These reading corners (well, ok, they’re not all strictly ‘corners’) in our January 2013 issue (out this week on Thursday 6th December) offer a quiet haven away from the festive hubbub for some well-earned R&R.

The library at the top is from the North London townhouse belonging to journalists Kate Watson-Smyth and Adam Leigh.

The quirky flight of stairs in the middle is from the Victorian terrace home of Paula and Matthew Gower.

At the bottom is a private library for the kids in the New York home of Vanessa Friedman, fashion editor of the Financial Times and her husband David Stewart, a boutique investment banker.

Which is your favourite?