It's easy to completely forget the staircase landings in your house, but the truth is that this type of space is an opportunity to make your Milwaukee home stand out above any of the others in the neighborhood. Rather than leaving the landing of your steps without decor, there are so many ways to make this part of your home really special. Even if you don't have a lot of space to work with, adding furniture, artwork or something unexpected will go a long way in terms of making the space appear more interesting. 

One popular use for a staircase landing is to turn it into a reading nook. This can be done by adding comfortable seating in the form of armchairs or a window seat, depending on how much space you have available. You can then add in a book shelf and lamp to help make the spot useful for reading. Depending on how often you use it, add blankets and throw pillows to make the spot more comfortable. Some people even want to bring in a shelf or end table where they can rest a drink.

The idea is to make your landing's reading nook into a comfortable space where you can spend time, so don't hesitate to incorporate anything that will make it a more appealing spot to spend time. Contribute to the coziness of the area at the top of your steps by incorporating warm window treatments into your design scheme. Layering a patterned fabric with a nice sheer is a nice way to make this spot particularly inviting, as is placing a small area rug on the floor.

But during the summer, the sun coming in through the window on your landing can make the spot humid and hot.  If this happens, your cozy reading nook might go unused for the whole season. Rather than allowing this nice detail of your house to be forgotten for a large part of the year, do what you can to keep it cool: opening the window can let in a nice breeze, which can easily turn this from an undesirable hot spot to a favorite place to lounge on a sunny day. When you're not curled up with a book, thermal insulating blinds can help to keep it comfortable. This way, you can use science to your advantage and make this part of your home is the ideal temperature for much of the year.

Window treatments like the Duette from Hunter Douglas will enable you to block out the sun on a hot day, and will help to hold in heat during those notorious Milwaukee winters. This can help to make your staircase landing into a favorite destination no matter what's happening with the weather outside.

If you want to learn more about how to turn the landings on your staircase into cozy reading nooks, come to Bazaar Home Decorating today. Our friendly experts will help you to make your house just the way you want it.