Whenever new devices come out, there are hobbyists who will attempt to be the first to hack the device.  This doesn’t mean doing anything illegal but instead learning how the device works and seeing if one can get past any artificial limitations in the device.  It didn’t take long for a group to find out how to “open” the Nook making it a fully usable operating system.

The Nook has two microSD slots in it.  One is for external files that you might be bringing over from your computer.  The other is the operating system in this case, Android.  The Android operating system was artificially limited.  If one were to take out the microSD that Android is being stored on and change just one file inside of it, the entire operating system opens up.

Why does any of this matter?

The Android platform is an open platform since it’s based on open source code.  This means that a device like the Nook might be one that people will buy for the specific purpose of having an open device.  Some want to do more with their devices than just what is intended alone.  They want to be creative with them and have them run applications and functions beyond the mere artificial limitations that are placed on the device.

For some this will become a portable computer that can be used to run basic applications and connect to the internet.  Since the battery life lasts days as opposed to hours, it gives a significant advantage over netbooks and cell phones which can’t be turned on as long.

More than likely though, the cell phone connection will be limited else there will be too much bandwidth being used for free.  Something like a data plan could be in the works in the future giving users a way of surfing the internet on these type of devices.

Sometimes people choose to enhance their existing furniture arrangement with a classy piece of Amish made furniture; an ‘accent’ piece if you like. Such a piece of Amish furniture will be that which adds charm and definition to an area.

The Dining Room hutch: The Amish make a variety of hutches big and small that can store your china, or other objects d’art or mementos. As per your particular requirement, you can get yourself a one, two or multiple door hutch, with or without a glass frontage. Many dining room hutches offer features such as beveled glass on the doors, mirror backs and recess lighting. You can have a door or a drawer combination at the base of the hutch which increases dramatically, the storage capacity of this item of dining room furniture. You can choose from dining room hutches with glass shelves or wooden shelves, depending upon your preference. Many offer the option of an open shelf area that you can use for an additional serving surface for when you are entertaining.

Buffets: These are also sometimes called servers or side boards, and which usually consist to a flat top serving area with drawers and cabinets below for storage. You can have the option of dovetail drawers which are such a specialty of Amish made furniture and with full extension sides as well. Some buffets can be versatile enough to be able to double as a wine rack or a mini bar as well. Options for storing wines are present in the crisscross work below the serving area, with the facility for storing glassware at the top so that your long stemmed ware has a safe storage area.

Corner Cabinet: A corner cabinet could be an ideal addition to your dining room furniture or to your living room. While in the dining room it can offer a beautiful display and storage area for all your lovely silver ware and delicate china, in the living room the same corner cabinet could be used to display trophies, mementos, crystal ware, family heirlooms and other precious items of display.

Dining Nook: Sometimes the shape or area of the dining room or area may be such that a traditional dining table may not be the correct choice, and when a dining nook would fit in just perfectly. Typically a dining nook would have a bench like structure that fits into the corner of the room along two walls and would also have a table that is typically smaller than a regular dining table. Additionally a dining nook would have a couple of independent chairs or an additional bench that would make up a whole.

Wine Rack or Sideboard: Many sideboards are versatile enough to double as wine racks, with built in areas where you can store wines the way they should be stored. It is important that you store wine bottles horizontally so that the corks remain moist and won’t disintegrate due to dryness or brittleness when you coax out the cork with a corkscrew. These items of furniture offer space not only for your bottles, but also for delicate glass ware.

If you’re an old-fashioned lover of books in their purest form (paper), you may have shied away from ebook readers and the digital book revolution.  Still, it’s hard to beat the convenience of having a thousand titles at your fingertips, especially if you’re heading off on vacation and purse- or suitcase-space is limited.  Maybe it’s time to go with the flow and give the technology a chance!

If you’re ready to try an ebook reader, then you have several options.  Let’s take a look at the Amazon Kindle, the Barnes and Noble Nook, and the Sony Reader.

