With #BookNook (1.2billion+ views) and #BookTok (309billion+ views) dominating TikTok, the global reading revival is showing no signs of slowing down, and it’s reshaping how Australians design their homes.
Online furniture and homewares retailer Temple & Webster, reveal how to ride the rising wave of reading culture at home by creating your own viral-worthy book nooks, from immersive genre-inspired spaces to kid-friendly setups.
With strong customer demand for pieces that support this trend, Temple & Webster is seeing a significant rise in reading-related product searches. Between January to June this year, “reading chairs” and “swivel armchairs” increased 99% year on year and 185% year on year with searches for “kids bookcases” also increasing 114% and “beanbags” by 122%.
On a global scale, according to Pinterest’s Summer 2025 Trends Report, searches for “book club retreat ideas” have skyrocketed by 265%, while “book retreats” are up 103%, reflecting a return to slower, simpler pleasures.
Highlighting the need for spaces that encourage immersion and calm, Monash University found that Australians aspire to read more but struggle with distractions and motivation.
Temple & Webster stylist, Katie Turner, said: “In line with the reading trend, people are increasingly considering how to create spaces that are cosy and conducive to reading.
“A reading nook needs to be both functional and atmospheric. Having a space that is calm, cosy and feels like a retreat from the rest of the house, is going to significantly impact your ability to unwind. I like an extra-wide armchair, an ottoman to put my feet up, and layering lamps for a cosy vibe.
Reading nooks are becoming personal sanctuaries, so it’s important to choose a style of armchair, bookcase or lamp that fits the mood you are trying to create.”
Katie adds that bookcases are becoming a focal point in interior styling: “They take up a lot of visual space, so your book collection ends up being just as impactful as your art or décor. We’re seeing people styling them to reflect personality and mood.”
Taking the trend one step further, Katie has seen a rise in genre-based styling. “The popular #BookTok genres are very stylistic ones, meaning they have strong accompanying aesthetics which a reader can engage with outside of the book.”
How to style, according to your book of choice:
- For the classic literature reader, there is the ‘dark academia’ style that’s influenced by old libraries and universities. Think dark forest greens, dramatic lighting, and timber tones.
- For the romantasy (romance-fantasy) reader, they can recreate the drama by swathing their space in deep reds, velvet textures and dark timbers.
- For non-fiction, go for refined minimalism with carefully curated art and ceramic vases. These spaces tend to be monochromatic and cool, with touches of midcentury vintage thrown in.
From window seats and stair cutouts, to repurposed corners of living rooms or studies, Temple & Webster is seeing reading nooks emerge across Australian homes. Small but powerful spaces designed to pause, reflect, and get lost in a story as Australians seek ways to unplug and reconnect, and transform everyday spaces into places of escape.
