A Look at Reading Nooks

Brooklyn architect Tim Seggerman designed and built what he calls a “crafted jewel box”. Utilizing the petite space in his New York apartment Seggerman creates an enveloping cabin of blond woods.

The reading corner can be turned into an extra bed. Schonning designed the leather poufs himself, and made the cushions from an Ikea carpet. Under the concrete slab there is room for wood, books and newspapers. Photo by Per Magnus Persson.

Raymond takes a break on the master bedroom’s interior balcony, which is cantilevered over the dining area.

A dim Toronto Tudor gets an airy new look. The home’s second-story hallway, which serves as an open office and library, was suffering from a severe lack of light. Lifting up one side of the old pitched roof made room for a linear skylight, which faces south to allow in as many rays as possible, and the modification transformed the top floor into a loftlike double-height space. Inexpensive detailing then added texture and scale: Simple plywood panels attached to cold-rolled-steel frames serve as guards along the stairs.