Amazon Kindle

The Kindle has been around for a while, and there are a couple of different versions at different price points for you to choose from.  The Kindle allows you to download books from the Amazon store, as well as magazines and newspapers, all wirelessly, meaning you don’t have to plug in and sync your ebook reader with your computer.

Most of the available ebooks are affordable as well (especially if you’re in the habit of purchasing those pricy hardbacks as soon as they come out) with bestsellers running about $9.99 and many older books available for less.  You can even find freebies you can download in the Amazon library.

The downside is that you can only purchase ebooks from the Amazon library, and the Kindle doesn’t yet support the new industry standard for ebooks (ePub).

Currently, the basic 6” screen Kindle costs $259, and the souped up Kindle DX (10” screen) runs $489.  The readers can hold 1,500 and 3,500 ebooks respectively.

Barnes and Noble Nook

A relatively new contender in the ebook reader marketplace, the Barnes and Noble Nook is associated with their store, but it also features ePub support (this means you can buy ebooks from other stores, too).  Like the Kindle, it allows you to download books wirelessly, and it has a unique feature that lets you share your downloads with other readers for up to two weeks. The Nook stores 1,500 ebooks.  

So far, reviews have been mixed, but it’s likely improvements will come with future models of this ebook reader.  The cost for their current reader is $259.

Sony Reader

With more than five years in the ebook reader business, Sony has some experience, and it shows with their intelligent and well-designed devices.  Their current offerings are the Pocket Reader ($180), the Touch Reader ($300), and the Sony Reader Daily Edition ($380).

Their readers support multiple file formats, including ePub and PDF, and they also allow access to all the free public domain titles in the Google Books library (lots of classics and older books available here).

If you hold out longer, the future will likely bring you even more options.  For example, Apple is rumored to be working on an ebook reader.  And, of course, there are other options out there from smaller manufacturers, so look around before you make your final decision!

E-Book readers are little devices that make a big impact on the way you read books. They are small enough to fit your pocket, and large enough to carry the whole library. Now, you can never get caught without your favorite book! You wanted to be the early Christmas shopper and treat yourself to a digital portable reading device. What has delayed the purchase is the fact that several e-book readers are vying both for your attention and for shelf-space. You need to stop and think, before you choose. 

E-book reader is not something which you should wait to buy at a whopping discount in a sale. You need to carefully peruse the features and pick the one that seems tailored for you. 

If you field the question, ‘Which is the best e-book reader in the market?’, the responses will be as varied as the number of similar devices to hit the shelves. The answer lies in your ability and desire to do some research. If you are not in a mood to do a comparative study on your own, read on, this can help.

Let’s do a run through the leaders of the pack: Kindle 2 and Kindle DX from Amazon, 
the Nook from Barnes and Noble and Sony’s Touch edition. 

If you will choose an e-book reader to fit your pocket literally and otherwise, then the lowest price is Kindle 2, priced at $259 and the one that comes closest to it is the Touch edition from Sony at $300. Next up is Nook at $349 and the Kindle DX walks tall at $489. 

The screen size is 6inches for all except the Kindle DX, which has a 9.7 inch screen. Having the largest display, the DX boasts of great resolution along with auto-rotate screen, changing from portrait to landscape as you rotate it. All of them have an E-ink display, giving it a paper-feel and making reading more natural than staring at a computer screen. 

If carrying a whole library or at least getting somewhere close to it, is you criterion, go for Kindle DX which stores a whopping 3500 E-Books. Standing at a moderate level are Kindle 2 and the Nook, with a capacity for 1500 e-books, which is not bad either. Sony’s Touch edition allows you space for 350 e-books. 

All three of them have wireless downloads except Sony Touch PRS-600. Since it has no wireless access, you need to download e-books through your computer. However the Touch edition comes with a stylus for jotting quick notes and has a built-in dictionary. It also has an extended battery life, cruising through 7500 page turns. 

