The Composer's Cabin: Chelsea Flower Show 2026

 

We're starting our annual look at the best shedlike atmospheres at RHS Chelsea Flower Show with The Composer’s Cabin designed by Martha Krempel and sponsored by London St Pancras Highspeed. 

It's one of the Houseplant Studios sponsored by Malvern Garden Buildings and aims to celebrate peatlands, wild boulder-studded moorlands, horticulture and music as well as garden offices. The cabin is set in a landscape inspired by West Cornwall and features subtropical planting that flourishes in the area. Here's what the RHS says about it:

Inside the cabin, whose quiet charm recalls a 17th century cottage, visitors encounter a Steinway baby grand piano surrounded by lush planting. An immersive soundscape evokes the unique acoustics of peat bogs, bringing this fragile habitat to life. On the roof are transplanted sections of peatland bog, with delicate sphagnum mosses and Eriophorum angustifolium (cotton grass). The result is a retreat where creativity is not imposed upon nature but composed in quiet dialogue with it.

The peatland planting will be returned to its natural habitat and a version of The Composer’s Cabin will be relocated to London St Pancras Station for a pop-up experience in June.

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Wednesday posts are sponsored by Booths Garden Studios, the UK's No.1 supplier of zero maintenance and portable garden studios

 

Cottage N.1

Cottage N. 1 is an intriguing build from De Castelli that scooped a Wallpaper* Design Award in 2012. Designed by Filippo Pisan, they describe it as "a revisitation of the classic garden shed" with a corten steel structure and natural spruce cladding. "The result," they say, "is a multifunctional space that can be transformed into a beachside hut, mini garage for two-wheeled modes of transport, a nook for meditative getaways, or a micro-workshop for DIY projects."

Features include lights that come on when you open the door, and an internal 'ventilation system' made up of  raised wooden slatted floor and small perforations in the walls.

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Monday's posts are sponsored by Smart Modular Buildings, the UK's best garden room company

Friday Finery: Chile shed

One of my oldest schoolfriends, Kevin Towl (I watched my first world cup football final at his house in Telford in 1978), now lives and works in Chile, and he has been kind enough to send Shedworking some photos of his latest project (a 'casita' translates as 'little house' but it's very much a shedlike atmosphere as you can see). Here's what he says about it:

After a few ups and downs my 'casita' is almost ready. Switching from one builder to another didn't help the process and I seem to have ended up with a child's drawing of an Irish pub. Anyway, the book shelves go in soon and I am looking for the perfect desk.

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Friday posts are sponsored by Warwick Buildings, manufacturers of outstanding quality timber buildings. Click here for more information 

New beach huts in Hove up for grabs

Local residents have the rare opportunity to own one of 11 new beach huts which are being installed on Hove seafront this week situated between Hove Lagoon and the beach, with the popular Hove Beach Park directly behind.

Ten of the new huts are being built in the gaps on the promenade above Hove Lagoon Watersports. The 11th hut will fill a gap nearby, following the removal of an abandoned derelict hut.

Brighton and Hove City Council say that residents interested in buying a hut are invited to an open viewing day on March 31 between 12 noon and 3pm. Further viewing days can be arranged if needed.

The 10 huts will go on sale to Brighton & Hove residents for offers over £25,000. The 11th hut, which is in a more established location, has been priced at offers over £30,000. Money raised from the sale of the huts will be used to fund further seafront maintenance.

Councillor Birgit Miller, Cabinet Member for Culture, Heritage and Tourism, said: “Our famous seafront beach huts rarely come onto the market, so we are thrilled to be offering residents the chance to own one of 11 brand new huts."

Offers can be made in writing by April 7 and sent to Seafront.lettings@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Bidders are asked to state their first and second preferences.

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Thursday posts are sponsored by Cabin Master, bespoke garden rooms and offices designed, manufactured and installed throughout the UK

 

Shed of the Year returns with a new sponsor

Entries for Shed of the Year 2026 are now open, sponsored this year by shed specialists Tiger.

