These bespoke outdoor buildings have been designed with working from home in mind, elevating the concept of the garden office to new design heights
With a shifting attitude to home-working still playing out in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the workforce at large is beginning to examine how their home spaces operate as a part- or full-time office.
As a way to add extra space to the home, garden office outbuildings have something to offer those who are looking for separate space to keep the definition between work and home life.
The days of the outdoor home office being considered under-equipped, draughty and uncomfortable are long gone – meet the new wave of contemporary pods offering a short commute down the garden path for their owners.
Work cabin, Koto
Image: Edvinas Bruzas
Zoe Little and Theo Dales, co-founders of British design studio Koto were briefed by Wiltshire-based NewArtCentre to create an architectural cabin that a functioned as part sculpture, part functional office space.
The design of the cabin takes inspiration from the Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi – finding beauty in imperfection – while the exterior is clad in Shou-Sugi-Ban burnt timber.
A Room in the Garden, Studio Ben Allen
Image: Ben Tynegate
Initially created for architect Ben Allen‘s brother and sister-in-law, octagonal garden folly design has been designed to be It is intended to be simple enough for self-build assembly. Coming as a flat pack kit of parts, fully fabricated on a CNC machine, his design can be erected with little to no noise, disruption or mess.
The space is packed with innovation, from the sprayed insulation to ensure the space is airtight, therefore warm, to the adaptable furniture which can be altered to meet the varying needs – from work space to spare room and children’s play area.
Study box, Box 9 Design x Bert & May
Image: Bert & May
Bert’s Boxes are a range of pre-fabricated live and work spaces, created from naturally beautiful materials that encapsulate the raw-yet-refined design style of contemporary interior brand Bert & May.
The study box is new for 2020 and is designed to be fully compliant with planning permission-free garden room regulations. It can be finished in a range of reclaimed and handmade materials, including Bert & May’s signature encaustic tiles, and premium options include an AV pack and a wood burning stove.
Shoffice, Platform 5 Architects
Image: Platform 5 architects
This award-winning garden office design by Platform 5 Architects was built for clients in the back garden of a 1950s terraced house in London. Shoffice, as it is known, is a 7 square metre garden office, with a form reminiscent of a curl of wood shaving. It’s formed with two steel ring beams, timber ribs, multiple skylight and a plywood skin.
Brexit Bunker, Rise Design Studio
Image: Edmund Sumner
With a brief to replace a ramshackle garden building with a new office, architect Sean Ronnie Hill, director of Rise Design Studio, wanted to create an illusion of space without dominating the next door neighbour’s site lines.
The slanting roof of the weathered rolled steel structure adds roof height to the interior of the space, climaxing in a dramatic oculus window which ensures the space is bright and light-filled during the day.
Cork study, Surman Weston
Image: Wai Ming Ng
Architects Surman Weston created a shared work and studio space in this north London garden with a pocket door that creates an indoor-outdoor room. This garden office space has been clad in textured cork sheets and has a wild flower planted roof with a large rooflight.
Inside, birch plywood’s been used for the interior walls, floors and bespoke furniture.
The Light Shed, Richard John Andrews
Image: Chris Snook
It took architect Richard John Andrews 21 days with the help of his assistant to build this 16 square metre modular timber frame office in his east London garden. Made from sheets of plywood, it’s clad with corrugated fibreglass panels and a polycarbonate roof, it’s a super lightweight design.
Nestle studio, Mustard Architects
Image: Tim Crocker
This bespoke studio space, created by Mustard Architects for a north London garden and was designed to preserve a silver birch tree by wrapping around the edge of the garden. The red cedar cladding has been feathered, creating a soft line that helps the office blend into the garden.
