It appears the fight is slowly fizzling out of spring and summer is beginning to settle in, which, despite me being a massive homebody, somehow makes me want to be outside all the time. I have a small patio that’s a bit of a pain, and one of the things I’d like to do when I have the money is create a bit of a lounging space for summer nights (summer days are dangerously hot over here, let’s not even) to read and chat and have supper. I’ve put together some of my favorite looks from Pinterest, and found pieces you can use to get the vibe.

sources: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4

get the comfort: antilles daybed (omg gimme) / sunbed + coffee table / dining sets / outdoor fireplace / outdoor rug / floor lamp

And here’s an idea of what to wear during those lovely relaxing times:

maxi dresses / sunglasses / swimsuit / backpack / hat / shorts
sundress / shell top / espadrilles [find more offers for New Look]

This post is a PR collaboration.

Where do you like to hang out in the summer heat?

the chairs: baltic sea fitted chair (5) / linea riva armchair (2) / stoned linen slate gray
the side tables: aldo side table (6) / sauder edge water collection (1) / zuo modern zeon (find discounts for Kohls here!)

+ a nice pillow (10)

I’ve been looking for a laundry basket to serve as a side table since I got a tub chair for my room. I need both of those things, and I only have space for one, so I’m trying to find something that does both jobs at once, or two separate things that can be stacked together.

I’m not fussy about the laundry basket part; as long as I can haul it around and it doesn’t look like a garbage can, I’ll deal. I’m a little bit more preoccupied with the sturdiness of whatever surface I end up using as a table, because this is what I want it for:

1. Wine glasses (3). This is the main thing, really. Coffee mugs, too, and iced coffee glasses and tea cups occasionally, but it’s the wine glasses that really worry me. As I’ve got my tub chair set up now, the handiest place to put a glass is a shelf next to it, and I have to twist my arm to get the glass. It’s frankly shocking to me none of my glasses has yet ended up in bits all over my poor cat’s scratcher. I want a place I can reach without breaking my wrist… and maybe a place where it looks good for Instagram photos. What?

+ coasters, preferably in the shape of a kitty (9)

2. My phone. Duh. As my phone is a flat horizontal object, I usually leave it on my desk chair. It’s not terrible, but the thing keeps sliding off and hitting the floor because I have the focus and hand-eye coordination of a newborn child. I’ve always thought about getting myself a pretty case with my photography, but I think the most genuinely useful thing I could do is get a protective case (8) instead. So far the phone is holding up, bless its heart, but I’ve seen one too many cracked screens on public transport to leave my phone’s well-being up to chance.

3. Notebooks, pens. Notebooks are easily stacked; pens are easily provoked into rolling straight to the ground. I have a veritable collection of Minted notebooks from a giveaway win and a previous collaboration with them; the example on the board (4) is the design I picked for my blank white page sketchbook. In addition to that one, I always keep handy a pseudo bullet journal, my blog notebook, and my planner.

4. Speakers. My current ideal, or aesthetic guideline, is this Fastnet folding portable speaker (7) from Ted Baker. It’s compact, wireless, and lovely to look at, and I think my cat would play well with it — I may actually have mentioned this particular model before because I’m obsessed with it.

My cat is obviously a consideration in everything I do or acquire, but he’s generally well-behaved around technology. He has however knocked my speakers off the shelf by the door — his shelf, really — several times this year by getting caught up in the cables, so a wireless speaker on a bookcase shelf or a small side table should about get rid of that pesky risk.

5. Mobility. For it to serve my tub chair it would have to be in the middle of the room or blocking some drawers I use, so it needs to be something I can move over to the side of my bed as a nightstand of sorts at night, and whenever I want to plug something in.

Does this cover your reading nook needs? What makes the perfect relaxing corner for you?

Disclosure: This post is a PR collaboration.