Three common beliefs about reading rooms waste the same investment in the same way, and all three fall apart once you check the measurements. The first is that a couple of armchairs in a corner will do: long-stay armchairs have a seat 40-42 cm from the floor and a usable depth of 55-60 cm, lobby armchairs sit at 45-47 cm and 45-50 cm, and the difference is felt after twenty minutes. The second is that quiet is an atmosphere, when it actually depends on absorbent surfaces, the gap under the door and curtains of 350-450 g/m².
The third is that a well-made ambient light lets you read: the book itself needs 300-500 lux of targeted light, while the room stays at 100-150 lux. A room of 20-30 m² furnished this way costs roughly between 6,000 and 18,000 euros.
Contents
Armchairs for the reading room: dimensions for long stays
No, and the reason is geometric. A lobby armchair is designed for stays of five to twenty minutes, with a suitcase alongside and the need to get up quickly: a high, shallow seat, a short backrest. Anyone who sits there to read pays for it in their back for the next half hour. A long-stay armchair is built for sessions of up to two hours, and to do that it changes every dimension.
| Parameter | Lobby seating | Long-stay armchair | Chaise longue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat height from floor | 45-47 cm | 40-42 cm | 36-40 cm |
| Usable depth | 45-50 cm | 55-60 cm | 60-70 cm with leg rest |
| Backrest height from seat | 35-45 cm | 55-70 cm | 70-85 cm with head support |
| Backrest angle | 100-105° | 105-112° | 115-125° |
| Armrests | optional | needed, 60-65 cm from floor | needed or wraparound |
| Seat foam density | 30-35 kg/m³ | 35-40 kg/m³ | 30-35 kg/m³ plus a soft layer |
| Floor footprint | 60 × 65 cm | 80 × 85 cm | 75 × 160-180 cm |
Three figures in that table deserve a note. The armrest at 60-65 cm from the floor, meaning 20-24 cm above the seat, supports the elbow in the position used to hold a book: lower forces you to hunch, higher lifts the shoulder. A head support only makes sense above 115°, because on an armchair reclined to 108° it pushes the head forward. And reclining mechanisms, in contract furniture, are a point of failure: a 45 × 45 cm pouf 38-40 cm high does the same job and doesn’t break.
In a 25 m² room, the mix that works is two tall relax armchairs, four reading armchairs with armrests, a two-seater sofa and two poufs: twelve nominal seats, eight usable at once, because a reading room at full capacity stops being quiet.
On upholstery, the rule for any upholstered item in a hospitality business applies: a high-abrasion-resistance contract fabric with Class 1 IM approval. Fabric should be preferred over faux leather for the reason covered in the next section too: fabric-covered hotel armchairs absorb sound, leather ones reflect it.
Acoustics of the relax area: how quiet is achieved
This is the most expensive belief, because it leads to spending on lighting and colours while leaving the room acoustically raw. Quiet depends on two things: how much noise gets in and how much it reverberates once inside.
The noise that gets in passes almost entirely through the gap under the door, which in an internal room is the main acoustic channel: a perimeter seal and a threshold draught excluder cost a few dozen euros and change the perception more than a panel would. The rest depends on the windows and the position, because a room facing a stairwell starts at a disadvantage already.
Internal reverberation is the real enemy. In a room with porcelain stoneware flooring, plastered walls and little furniture, two people talking quietly become unbearable for anyone reading, because the sound tail never dies away.
The surfaces that absorb sound, in order of value for money, are a medium-low pile rug of 200 × 300 cm under the main seating, which also works on footfall; six to eight fabric-upholstered armchairs; generous curtains with weights between 350 and 450 g/m² and at least 2:1 gathering, useful on a blank wall too; bookcases full of books, among the cheapest sound diffusers there are; and a padded panelled wall 120-160 cm high behind the seating, which solves acoustics and appearance with a single piece.
One detail matters more than several panels: no television. It’s the first addition guests ask for and the first thing that empties the room.
Lighting for reading: lux, kelvin and lamp position
A room at 150 warm, dimmed lux is pleasant and doesn’t let you read a page. The two lighting systems serve different purposes and need designing together, because targeted lighting requires power points that can’t be added later.
On the book itself, meaning a surface tilted at 60-70 cm from the floor in front of a seated reader’s chest, you need 300-500 lux at 3000 K with a CRI of at least 80. Below 2700 K the paper looks yellow and contrast drops, above 4000 K the light feels out of place in a relax area.
The source needs to sit above and slightly behind the shoulder, 30-40 cm from the shoulder line and 100-140 cm from the floor: frontal lighting dazzles, vertical lighting casts a shadow on the page. The fitting should be adjustable and shielded, with a shade that doesn’t let anyone sitting opposite see the bulb. And the switch needs to be on the lamp itself, reachable while seated, because if it’s a wall switch behind the armchairs nobody uses it.
The count of light points works out at one lamp per one or two seats. In an eight-seat room that means four or five fittings: two arc floor lamps by the tall armchairs, two table lamps on the side tables, one wall light next to the chaise longue. Floor lamps need a heavy base, because in a relax area cables get knocked, and the cable should run along the skirting board or under the rug through a flat cable cover.
Side tables: the right height and dimensions
There’s a fourth item that decides whether the room gets used, and it rarely shows up in quotes: the side table. Anyone reading has a book, a phone, glasses, a cup, and without a surface within 40 cm of the armrest they get up after ten minutes.
The right height is level with the armrest or two to four centimetres below, so between 55 and 62 cm with a 41 cm seat, not the 40 cm typical of living-room side tables. The usable top should start at 35 × 35 cm, ideally 40 × 45 cm, in HPL, stoneware or wood with a polyurethane finish, because waxed wood stains at the first cup.