One of the distinctive features that the Nook has is its ability to share books, in the same vein as lending books to friends. This feature however is not present in both Kindle 2 and DX or the Touch edition. 

It is not that there is just one product in the market which you buy, and then the scene is flooded with many more options and you get into buyer’s remorse. All of them are handy and equally portable, ready to travel with you, wherever you choose to go. Take some time out to pamper yourself with something you always wanted. What’s stopping you? Go and take your pick.

For those who have visited and loved Edinburgh, York can be best described as “the Edinburgh of the north”. With stunning buildings, a wonderfully winding and twisting old town and a history packed with excitement and adventure, York and Scotland’s capital have far more in common than just what meets the eye – though looks make for a convincing argument, too.

York rates highly for short breaks because it’s such a delight to visit. If you care about where you choose for your holiday rather than just the idea of going on holiday itself, York could be the place for you. You can spend days exploring its labyrinthine streets and finding something you never noticed before every time. The historic Shambles is packed full of delightful shops specialising on wares from beautiful medieval style weapons to the finest in homemade chocolates.

There are abounding markets stocked with various crafts and cookery, including clothing you’ll find nowhere else, breathtaking jewellery and brilliant toys, particularly puppets and ventriloquist style dummies set to get the imagination going.

The thing about York is there’s something for everyone. Capitalising on its ancient city persona, there are plenty of attractions around for the history-conscious, from the castle to the majestically Gothic York Minister and York Viking Centre. Every night, there are a choice of ghost walks that take you through the town and tell absorbing stories of York’s morbid and haunting past. For true fans of the unexplained, the story of the Roman soldiers walking at hip-height through the basement of an old house will thrill, while tales of a demon dog roaming the streets at night will strike fear into even the canniest of tourists.

Perhaps best of all about York is the locals. Friendly and fun, you’ll never be short of people to chat to on your travels. Pubs and bars are a great place to meet people, as well as to sample locally-brewed ale that tops the chart of many connoisseurs. Brewed in a variety of styles with many well-known brand names having worked their way to the top, York and Yorkshire ale is something that will stay in your memory for a long time after your trip to this gorgeous city, contained in ancient walls, is over.

There are plenty of reasons to go to York, which is why it’s a good idea to start planning what to include in your itinerary as soon as you can. And if you don’t know where to start then many of the York hotels should be able to offer further information on what to do with your time in York.

Planning successful events can be a daunting task. It involves making some major decisions that will largely determine your event’s results. You’ll also need to handle hundreds of details to be sure you meet your goals. These are the most important aspects of event planning. Take care of business here, and you’ll have a better event.

Start with Good Organization

Successful event planning doesn’t just happen – someone has invested a huge effort in pulling together a great facility, providing food and drinks, lining up entertainment, and making sure people get to the party. Coordinating each of these event planning elements involves careful attention to details and a lot of paperwork. Your first positive step toward successful event planning is to organize the paperwork, thereby organizing your event.

Use a binder to keep your notes and records. This way, you’ll know where things are and will be able to get to the quickly. It will make your planning materials portable. You can take the binder with you as you inspect potential locations, interview service providers, negotiate contracts, and order supplies.

With your paperwork organized by topic, you should review all of your plans for a specific need (for example, the food and drinks) to assure your approach is consistent with the goals for and theme of your event. Then develop a back-up plan that will help you meet any problems that should arise.

Example: you had lined up a facility, but just before signing the contract, the facility manager backed out. If you’re well organized, you can refer back to other facilities you considered to quickly find a replacement. Your notes will remind you of the pros and cons of your candidates and contain contact information, allowing you to pick up the negotiations quickly, without having to go through the details a second time. Maintaining an up-to-date, complete binder will help you stay on track and plan a successful event.