This year marks the competition's 20th anniversary and will feature new categories as well as category sponsors, another first. These are:

• Eco haven (sponsored by British Garden Centres)
• Workshop/studio (sponsored by Horsforth Brewery)
• Most colourful shed (sponsored by Protek)
• Pub/entertainment (sponsored by Horsforth Brewery)
• Community shed (sponsored by St Gemma’s Hospice, Tiger’s chosen charity of the year)
• Cabin/summerhouse
• Budget champion
• Garden sanctuary (sponsored by British Garden Centres)
• Unexpected/unique (sponsored by Protek)
• Simple but effective

There are also two additional judged categories, Tiger in the Wild (the best Tiger shed entered into the competition) and regional winners from across the UK. The overall winner will be crowned in July.

A spokesman for Tiger said: "As the new lead sponsor, Tiger is proud to support a competition that so perfectly embodies the philosophy that an individual’s shed is their personal haven. A shared passion for garden buildings and their transformative impact on people's lives forms the foundation of this partnership. By stepping up to sponsor this anniversary, Tiger is helping to ensure the future of a competition that has brought joy and inspiration to thousands over the past two decades."
 
"What makes this partnership feel so right is that Tiger is a genuine shed manufacturer," added Andrew Wilcox who runs readersheds.co.uk and established the competition. "They don’t just ‘get’ sheds; they live and breathe the craft, the passion, and the culture that we all love. They care about our community and want it to thrive, not just for the branding. Plus, with their incredible network of showsites across the UK, we’re going to be able to reach even more local shed-heads than ever before.

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Wednesday posts are sponsored by Booths Garden Studios, the UK's No.1 supplier of zero maintenance and portable garden studios

 

Work from home to beat oil crisis, says International Energy Agency

 

The International Energy Agency has released a new report 'Sheltering From Oil Shocks: Measures to reduce impacts on households and businesse' which "details 10 demand-side options open to households, businesses and governments to shelter themselves from today’s oil shock and relieve the strains on affordability".

The IEA admits that it's hard to generalise and that different countries have different energy needs but nevertheless number one on its list is 'Work from home where possible'. The report's authors point out that commuting accounts for between 5% and 30% of car activity across regions. Here are their thoughts:

As not all jobs are suitable for working from home, at the national level, three additional remote working days, for those whose jobs allow for it, could reduce oil consumption from cars by 2%-6%. If an average individual driver shifts from no teleworking to three remote days in a five-day workweek, their personal car oil consumption could be reduced by up to 20%.  

It also points out that Governments can encourage businesses to allow their employees to work from home, and can mandate public officials to work from home, where possible, and close public buildings on certain days. Their examples make interesting reading:

Policy examples: In response to the 2026 crisis in the Middle East, several countries have announced measures to encourage working from home. For example, the Philippines and Pakistan have mandated 4-day workweeks for government workers, while Sri Lanka has closed public offices on Wednesdays, and Lao PDR, Thailand and Viet Nam are all actively promoting remote work. Many European governments also encouraged working from home in response to the energy crisis in 2022-23, including through the joint IEA-EU Playing my Part Campaign. For example, France incentivised public officials working from home in 2022, and encouraged private companies to follow this example.

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Monday's posts are sponsored by Smart Modular Buildings, the UK's best garden room company

Friday Finery: David Hockney's barn

This week's finery focuses on a detail from David Hockney's work 'Autour de la maison, été' (2019) which is coming up for auction at the end of this month at Christie's London. 

The full thing is a monumental 12m long printed on a single sheet of paper, and shows Hockney's home and garden in Normandy at the height of summer, but the key elements are obviously the shelike buildings. Hockney incorporates medieval barns and contemporary treehouse in a work, as Christie's puts it: "recalling the narrative structure of the historic Bayeux Tapestry".  

The estimate is £200,000-300,000 but it will probably go for more.

Pic credit: © David Hockney/Christie's 

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Friday posts are sponsored by Warwick Buildings, manufacturers of outstanding quality timber buildings. Click here for more information