Better Homes & Gardens Black Metal and Rattan
Floor Lamp
Wanda June Home Forest Floral Area Rug
Better Homes & Gardens Ceramic Tabletop Frame
Alden Design Wingback
Accent Chair
In Partnership with
PHOTOGRAPHY BY YOSHIHIRO MAKINO
WORDS BY JAMIE LENORE MCKILLOP
STYLING BY KATE BERRY
Creative Chloe Fleury’s cozy nook paints family story time in vivid color.
rainbow
reading
Paper artist and illustrator Chloe Fleury’s Los Angeles home is a color-drenched playground for her three kids—Lula, Anouk, and Zadig—to romp around. But, after a long day spent sprinting up and down the bold blue stairs or running through the magenta-splashed hallway, it’s time—as many a parent has uttered—to take things “down a notch.” One of Fleury’s favorite ways to do this? A good book and some cuddles in a spot designated for just that. With the help of a few Walmart finds, she crafted a reading zone in a corner of her girls’ bedroom that combines comfort and joy-inducing color; think candy-hued side tables, roomy chairs, and huggable throw pillows.
“I have a huge collection of children’s books,” Fleury says. “Most of which, oddly enough, I collected in art school long before I had kids.” These days, she gets to put them to use regularly. (Hawkeyed parents will appreciate her French art books mixed in with hot titles like I Want a Dog.) “I love reading to them all together and seeing them bond over the stories,” she says. “It’s such a special moment.”
An enthusiastic accessories collector, Fleury is always bringing home things like ceramics from her travels, but she’s learned the hard way that super- delicate vignettes and kids don’t mix too well. A more durable—but just as striking—accent? “I love lamps,” she says. “It’s usually the first thing I purchase for a house.” Some stand up to little ones better than others. “I’ve had to start choosing floor lamps—like this black metal and rattan one— instead of table lamps, because my kids like to build forts and knock them over.” Their soft glow keeps the energy calm, secretly prepping the
girls for “lights out.”
For an optimal cuddle puddle, Fleury also advises incorporating a soft rug—she mixed in this patchwork and floral one from Walmart’s collaboration with Miranda Lambert—for energetic kiddos. “One of my daughters moves a lot,” she says. “I make sure she has a place to lay on her belly while she reads.” Bonus: The floor covering designates where the reading nook begins and ends in the open room.
“Big, comfy chairs are a must for a reading nook,” Fleury explains. “I can fit more of us on at once.” Walmart’s high-back style with perfectly placed armrests and fuzzy sherpa passes the test with flying colors. Plus, the neutral upholstery balances out the room’s color-blocked walls. “I wanted more of a calming and comforting space,” she shares.
She also recommends adding nesting side tables to provide multiple resting places for bookmarked stories to be opened again the next night. If one makes a bubblegum pink statement too, all the better.
shop the story
clear the air
lay the groundwork
seat cute
$156
$65
$8.97
$110.00
Convenience Concepts Palm Beach Spindle Table
Elsmere 81'' Upholstered Sleeper Sofa
Queer Eye Round End Tables
Better Homes & Gardens Unscented Pillar Candles
Wanda June Home Forest Floral Area Rug
Better Homes & Gardens Black Metal and Rattan Floor Lamp
Qualls Throw Pillow
Nabil Geometric Leather Throw Pillow
Qualls Throw Pillow
Nabil Geometric Leather Throw Pillow
Qualls Throw Pillow
Nabil Geometric Leather Throw Pillow
Qualls Throw Pillow
Nabil Geometric Leather Throw Pillow
Qualls Throw Pillow
Nabil Geometric Leather Throw Pillow