Monday, April 06, 2009

The Shedworker's Bookshelf - Shed Chic by Sally Coulthard

This is rather an important book. Until now - with a few honorable exceptions such as last year's Debra Prinzing's Stylish Sheds - books on sheds have had a distinctly male bias and focused almost entirely on the construction. Shed Chic (published by the Jacqui Small imprint of Aurum Press in conjunction with Country Living) quite rightly does include many photographs of shed and garden office exteriors (indeed there's an entire chapter on shedworking which is of course marvellous), but it's the focus on the interior that's particularly rewarding here and the fact that there are many female shed owners featured in its pages. Sally Coulthard has put together an encyclopaedic handbook to turning your shedlike atmosphere into somewhere special, whether it's a potting shed, garden office, guest room, separate dining area, playroom, and many more possibilities besides. The photographs are excellent and there are hundreds of them so you are bound to find inspiration here for your own shed.

Sadly, I suspect Shed Chic will be bought mainly by women, but if you're a chap, I heartily recommend you invest in a copy too. If you only buy one book on sheds this year, this should be it (and I'm not just saying that because Shedworking gets a namecheck).

We also have three copies to give away. To win, simply answer this simple question: What colour is Shedworking HQ painted on the outside? Either leave your answer in the comments below or email me directly. We'll put all the winners into a virtual sombrero and pull them out on April 20.
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5 comments:

  1. I would love to have that book as MY shed will be for a woman's use. And I think your shed is a rather drab green. Very earthy. Nice. Thanks for the opportunity to win the book.
    Laura

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  2. Anonymous4:00 PM

    I wish women would be seen as using sheds for more than "a potting shed, garden office, guest room, separate dining area, playroom, and many more possibilities besides.". What about work or production other than gardening and kids?
    EJ

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  3. EJ/Anonymous, I think garden office covers that doesn't it?

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  4. For what it's worth; I intend to use my shed as a studio for my artwork and crafting. Hopefully there will be no gardening/potting going on there. And I don't work from home, so no "office" type work will happen there. Ahhhh, but drawing, painting, dreaming, crafting...THAT will surely happen in my little Acorn Cottage.

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  5. I say the color is green... and I can't wait to get my mitts on this book--either own it myself or check it out from the library. I would love to have my own little shed! Maybe it would have a sign on the outside that read, 'NO BOYS ALLOWED!'

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