Playroom Reading Nook: Part 4 [The light]

Oh my goodness! Who would’ve EVER guessed I’d still be working on and posting about this reading nook? I mean…the bookshelves, the “I <3 TO READ” wall, the bench + cushion….what could possibly be left to do?

Normal answer? Nothing.

My answer? Something was missing.

The previous state of the reading nook…

I couldn’t exactly put a finger on what that something was, I just knew it didn’t feel finished. Nothing really ever is around here, though. I love to create spaces and I love to decorate and allow them to evolve. We spend a lot of time in our home and we have a lot of visitors. Its just sort of my thing to continue to spruce it up. You can call it a hobby…a sickness… or plain crazy. But I love it, so I do it.

To back up a bit. This playroom was our dining room when we first moved in. I was 7 months pregnant with our firstborn, Henry and I was so excited to have a real dining room! I mean, adult dinner parties, an adult serving buffet, adult place settings – What more could you want?!

It sounded great, but it just wasn’t practical for our new life with a child. We were rarely entertaining dinner guests AND by the time he turned one, his toy collection and ability to create a tornado zone were growing rapidly. We couldn’t keep up with the mess and overflow of kid “things, so we turned the dining room (just off of the family room) into a playroom.
I had a few ideas and creating the reading nook was at the top of the list. It took some time, but I finally got it to where I thought it was complete.

Fast forward approximately a year and a half later to today. Henry and now our youngest, spend sooo much time in the playroom – morning, noon and night. One issue I always had with this room was the lighting.
It only has 2 can lights. In the entire room. Both on the same side of the room. leaving 80% of the room dark. Whoever built the house clearly didn’t worry about being able to see if they weren’t standing against the wall!

After casually suggesting (multiple times) that we hire an electrician to do some work, I was vetoed. Ted didn’t think we needed more lights and he definitely didn’t think we needed to purchase a brand new kid-ish chandelier for the center of the room, either. I guess a girl can dream.
So, when I stumbled upon this black and copper light at IKEA, I knew it already had a home – right in the reading nook.
Not only was it a cost-effective option, the shade was $25 & the cord was $8, but it solved our lighting issue, we could hang it ourselves and it looks pretty great, too.
Problem solved.
It is a swag light, so it hangs from a hook and then the cord swoops over to the corner, where we installed another ceiling hook and then it runs down the corner and plugs into an outlet behind the bench.
The tiny downfall is that you do have to plug in and unplug the light from the outlet to turn it on and off, but I really liked the black and white cord option. IKEA has others that have a step or push button to be able to leave it plugged in at all times and hit the button to operate it. Since the outlet we use is behind the bench, I determined my little guys wouldn’t be able to get their little mits on the cord or outlet, so we went that route and just have it laying on the ground when its not plugged into the wall.
What do you think?
I know I’m in love with it so far and I think these 2 are pretty happy to be able to read at nighttime, too. win win!
instagram post I shared the night we put the light up
and one from IG…doesn’t the copper look dreamy at night? and the reflection on the wall?!
Oh and have I ever professed my love for throw pillows? I scored this new geometric one at Target for 10 bucks and it found its way to the bench. They rotate regularly, but this one fits so well here!
This is my first post of the month of November and can I just say, I have so many super fun things planned for the last 2 months of the year! I will have my normal house projects going on, of course, but as you’ve probably noticed, the holidays are already in full swing. I won’t start firing away with Christmas photos just yet, but they aren’t too far out! I’ve teamed up with some fabulous bloggers for the holidays and promise to bring you lots and lots of holiday inspiration and cheer! Stay tuned!

See you soon!

Linking up at:

DIY Inspired Link Party