How to set up a cozy coloring corner at home

The best place to color is the one that is already set up. If you have to clear the table, hunt for a sharpener and find a pad before you can start, most evenings you simply won't. A small, permanent coloring spot removes all of that. You sit down, the page is there, and you begin.

You do not need a spare room or a big budget. A corner of the living room, the end of a desk or a window seat is plenty. Below are seven steps to build a nook like this, what to put in it, and how to make room for a phone or tablet if you like coloring on a screen as well as on paper.

Step by step: build your corner in an afternoon

1. Pick the spot. Look for a place that is a little out of the way, not on the main path through the room. A corner next to a window is ideal in the day. In the evening, a spot near a plug for a lamp matters more.
2. Choose the seat. Sit in it for ten minutes before you decide. Your feet should rest flat and your arms should reach the table without lifting your shoulders. A firm chair with a cushion often works better than a soft sofa that makes you hunch.
3. Set the surface height. A desk, a small side table or a lap tray all work. The page should sit a little below your elbows. If it is too low, add a clipboard or a book underneath to tilt it toward you.
4. Sort the light. Daylight from the side is best for seeing true colors. After dark, use a lamp with a warm white bulb and point it at the page, not at your eyes. Put it on the opposite side to your drawing hand so your hand does not cast a shadow.
5. Gather supplies into one container. A tray, a basket or a shoebox. Everything you color with lives in it, and nothing else does.
6. Add one or two soft things. A blanket over the chair, a cushion, a small plant. Stop there. Too many objects make a small space feel busy.
7. Do a test session. Color for half an hour. Anything you had to get up for, move into reach.

What to keep in reach (and what to leave out)

A short list beats a big collection. Here is a kit that covers almost every kind of coloring page:

• Colored pencils in a set you like. They layer well, make little mess and are easy to control on small shapes.
• A sharpener with a lid so shavings stay inside it.
• A few felt-tip markers for bold areas. Keep caps on and store them flat.
• One pad or a folder of printed pages, plus a clipboard or a board to lean on.
• A small cup to stand pencils in while you work.
• Wipes or a cloth if children use the corner too.

Leave out anything you do not use every week. Glitter pens, paint and clay are great, but they are better kept in a separate box you bring out for special sessions. If you are not sure which shades to start with, our guide to pastel color palettes is a gentle place to begin.

Making room for a tablet or phone

Many people now color on paper some days and on a screen on others. A corner can welcome both with a few small changes.

• A stand. A simple tablet stand or a folded case lets you tilt the screen like a drawing board instead of looking down at a flat device.
• A charging spot. Run one cable to the corner so the device is ready when you sit down. Tuck the cable behind the furniture so nobody trips.
• Sound that fits the room. If your app has sounds, decide whether they belong in your corner. Headphones keep them for you; a low volume shares them with the room.
• Quiet notifications. Turn on Do Not Disturb before you start so messages wait until you are done.

In Colour Cozy, for example, the home screen shows today's picture and a free picture pack, so there is always something ready when you sit down. A sound button sits at the top of the home screen, so you can switch the ASMR sounds on or off to suit the room. There are no timers, which suits a corner meant for taking your time. You trace the lines with your finger first, then color by number or freely, and pinch zoom helps with the tiny parts.

If you are curious why the sounds of coloring feel so pleasant, read what ASMR coloring is.

Keeping the corner tidy without effort

A coloring spot only stays cozy if it is easy to reset. The trick is to make tidying smaller than coloring.

1. Give everything a home. Pencils in the cup, markers in the tray, pages in the folder. If something has no home, it ends up on the table.
2. Use a one-minute reset. When you finish, put the lid on the sharpener, stand the pencils up and close the folder. Nothing more.
3. Clear out once a month. Bin the dried markers, sharpen the short pencils, and move finished pages to a keepsake folder or onto the wall.
4. Show your favorites. A clip line or a small board above the corner turns finished pages into decoration and makes the spot feel like yours.

A shared corner for the whole family

If several people will use the space, a few small rules keep it calm for everyone.

• A table with more than one side. A small round or square table lets two or three people color at once without bumping elbows.
• One container per person, or one shared tray with sections, so nobody's favorite pencil goes missing.
• A shelf at child height so younger kids can get their own pages and put them back.
• A shared page. A big printed picture that everyone adds to over a week is a lovely thing to leave out on the table.

For more ideas that work across ages, see our list of family coloring activities.

Making the corner part of your day

The corner works best when it has a time as well as a place. Pick one moment that already happens every day, like after dinner or with your first cup of tea on a Sunday, and sit there for twenty minutes. The same chair, light and blanket each time make it easy to settle in.

If you want a full plan for the evening, our cozy evening coloring routine walks through it step by step, from making a drink to putting the pencils away. You can find more slow pastimes in cozy hobbies to try at home.