Hotel bookcases: shelf load capacity and managing the books
The bookcase gives the room its identity and degrades faster than any other element. What surveys keep finding is always the same picture: three shelves of tourist guides from fifteen years ago, yellowing books left by guests in five languages, a volume with no cover.
The countermeasures are partly structural. A linear metre of bound volumes weighs 25-30 kg, so on a clear span over 90 cm an 18 mm loaded shelf sags within a year: you need thicknesses of 25-30 mm or reinforcements, with the load capacity stated at the offer stage.
Usable depth is 25-28 cm and the clearance between shelves 30-33 cm. Wall anchoring with metal brackets is always needed. And 30-40% of the volume should be closed off behind doors, for magazines, throws and spare cushions, because an entirely open bookcase demands a level of tidiness housekeeping can’t sustain.
The rest is management: fifty to eighty curated volumes work better than three hundred random ones, a labelled shelf for a book exchange stops novels left in rooms from turning up in random order, and a six-monthly review takes ten minutes.
Carving a relax area out of a larger room
The most common case is a portion of a larger room, and the criterion stays the same: no required route to the lift, bathrooms, breakfast room or service exit should cross the seating area. A relax area that gets walked through doesn’t get used.
The separation can stay light. Double-sided open bookcases 180-200 cm high and 40-45 cm deep separate, screen the view and absorb sound with a single piece. Vertical slat walls filter the view without blocking light, planters 90-110 cm high shape an entry path. And hotel sofas with a backrest between 100 and 115 cm, facing outward, act as a visual barrier for anyone seated.
Two constraints aren’t negotiable: dividing elements can’t obstruct escape routes, doors or safety signage, and for hospitality businesses the fire safety reference remains Ministerial Decree 9 April 1994, with properties over 25 beds subject to Presidential Decree 151/2011, activity no. 66; clear passages need to stay at least 90 cm wide with a turning space where possible, under Law 13/1989 and Ministerial Decree 236/1989.
Where the seating faces matters too. A window, a 90-120 cm electric flame-effect fireplace that doesn’t need a flue, a full-height bookcase or a characterful panelled wall all work as a focal point. The reception desk and the entrance door don’t, because anyone reading looks up every time someone walks past. Armchairs should sit in a semicircle or an L shape around the visual focus, with 150-220 cm between facing seats. Set up this way, the room absorbs guests who left their room at ten and won’t be back until evening, freeing up the lobby from people waiting around.
Reading room or workspace? Sockets, tables and costs
The answer is blunter than people want to hear: quiet long stays and work involving calls have opposite requirements on acoustics, ergonomics and colour temperature. Anyone who needs proper workstations, with adjustable seating and a booth for video calls, needs a separate coworking project.
Charging is still needed, but sparingly. A Schuko socket with USB every two seats, built into the edge of the side table with a flush cover and fed from the skirting board through the leg. A single strong point, for example a 120 × 40 cm console at 74 cm height with four sockets, placed at the opposite end from the armchairs, is enough for anyone needing to work for half an hour. The same goes for a communal table of 120 × 70 cm at a height of 74-75 cm, useful in rooms over 25 m²: it attracts conversation, so it should be kept away from the reading zone.
The final figure, for a complete 20-25 m² room with armchairs, side tables, bookcase, rug, curtains and light fittings, sits roughly between 6,000 and 18,000 euros depending on the level of upholstery. On a quote drawn up against the real floor plan, the item that moves the figures most is the seating, and it’s the one thing not worth cutting corners on.
Frequently asked questions about hotel reading rooms and relax areas
How many square metres does a reading room need?
It works from as little as 15-18 m² with four to six seats. The best-balanced size is 20-30 m² with eight to ten nominal seats, meaning 2-3 m² per position counting the armchair, side table and passage. Above 40 m² it’s worth splitting the space into two distinct areas, because a large room with scattered seating loses its intimate character.
What kind of armchair is needed for reading?
A long-stay seat: height from floor 40-42 cm, usable depth 55-60 cm, backrest 55-70 cm high angled between 105 and 112°, armrests at 60-65 cm from the floor, foam at 35-40 kg/m³. Lobby armchairs are taller and shallower, designed for just a few minutes. Contract upholstery and Class 1 IM approval are needed.
How do I make the room quiet without building work?
With absorbent surfaces and the door. A perimeter seal and a threshold draught excluder close off the main channel, then a medium-low pile rug, curtains of 350-450 g/m² with 2:1 gathering, fabric rather than leather armchairs, and a padded panelled wall 120-160 cm high behind the seating.
How much light is needed for reading, and what kind?
Between 300 and 500 lux measured on the book itself, at around 60-70 cm from the floor, with 3000 K and a CRI of at least 80. The source should sit above and slightly behind the shoulder, 30-40 cm from it and 100-140 cm from the floor, adjustable and shielded. Ambient light stays low, around 100-150 lux at 2700 K.
How much does it cost to furnish?
For a complete 20-25 m² room with armchairs, chaise longue, side tables, bookcase, rug, curtains and light fittings, the indicative range runs from 6,000 to 18,000 euros, with wide variation depending on the level of upholstery and quantities. It’s among the items with the best ratio between spend and perceived category.
Is it worth putting a television in there too?
No. A television switched on changes the function of the room and drives away the people looking for quiet, which is the only reason that room exists. If a TV room is needed, it should be created elsewhere with its own seating and acoustics. Here, the same budget delivers more value invested in targeted lighting and side tables.
How many books should go in, and who keeps them tidy?
Fifty to eighty curated volumes work better than three hundred random ones: illustrated books on the local area, art and food, plus fiction in two or three languages. A labelled shelf for guest book exchanges helps, and 30-40% of the bookcase should be closed behind doors. The review should be scheduled every six months.
