My cozy reading corner

As a bookworm extraordinaire, I have many "favorite" reading spots - they shift with the weather and the reading material. Right now, this is my favorite - in our living room, which has lots of shaded windows and so catches even the slightest breeze.

This room was the reason we took this apartment - it has the feeling of being inside a treehouse - a treehouse with a fireplace, that is! When we took this on, it required a great deal of work: the windows had not been cleaned in at least 20 years and had soot buildup (the landlord thought they were smoked glass!!), the prior tenant had not kept the fire doors cleaned or had the walls painted, and there were old paint drips and some scratches on the wide pine plank floors!

But now, after scrubbing and painting the walls a pale and soft buttery yellow, scrubbing 96 panes of glass (on 2 sides!!) and carefully painting all the trim a rich and creamy white, and finally gently scrubbing the floor and oiling it, we have a beautiful and (more importantly) comfortable living space. This is where we read, listen to music, watch television, and eat dinner by the fire. This is the room I snuggle in on sick days after I cannot bear another moment in bed.

Of course, when it is bitter cold outside, the toasty warm kitchen desk moves into prime position!