Use Contracts to Secure Goods and Services

Contracts are essential to assuring that vendors and service providers meet your expectations. Be sure that your agreements about details, pricing, and payments are captured in writing, signed by both parties, for your facility, your caterer, your speaker or entertainment, and your set-up and clean-up service. Contracts should contain detailed descriptions of what the vendor will provide, a timeline scheduling delivery dates, itemized pricing for components, terms and conditions for payment, and steps to be taken in case services do not meet your expectations. You may even want to include back-up agreements in case vendors are unable to meet their commitments timely. This gives them some flexibility in meeting your needs.

It is critically important to maintain positive, professional relationships with your providers. When they feel respected and trust that you will follow-through on your commitments to them, they’ll be more likely to go the extra mile for you. Take out your frustrations on your home exercise equipment, not the vendor. Once you’ve found a good provider, use them again and recommend them to your associates. You will build a loyal, productive relationship with many future rewards. Remember that contracts are an important tool for establishing your requirements and for settling disagreements in court after the fact. Your positive working relationship will be the single element that carries you through the event as it unfolds.

Secure a Great Venue

The facility and location for your event set the stage for the entire event. You’ll want to be sure it has the appropriate set-up for the number of people you invite, areas for off-line chats and smoke breaks, adequate bathrooms, storage for coats and personal items, and space for your speaker or entertainment. If dancing is involved, you’ll need space for both a stage and a dance floor. While a speaker requires only a podium, a band requires a stage.

The place you choose for your event should reflect the type of event, the type of guests, and the general theme of the event. If you’re having a charity ball where you hope to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars, you’ll want an elegant, formal facility with plenty of additional accommodations. If your guests are coming from out of town for the event, you should probably find a place near or in a hotel. If your event is a smaller, casual get-together for neighbors or family, a community club house is appropriate.

Many facilities will provide additional services as part of the rent. For example, they may agree to provide items for breaks (coffee, tea, sodas, cookies, etc.) as part of the rental fee. They may offer set-up and clean-up with the rental agreement. They may provide audio-visual aids like a laptop and viewing screen or microphones and speakers. Facilities that are used often as event venues will have more of the additional items you need than will the local club house. Think about your event goals and your budget as you negotiate for space. Visit at least three candidate locations, and make them compete with each other for your business. Be sure to personally walk through potential locations, and feel free to make frequent follow-up calls with questions about details. Finally, be sure to set out your agreements in a formal contract.

One more element to consider is the location of the venue. How far are you willing to make guests travel to get there? If you’re in a large urban area, is there adequate parking nearby? Or can your guests use public transportation, like a subway or local train, to get there in the absence of parking? Provide clear, detailed directions to your guests when you invite them.

Focus on Food and Drink

Next to an attractive, inviting venue, you should focus on the food and beverages. If you’re having a multi-course sit-down dinner, menu planning will become a major part of your planning process. A professional caterer will be able to make many helpful suggestions for a coordinated menu that appeals to a variety of people with different tastes. Remember that a formal dinner will involve more people to serve dishes and pickup dishes for each course. Serving staff should be professional and courteous at all times. Make sure to get references from your catering candidates for this level of service. You’ll also have to plan table set-up and seating arrangements.

You might also consider a buffet or less formal way to provide appetizing treats for your guests. A buffet cuts down on staffing requirements, as you can forego servers. And you can offer more choices in individual food items. Of course, guests have to carry their own plates. Seating may be at tables, but for buffets they are not essential. You can have a less formal seating layout, and you do not have to assign seats for your guests.

Food can be as informal as snacks. Fruit and vegetable plates, finger food, chips and dips, cheeses, and varied desserts are appropriate for this purpose. In this case, your guests don’t expect a full meal. Snack-type food service is good for afternoon and late evening events. Much less expensive, snacks take less space and require fewer people to serve and clean up.

