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Create an elegant reading corner by a window – all that’s required is an upholstered chair with delicate detailing, bolstered by a cushion, and a low table for balancing your book and restorative cup of tea.

Late 19th-century French chair, £695, Chloe Antiques. Cream-painted and parcel-gilt French occasional table,

£1,350 for two, Brownrigg. Late 18th-century French oil portrait, £495, Chloe Antiques. Rug, location’s own. Vase, £35, Focus on the Past. Cushion, location’s own. Book, from a selection,

Lorfords. 18th-century Sèvres porcelain cup and saucer, £6,500, Adrian Sassoon.