table itself, keep it honest: a coaster, a mug, a pair of reading glasses, and perhaps a small dish for the inevitable bits and pieces. Clutter around a reading chair is not cosy, it is simply clutter with a nostalgic reputation.

Layering light without fighting the fire

Firelight is beautiful and useless for reading. It flickers, it shifts, and it is far dimmer than you think. The answer is an adjustable lamp — an anglepoise-style task lamp or a floor lamp with a pivoting head — positioned over your shoulder rather than in front of you, so the light falls on the page and not in your eyes.

A warm-white bulb of around 2700K and 400 to 600 lumens is ample for a book. If the lamp has a dimmer, so much the better: you can turn it down once the fire is established and let the room settle into a gentler mood. Place the lamp on the side table if there is room, or use a slim floor lamp behind the chair to keep the table free.

• Angle the shade so the beam lands on the page, not across the room.
• Keep the bulb below eye level when you are seated to reduce glare.
• Add a second, dimmer source — a small table lamp on the opposite side — to soften shadows.
• Fit a shade in linen or pleated cotton; bare bulbs and high-gloss shades feel clinical beside an open fire.

Warmth, draughts and the realities of an open fire

An open fire draws air from the room, and that air has to come from somewhere — usually under a door or down a hallway. Sitting close to the hearth can therefore mean a cold ankle and a warm face. A fireguard helps, and so does a rug with a bit of weight to it, laid to cover the gap between the chair and the hearth.

Keep combustible soft furnishings at least a metre from the fire itself, and never drape a throw over a chair back that sits within that zone. If you have a woodburning stove rather than an open grate, the radiant heat is more directional, so the nook can sit slightly closer and to one side.

Finishing touches that make it a place of your own

The last ten per cent is what turns a corner into a retreat. A small shelf or a wall-mounted bookcase at arm's reach saves you getting up mid-chapter. A framed print at eye level gives you something to look at when you pause. A clock you can read without your glasses is a quiet luxury on a Sunday afternoon.

Choose colours that flatter firelight: deep greens, ink blues, claret, oatmeal and warm stone all sit well against brick, slate and oak. Keep the floor beside the chair clear of trailing cables, and put a small basket under the table for the blanket so it is always to hand. Do that, and the corner you once ignored becomes the calmest square metre in the house.