About the beverages – your first decision is whether or not to serve alcohol. Consider type and purpose of the event and the characteristics of your guests in making this decision. Also do research on the types and costs of licenses and fees to have alcohol at your event. Decide whether to offer an open bar with unlimited free drinks, a ticketing system where guests are given tickets for a drink or two each, or a cash bar where guests pay for their drinks. If you are serving alcohol, you may also want to consider getting the services of a security guard in case a guest becomes too rowdy. Though alcohol is a normal part of most event planning, it involves more work and expense. It also introduces greater risk to your guests’ safety. Don’t assume you have to serve alcoholic beverages.

Entertain your Guests

You already know the purpose of your event. Whether your honoring a local hero, welcoming home a long lost uncle, making an important announcement for your organization, introducing a new product, or simply providing a good time for people you appreciate, consider entertainment appropriate to your purpose. You may want to bring in a motivational speaker, an expert in a relevant topic, an emcee to keep things moving smoothly, a professional entertainer to amuse and astound, or musicians to play background music for your activities or provide for dancing after dining. Make sure your entertainment is appropriate to the purpose, the venue, and your budget. There are many different options for finding and securing good dependable entertainment. Whether they’ll be working for the entire event or for a portion of it, be sure to have a contract outlining your expectations and the role they’ll play.

Attend to Details

We’ve covered the major facets of event planning. Once you have settled and secured what you need in these areas, you’ll have lots of work to do to make sure everything is properly coordinated and consistent with your theme. You’ll want to plan and create invitations and an event program and have them printed at least a month before the event. You’ll need to decide how to publicize your event. You may want to identify local or national celebrities who can add a bit of excitement to your event and help meet your goals.

You’ll need to select decorations that support your theme, table settings, and equipment for entertainment and other activities. You’ll want to plan event activities and be sure you are set up for them. You’ll need to identify a group of volunteers or paid assistants to welcome and assist guests and help you oversee the event as it unfolds (including later clean-up).

Be sure to include notes and paperwork for the most minute details in your organizing notebook. Document every step in your event planning process. Review your notebook at least once a week to assure you’re on schedule and to avoid leaving anything out. Follow-up promptly and be sure your agreements with providers are documented in a written contract. Keep your contracts and any supporting notes or communications in your notebook. Keep a record of all phone calls and conversations related to your event planning.

One final, and very important detail is taking care of yourself. Event planning is hard work, and it’s easy to overload and over-stress. Build special times into your schedule for personal breaks. First, take care of your health. Get exercise, rest, and relaxation to keep a positive attitude and a productive energy level. Make time for social contacts so that you don’t become isolated. Remember your friendships and your family. If you do become overwhelmed, take a day off. Go to the spa or the local nature preserve for some well needed quiet time. In the long run, caring for you will help assure a successful event.

When a plenty of reading gizmos are trying hard to make their place in several backpacks, the Barnes and Noble Nook is surely providing them an option to think and then choose to make use of this e-reader with utmost style and proficiency. Along with the iPad, Microsoft courier and entourage edge, the Barnes and Noble Nook too has made an impression with its wonderful features and ease of usage. It claims to be an Aneroid based and technically developed e-book reader.

Some of its unique features include

An ideal measurement of 7.7 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches.
It has a weight of 11.2 ounces.
Has a top e-ink display from Vizplex.
A 3.5 inches color screen – This particular screen however gives complete support to one touch control system and can even conveniently browse books with the help of complete color coverings.
Comes with a rechargeable battery – the battery life can extend up to ten days if you keep the wireless option off.
Comes with 2GB internal storage capacity.
Has a micro SD expansion slot.
An MP3 player to make you listen to some good music.
A fantastic built-in mono speaker.
A micro USB Port.
A headphone jack measuring 3.5 millimeter.

This e-book reading device has become a favorite with a garden of features which makes things so simple and just at the tip of your finger. You can even make use of the Barnes and Noble Nook for book marking and also highlighting significant portions of a particular passage.

Before exam time this e-book reader gives you the opportunity to prepare notes so fast. This particular device comes with a Lend-Me feature and you can easily lend the nook to several cell phones, computers and e-readers. Thus, to put it short the sort of technicality the Barnes and Noble Nook is offering is just beyond imagination.

