[ing-guh
l-nook] 
| a corner or nook near a fireplace; chimney corner. |
| in·gle·nook (ĭng'gəl-nŏŏk') n.
[ingle + nook.] |
inglenook
wooden seat or settle built into the space on either side of the wide fireplaces common in 17th-century English houses and cottages. The word is of Scottish origin, "ingle" meaning a housefire burning on a hearth. This type of built-in furniture fell out of favour upon the introduction of more sophisticated flues, which allowed for a smaller fire-burning area, but it was reintroduced with the revival of cottage-style architecture in the late 19th century, though in this context it was a deliberate reference to an idealized past.
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