DIY Dormer Window Reading Nook for Kids

We have dormer windows on our second floor, and while they look super cute from the outside, the insides typically ended up looking like this:

Fancy, I know.

They aren't really large enough for most furniture, and the awkward placement of the heating vents meant that my initial dream of having window seats built in would have required re-routing a bunch of duct work. Which didn't seem worth it. So they just ended up being places where we put things that didn't have any other place to go.

See? Heating vent directly under the window. (And not centered. WHY IS IT NOT CENTERED?) Note to anyone building a house with dormer windows: don't put the heating vents there, or this space becomes even less usable than it already is by virtue of being a short, thin hallway leading nowhere.

Anyway, a few months ago, I suddenly had a great idea to turn them into little hangout spots for the kids, and then I had an even better idea to make them into reading nooks! I would have loved a spot like this as a kid, and it's also a great way to encourage my first grader to read!

I spent months assembling a bunch of stuff for the nooks (mostly from Ikea, Amazon and Sam's Club), and then a few days after Christmas, my mom watched the kids for a few hours while my husband Dan and I assembled everything. He was the power tools guy, and I was the design and wall decals woman. So without further ado... here are a ton of pictures!!

Ta da!!

They turned out every bit as wonderfully as I hoped, which is saying something, because I had really high hopes!

The bookshelves are Ikea photo ledges, and the curtains, lion and fairy pillows and giraffe lamps are from Ikea, too.

The unicorn and dinosaur chairs came from Sam's Club, and they're perfect because they allow room for the air from the poorly placed heating vents to come out underneath.

The wall decals and little circle rugs came from Amazon.

I sewed the Pokemon and mermaid blankets with fabric I found at Joann Fabrics.

Overall, the reading nooks have been very popular with our kiddos (our four-year-old has even camped out in hers a few times).

So there you have it. I'm super proud of these, and I love not looking at a random collection of items collecting in useless dormer windows anymore!

Have you found a good use for dormer window areas in your house? Do your kids have a special spot to read? Let me know in the comments!

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