For all of us who thought that the Kindle and the Sony Reader will be dividing the eBook reader market between themselves, the bookstore giant, going strong over the ages, decided to make the Nook available to excited buyers on the 30th of November 2009. Everyone wants to know what makes the Nook special. If one has just ordered a kindle, he will read on, though he does not want to, lest he goes into a major dose of buyer’s remorse.

The following are features that can be termed unique to Nook:

1. The Nook boasts of a 3.5 inch multi-touch color screen as compared to the 16 level gray scale display of the Kindle. The screen allows you to navigate content, be it books, newspapers or magazines, in full color. It can turn into a virtual keyboard or to browse books, take on the cover-flow style.

2. The “E Ink” screen is common to both the Nook and the Kindle. The E Ink display is more like a traditional book as far as clarity is concerned and moves away from being a condensed computer screen. There is no glare or backlight, making it reader friendly. The font can be changed to make way for comfortable reading.

3. The new ‘e’kid on the block is proud to announce its city-library feature of being able to lend E-Books to friends. The borrower needs to be using Barnes and Noble application software in their iPhone, Blackberry Touch, etc. and need not be a proud owner of the Nook. You can lend a book for a period of two weeks, provided the publisher is not averse to the idea.

4. Based on platform provided by Google’s “Android”, the Nook has reduced its chances of going wrong. This software makes it sync up with almost all available smart devices, which the buyer can possibly think of. All these features are unique to the Amazon Kindle 2.

5. The Nook supports the ePub, allowing readers to use books from a number of vendors and not being restricted to just the Barnes and Noble titles. This also helps the reader buy any book, anywhere and at any time.

6. The Nook has been designed to hold 1500 e-books and the memory can be increased using the Micro SD expansion slot.

As for Kindle, things that go in its favor include:

1. The Kindle 2 uses the same E ink but it however lacks a multi-touch color screen.

2. The Kindle 2 users cannot resort to the age-old tradition of lending books to friends.

3. The Kindle 2 however scores with its “text to speech” feature, indispensable if you are at the wheel or just feel like giving your eyes some rest but would not like to disrupt the flow of the story.

4. The Kindle 2 is compatible with a handful of smart devices when compared to the 100s that the Nook can sync up with.

5. Android software is not a proven system as yet. So only time can tell how the Google’s new operating system will evolve over the years and how users take on this software platform. So, who comes out the winner is perhaps the most eagerly awaited topic. Needless to say, it’s a close race with both the devices faring almost identically as far as pricing, 3G and Wireless capabilities are concerned. The one major aspect that set’s the two apart is the color navigation screen, which has been speculated to be slow. And as for the lending feature, it does seem like a feature that can be termed as a bit unrealistic in the real world scenario. Surely both the Kindle and the Nook does have a loyal band of followers who swear by their individual choice. So in the end, all of this can boil down to what your requirements really are and which of the devices you think comes closest to fulfilling your demands.

And if you think you need help making up your mind, turn to e-reader forum to have your doubts cleared while the e-reader blog too can contribute immensely in your zeroing in on a particular device.

We are all told that we do not get enough sunshine in the winter months, and that we could all be short of Vitamin D. So how about making a little sun trap for your quiet moments that happen to be sunny moments as well?

If you have a deck, it will easier to access than the garden in the winter, as there will not be so much mess from leaves. (Or if there are leaves they can be easily swept up). If you have no deck, but a walk out yard area that is not concreted or paved, you may want to think of flooring a small area. A walk out area is pleasant in the summer, but if left unpaved, it can get very muddy in the winter.

Choice and circumstance dictate, but you would need an area at least 6 foot by 6 foot. Once you have this area flattened and covered with a thin layer of fine sand, then you can either lay flat paving slabs or wooden planks, on cross joists.

