Landing turned Reading Nook

I will be the first to admit that my current apartment is one of the most unique I've lived in so far. That could be because it's a townhouse.

It's technically 3 stories. The first floor is just the garage and front door, the 2nd floor is the common areas, the third floor is the private areas. It's 1100+ s.f. divided in the most unique way, but I won't get into that. I'll cut them a little slack since it was built in like 2001 or something.

Before I officially moved in, I was trying to decide where my desk would go. (Not sure why I was so concerned because I have worked from the sofa for 5 years, don't judge me). The leasing agent said she had hers on the landing. I was thinking "Umm... what? No. That would be so crowded. I'd scoot back in my chair and fall down the stairs."

But lo and behold! When we got in and the first landing was HUGE. For an apartment at least.

It's bigger than the half bath on the first floor and seems bigger than the master walk-in closet. I honestly could've put my desk there, but no HVAC reaches that area so the temperature would be whatever temperature is outside. Plus, I don't like having my back to open space.

Since that landing is basically my foyer, I had plans to add a console table or cabinet, a table lamp, wall decor, and a few ottomans. Well, the console table never worked out because, as much as I love beautiful furniture/decor, I don't like spending money. Also, I always like to consider ease of movability (is that word?), because, you know, military.

I'm not sure how it all came to be, but my landing became more of a waiting room/reading nook.

I bought some foldable shelves from At Home so that it could still be like a foyer landing station, but also house some other decor accents. I used the only floor lamp I had since I wasn't going to have a console table to set one on. Then I added a chair from Pier 1 with a little laptop table from Homegoods. And of course some prints (by moi!) for added height. Those were the last additions (after months of not finding anything I liked) and they made all the difference.

What I love about my "new room" is that it isn't overcrowded and fills the space. It's got a little floating leaf method to it, don't you think? And if/when we move, I'll be able to break all of this stuff up and use everything individually in separate rooms if I need to.

So there you have it! A plain landing, now turned reading nook/waiting room/faux foyer! You can always transform even the smallest spaces into a useful room!

-Nicole