Barbara Hill's Dancehall/House in Marfa, Texas September 14, 2010 Misty Keasle

Have your children help you go through their book collections and pick out what books they haven't read yet. If you are able to safely leave your home, you can coordinate curbside dropoff book exchanges with friends.

Large screens on the second story windows are a low-tech way to protect the interior from the sun's blistering rays, but still allow natural light to flow inside. In the family room, Melissa reclines on a Togo sofa by Ligne Roset with a favorite book in hand.

On one side of the house, a white central staircase leads to a split-level landing the Robertsons call "the reading room." "We needed a place to hang out and for the kids to read," explains owner Vivi Nguyen-Robertson. Awaiting the birth of the couple's son, she relaxes in a built-in reading nook in the library.

Read something. If you already watched Contagion, try out some pandemic-related reading—Severance by Ling Ma, or Pale Horse Pale Rider by Katherine Anne Porter. Or, read the Social Distancing Manifesto. Find out what the heck “Cottagecore” means. Hint: it’s as quaint as it sounds. Create an Instagram account for your pet. If ever there was a time to post and share infinity pictures of your cute (or ugly) dog doing cute things, this is it. Dream about travel. Dive into Dwell Travel stories to plan that next trip, for when this whole thing finally settles down.

The Trues host parties in the glass-walled structure, located steps from their vacation home, or they escape to it to catch some rays and read a book. Bill reclines on cushions hidden under the reclaimed-fir floorboards that are propped up with Sugatsune hinges.

Our kids are our future—teach them to be conscientious and kind to Mother Earth with these sweet, informative children’s books.

The culmination of the collaboration was the design’s simplicity: a single neutral, durable, versatile volume that can easily host a changing collection of hobbies, art, furniture, and guests.

Maja and Asa hang out in the guestroom, which also doubles as storage space with an entire wall of closets along one end.

A cozy reading nook fits underneath the stairs, saving floor space in the 1690-square-foot home.

The four children divide themselves among three Blu Dot–furnished bedrooms and two bathrooms located off the second-floor hallway.

Amy requested a quiet, sunny reading nook with a view; In Situ obliged with a built-in bench housing her collection of books.

The interior of the Murphy bed compartment is lined with a stained cork panel and contains a smaller shelving unit for bedside reading, alarm clock, and reading lamp.

A reading nook, furnished with corner casement windows, welcomes an unexpected guest.

Reel Simple For a simple, low-cost bedside reading light with a dash of industrial style, Bernier ran a standard-issue cord set through a vintage clothesline pulley, which he picked up at a flea market, on Thibault’s side of the bed. “If she ever wants it to be higher, she can easily adjust it,” he says.

Architect Philip Johnson, renowned for the four-sided view from his iconic Glass House, could be called an aural architect. The house’s approach is a gravel path that crunches loudly underfoot, announcing arrival. The house is tightly sealed, as silent as a church. And it is then, because of the perfect absence of sound, that the glass walls spring to life, like huge cinema screens, animated with outdoor images. Photo by Nora Feller/Corbis

Reading Club 2000 in Manila, Philippines-Reading Club 2000 began when Hernando Guanlao—known to friends and neighbors as Nanie—sought out a way to honor the memory of his parents, who instilled in him the love for reading. He set old textbooks of his own outside his Manila home to see if others would be interested in borrowing them. They were. 12 years later, Nanie's library now contains somewhere around 2,500 books (he doesn't know the exact count), and he even runs a "book bike" service, where he delivers reading material to the poorest communities in Manila. Photo: Ms. Ma. Patricia Nabong

Enticed by the bookstand’s offerings, one reader picks and chooses, casually using the awning as a sunshade. Photo courtesy of Ruetemple Architectural Studio.

The day-lit corner of the living room creates a nice nook for reading.

DIY Furniture 2, a follow-up to DIY Furniture, showcases how to make unique designer furniture using readily available materials commonly found at the local hardware store. Picture courtesy of Laurence King Publishing.

Neither the master bedroom (where Courtney reposes on the bed) nor Teague’s bedroom has a door, making the small space upstairs feel more open and continuous.

The projects in Stuart's DIY Furniture 2 range from novice to experienced and each design features diagrams with short, easy-to-follow instructions on how to build the piece. Picture courtesy of Laurence King Publishing.

The floor of the studio’s upper level curves upwards, enveloping occupants in a calming reading room. The ceiling of the reading room was gilded in gold-leaf to provide warm reflections and augment the sense of space. Natural light shines in from skylights along the studio’s front and rear edges.

Workstead wall-mounted lamps illuminate a photo from Cloud Series by Matthew Williams. The bench is by Hugh Acton.

Leen's reading area.

A quiet reading area sits on the second floor landing, where the home’s existing wood floors remain intact. Previously, that nook housed a closet, so views to the outdoors were obstructed. Michael felt it was important to have a continued connection to the yard when moving throughout the house, so he created a scheme to bring natural light inside and a view to the outside from the second floor.

Contemporary Mid-Century Modern furnishings complete the Master Suite

How to See: A Guide to Reading Our Manmade Environment by George Nelson (Little, Brown and Company, 1979). Although George Nelson is best known for his modern designs, his writing was equally innovative.

The loft is open and bright, and serves multiple purposes.

A can of Reading Brewing Co.'s light beer from Philadelphia dating to the 1970s.

A little set of stairs leads to a reading nook in Alex's room. The stairs contain hidden storage.

And only six easy steps are necessary, the last one reading: "Sit back and enjoy."

Friends gather under the shelter of the recycled-wood canopy for a reading of Yoon’s work.

Even the reading light was worth writing home about—and of course fit the color palette.

Rytis Mikulionis relaxes on a sectional sofa of his design, below a monumental Bul reading lamp by Ligne Roset. He gazes at the winter haze streaming through a grand picture window, the flat’s only source of natural light.