If you are going for the natural look then wood or colored cobblestone will probably blend more aesthetically with your garden; not as easy to lay though!

Obviously your area must be in a part of the yard or deck that catches the sun. You will also need to think of what time of day you will be sitting in this spot, to ensure the sun will be shining in the right place. In the winter it is warmest from noon to about 2.p.m.

The type of chair(s) you will choose will be dictated to by the weather, no doubt. Some of the wicker-look chairs that are actually metal would be serviceable. Two chairs grouped with a little side table that is high would be a good place to rest your coffee!

Another option is the wooden bench that has been carefully varnished to resist the weather, and a lower wooden table. Some people erect an all weather parasol/umbrella to complete the feeling of a having a nook. These can be very inexpensive and will weather the storms even if you accidentally leave them open.

Having a tree or bush background would be ideal, but this can also be contrived by arranging large potted trees and bushes nearby. Within the actual 6 foot boundary, try a few pot plants on the edge, or one large terra cotta bowl about 18″ diameter that can be overflowing with trailing plants.

If you find there is a shady area nearby, you may want to raise a trellis fence behind it and create a pleasant viewpoint for yourself. You can arrange a beautifully smelling winter honeysuckle to climb up it, and of course ivy.

You can fill the stretch of yard in front of it with variegated hostas (they love the shade) and stick an old ornamental bird bath in the middle of the hostas.

This will give you somewhere pleasing to rest your eyes (and maybe some birdsong!) If you are arranging your nook on a deck, just do the same but use large pots. You may enjoy this concept so much that you will want to expand the idea in the summer months.

By the way, don’t worry about the Vitamin D; the latest theory is that the winter sun is too weak to deliver – so leave your phone indoors and just enjoy!

For many, the most popular room in the house is the kitchen. If you have a kitchen nook that goes along with that, then you’re lucky. But you may also be stumped for how to decorate your nook. Luckily, there are countess options available to you.

One thing that you will want to do is choose a style for your nook that won’t overwhelm the kitchen itself. You want your nook to remain a nook – a special little place to tuck away a table, a desk, a seating area, or even a combination of all of these. Let form follow function here. In other words, decide what you really need your nook to be on a practical level, and then let that idea dictate your design.

For example, do you really need an extra table for eating? If so, then design around that idea that the space will be for eating. If not, then there are no rules that say a nook has to have a table for eating. Let the space serve whatever purpose you want it to serve.

If you do, in fact, want extra space for eating, then go all the way with it. You may want to put in a banquet bench and create something of a booth area. Depending on your family situation, one good idea is to go small with the table – a cozy little place for two or three at the most.

Even with a large family, if you just need a space where one or two can sit down and eat a quick meal, then this might be idea. Or a little table might also be an idea place for a quiet breakfast for mom or dad after the kids have cleared out of the house for the day.

If you nook is large, you might consider a full size table. For many, a nook is where most of the eating in the house actually gets done. If this is so for you, then trying to make your nook into too many things may be a mistake. Let it simply be the principle eating area and don’t clutter it up with other objectives.

If you don’t need it to be an eating area, then one practical idea for a nook is office space. Again, depending on your family situation, this could be an ideal spot for an office. If you have kids, however, you may find that a nook is not so ideal a spot for a “full-time office.” There are simply too many distractions.

However, it may still be the perfect spot for a small, temporary office. It can be extremely convenient to be able to pay your bills and watch the pot on the stove at the same time. Some also like the idea of combining two very different rooms into essentially one space. This gives both areas a character and a flair that they never would have had otherwise.

Finally, another idea is to make you nook a spot for displaying your favorite items – antiques, art, memorabilia, the kids’ creations, etc. Again, if you really want to do something like this, then go whole hog with it and let the space be simply that. Trying to clutter too many “spaces” into a nook is often a mistake. That said, if done simply, a combination of different “spaces” can work for you, but no matter which way you go, it’s best to clearly decide on what you want the space to be before you go about filling it up.